— A crowd of reporters had Nigel de Jong pinned against a wall in a quiet Galaxy dressing room, and judging from the clipped answers he was giving, the Dutch midfielder wasn't enjoying the interview.
Across the room teammate Jelle Van Damme surveyed the situation, reached into a cupboard, flipped a few buttons and the Dutch national anthem began playing from the locker room stereo.
A smile creased De Jong's face.
"Jelle, he's different," De Jong said, his grin growing wider. "To be honest he's always been like that."
Van Damme's contributions are obvious on the field, where he's added grit and physicality to a defense that went soft at times last year.