UPDATED: Sept. 27 at 7:21 p.m.

One of the first things Johannes Pieles inquired about when he arrived in Syracuse from Germany had little to do with soccer. It didn’t have much to do with American culture or managing a Division I sport, either. And it had nothing to do with handling the college course load.

It had everything to do with hair.

During the preseason, Pieles, a freshman, approached Kenny Lassiter and Chris Nanco about their hairdos. Pieles wanted his just like theirs: the sides and back buzzed, the top left to grow long.

Though Pieles has stuck with his bun, hairdos have remained at the forefront of No. 2 Syracuse’s (8-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) loose, winning culture. Players’ obsessiveness with how they look has bolstered team confidence, they said, giving them an edge in games. With last Tuesday’s win at Cornell, the Orange is off to the best start in the program’s history, which dates to 1920.

Nanco’s mother has been trying to get him to cut his hair for years. Lassiter’s mother has urged him to trim his top, too, but the redshirt junior is keen on growing it out.

Nanco cuts several of his teammates’ back and sides. Anointed the team’s barber, he cares most about his looks of anybody, according to his teammates.

On either the day before a game or the day of, Nanco opens shop in his apartment. He offers teammates a chance to get their hair trimmed at no cost. Sophomore midfielder Jonathan Hagman, former standout midfielder Julian Buescher, Lassiter and Pieles have all benefited from the “game day haircuts,” at least once.

Before the St. John’s game early this month, Nanco whipped out his clippers and trimmed away. While he acknowledged that’s not why SU beat the Red Storm in a double-overtime thriller, Nanco noted it may have given the Orange a slight edge.

“When you look good, you play good,” said Nanco, who leads Syracuse with four goals. “It takes your mind off the game a little bit.”

Until recently, Hampus Bergdahl had been cutting Oyvind Alseth’s hair. On a recent team trip, however, Alseth realized it didn’t look as nice as he wanted. Nanco cut his hair, instead.

“I brought Chris in to make up for the damage,” Alseth said. “So he bailed me out there. He’s got a good reputation.”

Nanco doesn’t cut his own hair. He goes to a few barbershops, depending on what’s convenient on the particular day. Not all players have cars, and because they’re on similar schedules, they usually get their cuts in groups.

One of Nanco’s favorites was Campus Cuts 315 on Marshall Street. But since that closed, he’s jumped around to several, including Hall of Fame Barbershop on Walton Street near Armory Square.

“Everybody, where we go around, talks about our hair,” Nanco said.

Some players frequent Utopia Hair Professionals on Oswego Road in Liverpool. Former Syracuse standout and Toronto FC goalie Alex Bono went there, and Alseth, along with Sergio Camargo, among others, have continued the tradition.

Senior defender Louis Cross goes to Westcott Barber Shop. Others hit up Hair Trends, a salon on South Crouse Avenue, near Bruegger’s Bagels. Antonio Pinti, the salon’s owner and a former soccer player, has serviced Syracuse for 21 years. Over the last several, he cut Buescher’s hair. Now, Hilpert is one of his regulars. Every other week, the sophomore goalkeeper gets his style freshened up.

Pinti gives Hendrik a short buzz on the sides and back, leaving the top longer so Hilpert can style it. Pinti creates a separation line that acts as a barrier between the sides and top, giving it “a little more of an enhanced look.” With this overcut style, or “Beckham Look,” in reference to former professional star David Beckham, Hilpert “perfectly” combs it to the side, Alseth said.

Jonathan Colon | Contributing Photographer

But Hilpert noted some of the world’s best soccer players, Lionel Messi included, have relatively long hair on the top of their heads. Quality hairstyle is a plus, not a difference-maker, said Hilpert, whose teammates crowned him with best hair.

“You never see his hair not in perfect shape,” Alseth said. “Even if he headed the ball a thousand times, I’m sure it would look the same.”

Thanks to his varying looks, Nanco garnered some first-place votes. He’s played for Syracuse for more than three seasons, and in almost each year, he’s sported a different hairdo. When he first got to SU three years ago, he sported a small Afro. He’s since toyed with various buzz cuts. Now he has an overcut, short on the sides and long on top, just like many of his teammates.

“Nanco changes haircuts more frequently than he changes his underwear,” Alseth said.

SU players tend to stick with short styles, because as Pinti said, “They have to have good eyesight. They can’t wear anything floppy or long.”

Nanco, meanwhile, is not alone in his barber pursuit. Midfielder Liam Callahan buzzed his own hair throughout high school. Before SU’s win over Cornell last week, Callahan stood in front of the mirror and gave himself a quick cut, eliminating his mohawk. The new look paid off for the senior, as he scored his first goal in seven games.

“It gives you that little extra motivation,” Pinti added. “It makes a big difference. It gives you that extra lift when you’re out there.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, Hampus Bergdahl was misidentified in a photo illustration. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 27, 2016 at 12:01 am

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21