Quote of the day

Obviously the Dutch are a super team, but it seems that their superpower is the ability to lull opponents to sleep.*

*This is doubly amazing because the Netherlands’ orange uniforms are louder than a Metallica concert — not sure how ANYONE could sleep with those things around.

This is a hot topic here among soccer historians, because for years the Dutch were known for a groundbreaking and mesmerizing brand of soccer known as “Total Football” (or, in Dutch, Totaalvoetbal). In Total Football, players would constantly change positions in the middle of matches — defenders became attackers, attackers became defenders, dogs became cats, Almond Joys became Mars bars. And it all happened so naturally. The whole thing was better choreographed than West Side Story.

Now, the Netherlands play something closer to Dental Football — they numb you with Novocain and then yank out your teeth.--Joe Posnanski