US Soccer Concept

[gordie_delini]

Since the USMNT is getting new kits around February, I'm really hoping some exec at Nike Soccer sees these, and makes them almost exactly like these:

[Alphabet Man]

They should pick something and stick with it like Argentina and stripes, paraguay the same, portugal red, Brazil yellow and green shorts. I like yours a fair bit, Brian, I'd like to see these or similar. They just gotta start some sort of tradition for like 50 years time when maybe people upon hearing US soccer know right away..... blue with red and white sash.

[kreg13]

They should pick something and stick with it like Argentina and stripes, paraguay the same, portugal red, Brazil yellow and green shorts. I like yours a fair bit, Brian, I'd like to see these or similar. They just gotta start some sort of tradition for like 50 years time when maybe people upon hearing US soccer know right away..... blue with red and white sash.

here's a recent article from the san diego tribune talking about that.......

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/socce...1s15soccer.html

[winghaz]

I like it. Great concept.

But I do have a question: Do all soccer concepts have to have a shield logo?

[Dave Ship]

I like it. Great concept.

But I do have a question: Do all soccer concepts have to have a shield logo?

Yes!

[The Swamp Yankee]

The shield is an integral part of the soccer jersey!

I don't like the numbers on the front. I think it'd look better if you moved the Nike logo to that area instead.

I really like the red ones. I think thats what the US should wear. The Red, White, and Blue, in that order.

[AJM]

These are great. I second the notion that Nike should put a design just like this into production and get these babies on the pitch and in the stands.

[maz]

That red one is sweetness

[illwauk]

That red one is sweetness

Agreed. Except try it with the blue shorts. I remember the USMNT did something like that once and I thought it was the best I'd ever seen them look.

Besides, don't they have a supporters group that already wears red? If so, it makes absolutely no sense to have anything but the red as the primary.

[gordie_delini]

So the idea behind these kits is that all the shorts, shirts, and socks are interchangeable. FIFA requires that the top and shorts clash (i.e. if the home side wears dark shirt, light shorts, the away side must wear light shirt dark shorts). FIFA also mandates that national teams have player numbers on the front of the jersey - so when I placed the numbers, the right chest is where I felt the numbers worked best. I tried them on the sash, but the numbers got lost on the red and blue shirts. With the red set, I was going for "red, white, and blue" much to the same effect that Mexico wears its tricolor in its kits (green shirt, white shorts, red socks). Anyway, you asked for red and blue, here you go:

[gordie_delini]

sorry - double post

[SG30]

I would definetly buy the red one.

[BallWonk]

That red one is sweetness

Agreed. Too bad blue is the national color. American national teams can do fields of blue, or red and white stripes, but not fields of red. The red shirt belongs on Star Trek or the backs of England's players, not on American athletes.

Still, all three iterations of this concept, at least for the jersey, are perfect expressions of what U.S. soccer should look like.

[illwauk]

Now THIS is the direction to go in.

As far as blue being the national color... I seem to recall the US women's basketball team wearing red in 1996 (and maybe even a few years after that). The only reason why blue was favored over red is because the latter was so closely associated with the soviets. That's not really an issue nowadays.

[gordie_delini]

Couldn't resist:

[mania]

If nothing else, I bet red/white striped socks would be incredibly swank. And I actually like that look, although I'd prefer the back to be white w/ blue numbers.

[patsox]

All of the jerseys in the first post look tight and I would love to see this as something of a permanent change for U.S. Soccer. I'm not so sure about the striped ones though. It's different looking. That's for sure.

[CZzyzx41]

The red top gives me an idea for the Italian kit. Red top, one single thick white sash, Italian crest in the left breast. White letters and numbers. Anyone else feeling me here?

[Mingjai]

If those were the MNT's kits, I'd buy those in a heartbeat! I like how they feel like a continuation of the current look.

[VitaminD]

The red top gives me an idea for the Italian kit. Red top, one single thick white sash, Italian crest in the left breast. White letters and numbers. Anyone else feeling me here?

For the Azzurri? Um... where's the blue, my man?

As for gd's concept, I love the idea of stripes. But red/white vertical stripes makes me think of Paraguay, not the US. So why not kill 2 birds with one stone and go with red/white hoops? A cursory review of national soccer teams reveals no prominent national teams wearing hoops, so that'd make the US stand out. Also, the horizontal bands mirror the flag nicely, thus serving a dual purpose.

That said, if you're not going to try the "homage to the flag" path, then I'm with 'Wonk: blue is the national color. Check the outline of the Great Seal, the dress uniforms of the Navy/Marines/Air Force, the background for 99% of government press conferences. Maybe that stems from the Soviets/Chinese/Communists taking red, but it may be more than that (I don't know without research). So the primary kit really should include that navy/National Flag blue, irrespective of the fan clubs' preferences.

More than anything, I'd just like to see the US develop a look and keep it, like Alphabet Man said. The soccer powers have a look - Italy in blue, Argentina in stripes, the Netherlands in orange, the Germans in white/black - and even if minor changes are made every few years, they never stray far from their basic look. Just settle on a basic design, and work from there. This concept, for example, would make an excellent jumping off point for the next few decades of American soccer.