Orange Suit Man brings Dutch soccer pride to North Texas
Bright orange cones from construction fill the heart of Deep Ellum, and something else is also orange: Dutch soccer superfan Daniel Oordt.
Oordt's signature look includes a custom orange suit, orange glasses, orange Versace shoes, and eyes, even orange underwear.
"The look started as maybe a little bit of a joke between friends," he said.
"Instead of wearing football jerseys to the game, why don't we wear a custom tailored suit? So, I did that. The camera operators in the stadium picked it up, and from that, it snowballed into what it is today: the name Oranje Suit Man," Oordt said. "The word oranje is the Dutch word for orange, so that's where it comes from."
Now, the Orange Suit Man may be the most famous Dutch soccer fan in the world.
"Since 2015, I have attended every single Dutch National Team game all over the world," Oordt said.
Their next match is Sunday afternoon at Dallas Stadium against Japan in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup.
His Dutch pride runs deep.
"I was born in the Netherlands, until I was about five and a half, six years old," Oordt said. "I moved to Canada, grew up most of my childhood and on the west coast of Canada."
Earlier this week, CBS News Texas did a story on FIFA murals commissioned by the Deep Ellum Foundation. Reporter Dawn White is covering the Netherlands and immediately noticed a familiar face.
"You messaged me, 'Why don't we choose this as an interview location?' and sent a picture of this mural. I had no idea. It came as a complete surprise," Oordt said.
Muralist Reuben Cheatum decided to include Orange Suit Man in his painting.
"To actually see someone in the flesh, it's a little surreal," Cheatum said. "One of the first things I discovered when I was doing my research about the Netherlands and the orange fan base was that they are fanatics. He represents that whole culture that they really support their team."
"It's first of all, a great honor to be put on a wall in a mural and even more so here with, two legends of the game, Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay," Oordt said. "I'm also able to connect with my Dutch culture, speak Dutch, be around Dutch people, our music, our way of life."
Now Oordt is becoming a legend himself and interviewing for the Dutch news during his time in the Metroplex.
"I traveled all the qualifying games, all those moments, be it in Finland, Malta, Lithuania, all our qualifier games have all led up to this moment to be here in Dallas," Oordt said.
Orange isn't just a color for Oordt. It's a way of life and a hope the Netherlands National Team brings another color, gold, back home for super fans like him.
