North Korea's Jong Tae-Se is "the People's Rooney"

"He had many doubts, but as he trained with the North Korean players, he saw their pureness," Shin Mu Koeng, Jong's friend and biographer, told the Canadian Press. "They never complained about the inadequacies, and they did their absolute best."

"Our chances may not be that great, but we can't say there's no chance at all," North Korea midfielder An Yong-Hak recently told the media. "The mentality for victory, strong organizational power and unity in fighting - these attributes are further ahead in us than the Brazil team, I think."

In 2010, North Korea signed a contract to have its jerseys provided by an Italian apparel company, Legea.

The company proposed an array of colorful options.

"They required a single color," Legea's president Luigi Acanfora told the media. "They wanted a very sober jersey . . . a fiery red, like labor."

On Tuesday night against the Brazilian superstars, in front of ESPN cameras and global lenses, Jong, as colorful a character as this tournament holds, will wear only one color: North Korea's.

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844 or kfagan@phillynews.com.