Digby

https://theathletic.com/4237475/2023/02/21/mls-playoff-new-format-2023/ Announcing your new playoff format the same week as the first games is total amateur hour, as much as MLS likes to pretend it's past that era. I support every team (except I guess the play-in loser) getting a home game… but this is an awkward and kludgy way to do it, to have just one round as a “series” and to have it in the middle of other rounds, to boot. And when they’re comically expanding the field this just leaves extra minutes for blowout games. Still don’t get what’s wrong with the UCL style.

I'd say Portland do the best job of being variations on a theme, in this case gaudy fabric patterns from the 80s which is somehow fitting. Revs will be up there for me if they're willing to make the shorts interchangeable, because I think both of their kits would be improved with contrasting shorts. Otherwise, I guess I'd say Colorado (like that the away is team colors but variations on them), and then maybe RSL or Columbus. As much as I like this year's crop of new jerseys overall, there aren't too many teams where I like both sets. Toronto is definitely last. All grey all the time? Bizarre decision-making.

It’s kind of cheating to switch back and forth between competition settings to cherry-pick that stat, but still hilarious anyway. What have you done, Graham Potter.

The problem with a 30k seater is I’m not really sure what market there is for that. Concert tours and big international soccer games just use NFL stadia, especially in a market of Chicago’s size. Useful for the occasional mid-profile international, I guess, so there’s that. Hopefully whoever buys the Red Stars invests in them and ensures they’re a top-tier NWSL team a la the West Coast teams, then they’d be a good tenant.

I don’t care about the ASG and only watched half of it, but it was fun to watch my Celtics guys play a couple possessions against each other playground-style. Wholesome! An advantage of the draft format. Otherwise could do without a practice with extra pageantry and glorification of admitted rapists.

The current MLS font doesn't really lend itself to outlines. And the inlined cutout effect makes it thin generally, which I guess necessitates solid backs. Vancouver's continued insistence on the red number gimmick is kinda stupid.

Kind of teamwear-ish, but it at least looks more like L'Impact and I think they're best when they're more blue-heavy, so I'd take it. Confusing with what went on with that statement a month ago, though. I wonder if this is a catalog prototype or something, and if the mysterious offensive indigenous text is hiding on a jocktag or upper-back of jersey that we can't see here.

I'd like to see some blue or pink shorts/socks for Minnesota, but the shirt design is great. Evocative without being literal, really standout color scheme too.

This is the third straight Miami away kit that’s looked like that. You really have to be in the know to tell the difference. Weird choice when almost everyone else has gone so bold.

I’m just saying, if Nashville did that kit five years ago, everyone would light up Adidas for churning out another boring black kit that doesn’t even fit the team brand. Do it now and slap a tiny Johnny Cash graphic on it and you’re good. Copywriters doing work!

Karl Malone walked so Herschel Walker could run (directly into a brick wall, multiple times over)

In fairness that particular one was less a lazy design effort, and more a rush-job necessitated by a hasty and ill-advised rebrand that a new owner crammed through without enough time.

There have been some swings and misses, for sure, but better than not swinging at all. If you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor. Biggest problem is the obnoxiousness of the current Adidas template, unfortunately. Somewhat detracts from all the good bespoke design work we’re seeing.

I actually like SKC’s effort there, I know it’s similar to the previous one but looking at them side by side, this is a much more attractive looking application of the hoops, to me. Last one just looked like four strips of tape applied to the front. Vancouver’s a similar boat, some of these identities have to be changed by rule but you also don’t need to reinvent the wheel (though I hate their red numbering!). Love FCD doing a burn tribute but feel like there had to be a more elegant way than a guacamole-colored fire emoji pattern.

IDK, it's cool that they really went for it, but the mismatched back/front bugs me, the whole color scheme looks more Timbers to me (especially with the sponsor), and I really don't think Bruce Lee and the Sounders have anything to do with each other regardless of where the guy went to high school.

I love the Colorado kit actually, and find the sunset gradient down the side to be maybe a little much. The graphic and the color scheme both say “Rapids” but are also tweaked enough to be a fresh different look and not just a boring color swap. I think that’s really smart, can’t ask for more! (Well, again with the overwrought marketing campaign.)

Agree, I'm dunking on the silly video but it's a sharp look and very fitting for their new crest (I wish they put this out last year to go with the launch). New England looks best to me with a healthy mix of red, navy and white; the printing in navy mostly gets us there but I might've liked to see those little collar/sleeve cuff trim bits in navy instead, but not a huge complaint. Actually I'd like to see this and the home kit swap their respective shorts, for ideal Revs color balance and visual interest in uniform contrast.

Agree on the color combo being nice but diminished with these washed out shades. For me the bigger issue is that it just doesn’t feel like the Red Bulls at all. Why is a team in New Jersey collaborating with a “luxury sportswear” designer from LA? Do they have any clue how to brand and market this team that’s in one of the most fertile soccer territories in the US? (I know the answer to the latter question.)

Revs are back to having a nice kit but this is the most overwrought reveal video I’ve ever seen.

Bucks needed 40 from Holiday and 36 from Giannis to beat an entirely second-string Celtics team, and even that took going into overtime. Got lucky that the game ended on a missed TO opportunity from the TO-hating interim coach and a classic Grant Williams fumble.

It’s tired to complain about, I know, but yeah, Bucks in black and Celtics in green on an unrelated blue court is next-level nonsensical. Rough look for a matchup of the two best teams in the league. Bucks nearly lost it for those karmic reasons, too.

Nah. Sad for the Nets to simply give up but neither of the talents they traded to the West have been in any ECF’s lately, so not much has really changed until proven otherwise.

As a Celtics fan, I've twice lived through LeBron single-handedly dragging a broken team back from a 3-2 deficit to beat my team in the ECF, so any suggestions that he's not a competitor or a winner don't hold up for me personally. The big missed opportunity with his legacy for me was that those Miami teams should probably have won all four Finals they were in. I view the second Cleveland stint less negatively because I don't think Jordan (or, for that matter, Kobe) ever had a foe as competitive as those Warriors teams (no offense to the Jazz). Generally I think the comparing across eras is folly for a number of reasons. Sure, Bill Russell was playing against plumbers and firemen, but he also did that in a time where there wasn't load management, travel was way more of a slog, and sports nutrition was a cigar and whiskey at your locker postgame.

Oh, don’t worry, the fake Real team using Barcelona’s color scheme has been a thorn in my side since day one. Par for the course for their branding though.

I actually liked the last two RSL kits. Not amazing or particularly memorable, but they do the job. The new one is nice because it just lets the color scheme sing, which in this case is a success.