Vogue has brought along model Imaan Hammam for the fashion images that accompany this story, but also because she’s soccer-obsessed and she quickly impresses everyone with her skills. Hammam played in Amsterdam, where she grew up, from the age of seven, usually with boys, and “got hurt a lot,” she says, laughing and showing me old scars on her knees. For a while, she was the only woman on a recreational team in Brooklyn, where she lives. “Some of the new guys that came in, they were a bit scared because they didn’t want to hurt me,” she says. “So I was like, ‘Okay guys, y’all aren’t trying to play the real game, so I’m gonna go.’ ” She’s been to World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations games. “I just have so much respect for these guys. They’re these amazing athletes, and they work so hard,” she tells me.
This summer, the country’s eyes will be on them, win or lose, getting to know their stories and watching them likely become stars. “I don’t think people really grasp what it means to play for the US team,” says Altidore. “You represent the country in a way, for good or bad. It comes with a lot of pressure.” The attention is also a boost: “Having a home World Cup, fan support, and so much pressure—that can be a huge advantage.”
In this story: For Hammam: hair, Tamás Tüzes; makeup, Emi Kaneko. Grooming, Latia Curtis and Jenny Lova; tailor, Lindsey Long.
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