Brendan Hunt, as part of the duo Ralph and Rolf of the German Organizing Committee, onstage at Boom Chicago with a prop provided by yours truly.

One of the recommendations I received from literally everybody I talked to about what to do in Amsterdam was to check out Boom Chicago, an improv/comedy group that has roots in the same Chicago scene that created Second City and Chicago City Limits. When I saw that Boom Chicago was featuring a special show in their 300-seat theater called “Kick This: A World Cup Comedy with Balls” and that it featured two of my fellow Americans talking soccer, I knew I had to be there.

With the tournament opener less than 48 hours away, it was a great way to set the mood. The show features Brendan Hunt, an American performer who has a solid grasp of both the sport and world soccer culture, and Jon Rosenfeld, who plays an American who knows nothing about the game. (Rosenfeld is aided in his performance by the fact that, in reality, he knows nothing about the game.) The contrast in soccer awareness between the two provides a lot of laughs, as does their knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of the inhabitants of various European countries. Their performance also provided some insight into what must be a truism of Dutch comedy: It’s impossible to spend too much time making fun of Germans.

I won't go into the details of the show since seeing them do their act is undoubtedly more funny than hearing me retell it. If you're going to be in Amsterdam during the tournament, go see them—they've even got some performances lined up on game days for a powerful comedy/World Cup on the big screen combo. Hunt will also be doing a daily video blog during the tournament—there's a preview online here.

After the show, I had a chance to catch up with the two performers. Hunt really is a huge fan of the game and told me that he would be at the USA’s games in Germany, courtesy of tickets from former Ajacieden John O’Brien. Nice to have connections! If you see him, say hello—he'll be the one trying to teach the players' families some proper soccer songs so they don't have to chant "USA! USA!"

Below, Boom Chicago may have discovered a way to get men to hit the urinal every time.