By Mohamed Bafakih (@Moe_Fresco):
There was Max Allen during a team meeting to conclude the men’s soccer season, color-coordinated in black, gray and white like old pictures of The Beatles.
Both Allen and The Beatles hail from Liverpool, England, a port city rich in culture and diversity.
The freshman midfielder blends the city’s qualities into his style, and especially his kicks, in which color, comfort and shape are the main features he looks for.
“Trends always come in and out,” Allen said. “You should just wear what you want, set your own trend and be unique to who you are.”
Allen was rocking a pair of gray and white featherweight, formfitting sneakers for just the second time, with no-show socks, black gym shorts and a dark gray plain T-shirt.
Keeping things casual is what Allen has enjoyed through his four months in San Jose.
His preference of flip-flops over the nearly 10 shoes he’s brought with him has been ideal.
“Over here, because it’s so sunny, I just wear flip-flops,” Allen said, who left nearly a dozen shoes back in England. “I’m just so happy that I can wear flip-flops.”
Allen is one of three men’s soccer players for the Spartans that hail from the United Kingdom, along with senior defender Joseph Kay and freshman midfielder Findlay Wood.
Kay said he has a theory which allows him to tell whether a person is European or American by their shoes.
“I don’t see a lot of Americans wearing the shoes he [Allen] does, and you can definitely tell that he’s from Europe or even possibly say in England,” Kay said.
An example of Kay’s theory is Vans’ increased popularity here in the U.S. compared to the UK, where it’s common for skaters to wear.
Allen’s sportier shoes are a reflection of him being an athlete, of course, but the common American style of wearing socks with sandals drew mixed responses from he and Kay.
Though Allen said you can get away with it in slides, with regular flip-flops it’s foolish.
Kay meanwhile, who has been in the U.S. for three years, jokingly said doing that in any form of sandals would be breaking the law in their home country.
“Another thing Americans do is wearing socks and sandals, which can get (you) arrested for that in England,” Kay said.
Getting his money’s worth is ultimately what Allen looks for when pairing his sneakers with shorts, jeans or tracksuit bottoms, also known as sweatpants.
The jeans and tracksuit bottoms however are much skinnier in England, which doesn’t tend to flow well for Allen here.
“Every time I have tracksuit bottoms on, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, why did you buy them? They’re so tight,’” Allen said. “This is just normal. I just feel it’s more sharper in England and Europe, and over here it’s just a bit more baggy and casual.”
Wood, who is from Wales, was also color-coordinated for the team meeting and wearing flyknit material shoes.
He said he and Allen aren’t always color-coordinated, but both have gear that just comes together.
“It’s quite similar,” Wood said on the comparison in style between the UK trio and other fellow teammates. “That’s why I think me, and Max and Jo have settled well.”
Whether it’s Allen, Kay or Wood, each of them have brought their flavor to the Spartans.
And since sneakers are an intricate part of a wardrobe, it helps that regardless of where they’ve come from, footwear can always gain attraction via eyes or mouth.
“You hear the word ‘swag’ a lot, and you don’t really hear it in England,” Allen said. “But people always say to me, ‘You’ve got ‘swag, man.’”