2018 MLS Kits

[Gothamite]

Indeed. 

 

I’m usually a huge proponent of whimsy. But I’ll admit that there’s a fine line between “whimsical” and “profoundly stupid”, and they’ve jumped way, way over it. 

[Jer15]

8 hours ago, Still MIGHTY said:

But as a first-time MLS jersey buyer, what's the real difference between the replicas and the authentics? Is it worth the extra $35 to get the authentic?

 

The biggest problem I have with buying the authentic is that I do not have the body of a soccer player. They are not exactly the most friendly for a guy like me who has a bit of a stomach. I find that the material on the replicas is a little more durable too but that's probably because the authentics are the super-breathable 

 

I think this picture might help explain what I mean a little better:

 

There are differences in the quality of the patches as well, actually, I think the article that I got that picture from explains it well:

 

http://www.soccer365.com/authentic-vs-replica-germany-adidas-home-jersey/

[AnPheitseog]

1 hour ago, mr.negative15 said:

 

The biggest problem I have with buying the authentic is that I do not have the body of a soccer player. They are not exactly the most friendly for a guy like me who has a bit of a stomach. I find that the material on the replicas is a little more durable too but that's probably because the authentics are the super-breathable 

 

I think this picture might help explain what I mean a little better:

 

There are differences in the quality of the patches as well, actually, I think the article that I got that picture from explains it well:

 

http://www.soccer365.com/authentic-vs-replica-germany-adidas-home-jersey/

Tbh. Besides in the case of MLS, always buy the replica. Better quality, stitched, looser.

 

MLS makes you buy authentic if you want all the patches, stars, and details on it. In this case, order a size up. 

[Jer15]

23 minutes ago, DiePerske said:

Tbh. Besides in the case of MLS, always buy the replica. Better quality, stitched, looser.

 

MLS makes you buy authentic if you want all the patches, stars, and details on it. In this case, order a size up. 

 

I might say 2 sizes up......maybe I need to lay off the beer though, lol 

[Gothamite]

59 minutes ago, DiePerske said:

Tbh. Besides in the case of MLS, always buy the replica. Better quality, stitched, looser.

 

MLS makes you buy authentic if you want all the patches, stars, and details on it. In this case, order a size up. 

 

Looser, yes. But not better quality. 

 

I always go two sizes up - XL instead of my usual M/L. 

[PaleVermilion81]

In the case of Minnesota, the replica is noticeably worse with how they have the crest. They have the black trap around it on the replica (my guess is for ease of production) whereas the authentic has the heat-sealed crest.

[Still MIGHTY]

Well, like here's my case with LAFC:

 

 

The only differences I can spy with this inaugural kit (besides the fit) is the jock tag and the "dress shirt" bottom on the authentic. All the other details are there.

 

As someone not buying the shirt for the performance aspect (or for one in a slightly rounder shape, not for the form-fitting aspect), I'd think the replica is the way to go here, right? From these photos, I can't tell if the crest details are the same (the embossing that we saw on the reveal), but it does look like there's a shine off the authentic crest.

 

As someone coming from a hockey/football/baseball jersey-buying background, the differences in soccer shirts have always seemed kind of negligible.

[Gothamite]

You can't just look at 400 pixel photos and judge.  You can usually tell on sight.

 

Check out larger photos - the badge is the easy giveaway.  The replica is a sewn patch, the authentic is rubberized.  The authentic also has MLS patches on both sleeves.

 

Click to enlarge and take a look.

 

 

[M4One]

On 2/25/2018 at 10:38 AM, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

Instead of shirt ads, I'd prefer commercial breaks during the broadcast. No stoppages of play; just put the broadcast on delay during each commercial break, and then pick the game up where it left off.

 

That would be much better than ruining the aesthetics of the uniform. It's very unfortunate that teams don't grasp that the only brand logo that belongs on the shirt is the team's own crest.

 

Unless things are different in MLS/soccer, I don't believe commercial breaks generate any money for the teams, that goes to the network.  The team is already getting paid through their TV deal with their regional sports network and from the league's national TV deals, so having commercial breaks won't mean teams are going to stop having a jersey sponsor.  Even if they did, they still aren't going to stop having a jersey sponsor.  Look at the NBA and their billion dollar TV deals, yet they still felt the need to add a sponsor patch.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

My new authentic RSL shirt is way nicer than my replica Sounders shirts -- the crest/star/MLS badges are all higher quality.

 

It's also snug in unflattering ways the way I should have known it would be. The replicas really are the way to go, especially as the LAFC replica seems to have the same pattern as the authentic. And I kind of want one of those LAFC shirts. Even with the stupid YouTubeTV logo.

[Still MIGHTY]

Man, see, yeah the authentic has that rubberized patch with the embossed details I want. That was a nice selling point on the design.

 

But as DG noted, I fear about the fit. Everything else is there, detail wise, but the fit scares me. I'm set to get into a diet/exercise regimen soon, but even still, I'm not exactly going to be in soccer player shape anytime soon lol.

 

And yeah, I'm coming around on the YouTubeTV logo. It's not the best. It should be black and gold. But... there does seem something very "LA" about having "YouTube" on the front of your shirt haha. And based on the little bit of action I saw from the Sacramento game, it doesn't look awful in action. (The sponsor. They were still wearing white training kits in the match.)

[crashcarson15]

16 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

This I don't understand at all.

 

I may not be young, but I love looking at my phone as much as anyone half my age does. I am reading stuff constantly; unlike some other people my age, I completely approve of the practice of constantly looking at one's phone.

 

In fact, just today I was watching the Chelsea - Man United match -- on my DVR, as I do almost all games that I watch in any sport -- and I certainly was reading stuff on my phone all throughout the match. But I made sure not to read anything related to soccer or even to sports.

 

Reading an article at Salon or The Atlantic or The New Yorker is never going to reveal spoilers. I simply stayed away from The Guardian or anything soccer-related until the match was over. You do have a choice what you read, you know.

My sports-watching experience is heavily accompanied by Twitter, which is kind of difficult to do if the match is suddenly 10 minutes behind -- it's why to me, NBC's plausibly live Olympics coverage (where they'd go to an event 10 minutes after it finished) was super annoying.

[upperV03]

New training gear sponsor for the Timbers:

After becoming the first MLS team to have a seperate sponsor for their training gear a few years ago, their training gear has been sponsorless the last couple seasons. Also, the club has been wearing last year’s training gear throughout preseason, so this is the likely explanation for that. Although I’m not thrilled about the training gear having a sponsor again, at least it’s a fairly unobtrusive logo, and I’m happy to see that it’s a Portland-based company. The white logo on the green and gold training tops (which’ll be used almost exclusively as prematch tops) is annoying, but I can live with it since it’s only like that on the training gear and not on the match kits. On that note, I’m so thankful that Alaska Airlines lets the Timbers use color-adjusted versions of their logo to match the color schemes of the kits (and it was really cool that they let PTFC use the retro logo on the two retro thirds as well). 

[4_tattoos]

9 hours ago, Gothamite said:

Indeed. 

 

I’m usually a huge proponent of whimsy. But I’ll admit that there’s a fine line between “whimsical” and “profoundly stupid”, and they’ve jumped way, way over it. 

How often do USL clubs have to change their jerseys? Because LV should consider ditching those the first chance they get.

[aawagner011]

I’ve seen multiple comments scared about the fit of the authentic jerseys. I’m like you guys in that I love the details of the authentics, but the fit is often a bit better on the replicas. I have last year’s authentic Atlanta United tops and those shirts are a little snug around the waist. They definitely have a slimming fit from the armpits to the hem line. If you raise your arms, you can feel the shirt lift a little bit. In comparison, this year’s authentic cut is MUCH more comfortable. It fits much more normally and the garment doesn’t move awkwardly if I lift my arms. They use nice lightweight breathable materials. Last year’s materials are slightly thicker and less breathable, though the back with the perforated mesh stripe down the back (for lack of a better term...not sure what else to call it- if you’ve seen one in person; you know what I mean) was nice.

[Rockstar Matt]

On 2/25/2018 at 10:07 PM, Still MIGHTY said:

 

I plan on buying a jersey as well, as you said because it's the first one.

But gotta support and rep the club. At least to start. (And honestly, LAFC probably knows that too. Gotta step up that kit game in the next go around.)

---

But as a first-time MLS jersey buyer, what's the real difference between the replicas and the authentics? Is it worth the extra $35 to get the authentic?

 

I went ahead and bought both the home and away.

 

Couldn't help myself. The more I looked at the jerseys, the more I liked them. I really like the art deco themed design, even if you can only see it from up close. Even the Youtube logo isn't that bad (obviously it'd be better if it were in gold, but what can you do). They've really grown on me in these past few days.

 

I ended up purchasing the replicas* mainly because they look like they'll be more comfortable. I'm not a large man by any measure (5'10, 160ish lbs) and am relatively fit, but I generally don't like overly tight fitting clothes unless if I'm actually playing sports, not watching them.

 

 

 

*It must be mentioned that at some point later this year I absolutely plan on buying an authentic home jersey, but hopefully by then I'll actually be fit. 

[WarriorFight]

22 hours ago, upperV03 said:

New training gear sponsor for the Timbers:

After becoming the first MLS team to have a seperate sponsor for their training gear a few years ago, their training gear has been sponsorless the last couple seasons. Also, the club has been wearing last year’s training gear throughout preseason, so this is the likely explanation for that. Although I’m not thrilled about the training gear having a sponsor again, at least it’s a fairly unobtrusive logo, and I’m happy to see that it’s a Portland-based company. The white logo on the green and gold training tops (which’ll be used almost exclusively as prematch tops) is annoying, but I can live with it since it’s only like that on the training gear and not on the match kits. On that note, I’m so thankful that Alaska Airlines lets the Timbers use color-adjusted versions of their logo to match the color schemes of the kits (and it was really cool that they let PTFC use the retro logo on the two retro thirds as well). 

 

Most clubs have sponsors for their training tops.

 

 

Kind of just how it goes now. Although considering it's a training top I really could care less about what sponsors they put on it. I'll never see it on the pitch and that's fine by me, and I think it's more worth my money to buy whatever their new kit will be than to buy a training kit. With so much focus on squeezing out money where possible, I'd say training sponsors is about the most non-intrusive way of going about it. It's a money-centric sport, like every professional sport. They'll find ways to squeeze as much money they can from it, but it's just good business for them. 

 

Also, as a side-note, I plan on buying two new Liverpool kits for next season. That new leaked home kit is pretty good (compared to this year no, but our primary this year is about the best kit they've had in my life so it'll be hard to follow that up), but the alternate kit is one of my favorite kits I've seen from the club. So I'll probably be passing on LAFC for now since I already have some merch. Save for the stuff that's actually worth it. 

[TheEmperor]

11 hours ago, Rockstar Matt said:

 

I went ahead and bought both the home and away.

 

Couldn't help myself. The more I looked at the jerseys, the more I liked them. I really like the art deco themed design, even if you can only see it from up close. Even the Youtube logo isn't that bad (obviously it'd be better if it were in gold, but what can you do). They've really grown on me in these past few days.

 

I ended up purchasing the replicas* mainly because they look like they'll be more comfortable. I'm not a large man by any measure (5'10, 160ish lbs) and am relatively fit, but I generally don't like overly tight fitting clothes unless if I'm actually playing sports, not watching them.

 

 

 

*It must be mentioned that at some point later this year I absolutely plan on buying an authentic home jersey, but hopefully by then I'll actually be fit. 

Just to help this conversation along about Authentics vs. Replicas:

To sum them up - Authentic - skinny fit but all the details and tech stuff.   Replicas - wider fit, only 1 detail from the Authentic and things are sewn/embroidered.

If you want an Authentic then go 1 size larger than you would get in a replica... unless you have a really big gut then get 2 sizes up.

 

Home Authentic Jersey

•             CLIMACOOL: battles the heat with breathable, quick-dry fabrics to help the players manage their heat and play their best.

•             Front and sleeve fabric is 100% recycled polyester.

•             Back panel is 100% recycled polyester mesh fabric and weight is 140 grams.

•             Lightweight heat-applied team crest, adidas metallic three stripes, and corporate logo

•             MLS LAFC heat applied badge on both sleeves.

•             “Heart of the City – City of Angels” heat applied patch at the Jock Tag.

•             “Shoulder to Shoulder” team saying on the inside neck tape.

•             Adidas “AUTHENTIC” label, identifying authentic adidas garment worn on-pitch by the players for 2018

•             Curved hem shape for better freedom of movement.

•             Slim fit

 

Home Replica Jerseys

•             CLIMALITE: sweeps sweat away from your skin so you stay dry every step of the way. Sweat but don’t sweat it

•             Fabric is 100% Recycled polyester.

•             Woven stitched-down team crest

•             Embroidered corporate logo

•             Sewn-on three stripes

•             MLS badge on right sleeve

•             “Shoulder to Shoulder” team saying on the inside neck tape.

•             Regular fit

[M4One]

Going over all the new MLS kits from the mothership and there are way too many black kits, especially for teams that don't have black in their colour scheme.  I know soccer is a little different in that teams do wear colours that aren't part of their scheme, but MLS really should have put a stop to so many teams going with black.

[seasaltvanilla]

Recap of 2018 kits:

 

stripes