BEHIND THE SCENES : Sporting the Practical to Play Soccer

For the 22 members of the U.S. national soccer team, there’s little time or energy to kick around such mundane pleasures as what to wear.

They’re up early for a grueling four-hour practice session, then back in the evening for another couple of hours. Even the fabulous grounds of the Dana Point Resort, their home base until the end of the World Cup, proved no match against the quiet sanctuary of their rooms, where players crashed every afternoon after lunch and later after dinner.

The general look? Sweat-drenched hair stuck to foreheads and necks. During the course of a game, a player might run as much as five miles. No doubt, with this in mind, forward Ernie Stewart had his head shorn. As for the hippest and practical sporto ‘do, midfielder Cobi Jones wears his in short dreadlocks.

The official team uniforms, by Adidas, come in the requisite red, white and blue. For the games, players will either don a shirt with red and white stripes or one with white stars on a blue denim-like background. Both shirts will pair up with denim-like shorts.

Adidas also monopolized the team practice threads. Indeed, the trefoil logo was everywhere on the Mission Viejo practice field these past few weeks, from duffel bags to jackets. Other sponsor logos crept up on dry gear players changed into after practice.

After all, these guys are not just athletes. They’re also walking billboards.