World Cup team departs for South Africa

Associated Press

STERLING, VA.

They don’t make road trips like this anymore. It starts in summer and ends in winter, could last up to six weeks and, by the way, the whole world will be watching.

There was plenty to think about Sunday as the U.S. team arrived at Dulles International Airport for the 17-hour flight to South Africa for the World Cup.

“It starts to get real now, you know?” goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann said.

Hahnemann and his teammates pulled off one final trick play before leaving U.S. soil: They went in through the “out” door.

The team entered the airport through the arrivals area — instead of departures — and went straight through security, bypassing the South African Airways ticket counter — where some employees had dressed in U.S. team jerseys — and a handful of disappointed fans who hoped to wish the team well.

Cricket and rugby teams from other countries still take extended tours to far-flung places, but the World Cup is as long as it gets among major U.S. national squads. If they’re fortunate enough to make the championship game, these Americans won’t return until mid-July.

“We didn’t know what to pack, so we packed pretty much everything,” Hahnemann said. “It’s a long time to potentially be away from everybody. A lot of people have to do that, spend a lot of time away from their families, and we’re not 100 percent used to that.”