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U.S. Men's Soccer Uniform Reflects Our National Indifference

New uniforms for the men's U.S. National soccer team betray a not-so-subtle lack of interest on these shores in the world's most popular sport, Suzanne Labarres says. It's about "the zillionth redesign in 50-plus years," she writes, representing "one of the crappiest branding efforts in sports history."

The bottom line is that the uniforms of many other teams are as identifiable as their national flags while ours are in a constant state of "sartorial flux." That said, this year's effort -- a nostalgic nod to the 1950 team that miraculously defeated England in one match -- is not the worst ever. It's just "sad." It's white for home games, blue for away, and bears a Nike swoosh on the shoulder.

"While the U.S. jersey might not reflect a great soccer tradition, because, well, there isn't one," Labarre concludes, "it does reflect one longstanding American tradition: getting people to buy more stuff."

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