In the 2006 World Cup, the Americans dressed to be unsuccessful. The National Team (seen here against always-blue-clad Italy, aka the Azzurri) once again switched jerseys, this time to white shirts with a red-and-navy vertical sash down the left side. The away uniform, meanwhile, was a smart all-navy number with a white-and-red horizontal sash across the chest. That's similar, though (of course!) not identical to the jersey they wore in 1998, another tournament that ended in disaster.

What's most vexing about these constant uniform changes is that the U.S. team has a loyal, and growing, fan base. Some fans, known as "Sam's Army," even travel with the team and chant for the whole 90 minutes. It's time for U.S. Soccer, the sport's governing body, to stop dithering around and give these fans a jersey they can call their own. Who's ever heard of an army that has to change its uniform every year?