When the Netherlands opened its World Cup campaign with a shocking 5-1 defeat of defending champion Spain last week, it did more than send a seismic jolt through this tournament.

It also served as a glorious reminder that when the Dutch are on their game, they can make the best teams in the world look like they're playing in wooden clogs.

How a nation with roughly half the land mass of Indiana became a powerhouse in international soccer has been variously attributed to the country's superior coaching set-up, its progressive politics and even its low-lying topography, which helped to foster a possession-oriented game. But it may be that what makes the Netherlands such a fearsome football opponent is its long history of success in a decidedly less celebrated endeavor: Field hockey.

Last weekend, as millions of soccer fans tuned in to the opening weekend of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, devotees of field hockey were captivated by the closing stages of the FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands. The Dutch women's team was crowned world champions for a record seventh time, while the men's team finished as silver medalists. Those results maintained a proud tradition of hockey success in the Netherlands, one that stretches back to the 1960s and which has exerted a profound influence on Dutch soccer ever since.

Manager Louis van Gaal, whose team faces Australia Wednesday, has two former professional field-hockey players on his coaching staff in Brazil. "If you look back over many years, we can say [field hockey] has had a big impact on the Dutch game," said former Netherlands star Edgar Davids.