The U.S. men’s national team has unveiled the jersey it will wear for home games in 2008. Here it is:
What do you think? I know what I think. I feel like I’m looking at something out of a Tommy Hilfiger or Eddie Bauer catalog. Notice how there is no collar on this one? If it had a collar the players might think they’re in a Gap commercial. No word yet on whether this comes with a sweater to tie around the neck.
Okay, so maybe that’s a bit harsh. We’ll see how it looks against Mexico.
What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Think it’s better suited for the women’s field hockey team? Share your thoughts below.
U. G. L. Y. it ain’t got no alibi
it’s Ugly it’s Ugly my Momma said It’s Ugly
Like Jen CHang comment on ESPN SOCCERNET:
basically this can be summed up in one word: Horrible. No idea who came up with this monstrosity — it looks like the mutant offspring of a cabana boy golf shirt and a reject Abercrombie & Fitch design — but I’m still in shock that someone actually signed off on this.
My initial reaction was: Oh my god! What is that?
Even if this shirt says “Don’t tread on me” on the inside collar, the design says “Tread on me all you want…Drive all over me; I’ve got lanes across my body for you.”
This is one shirt I will not buy for me or my kids. I admit I would break down and buy one if the USMNT reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup in it (or any other uniform) but that will not happen because the uniform will change by then). That uniform change cannot come soon enough.
I loved what Nike did with the original “Don’t tread on me campaign.” That was excellent. I don’t care what they write on the jersey, this latest design gets far away from it.
I just think it’s funny that you get such a gigantic response to this story when other, more important news get ignored. Some of you need to watch more soccer and pay less attention to what players are wearing.
If this thing makes the USMNT play better, then I’m all for it. But I guess I am more worried about who they are going to find to fill these new jerseys.
terrible,,,,,makes u wonder who makes the decisions concerning us soccer
Ugly!
I like the the current jersey.
I also like the old 1950s jersey too.
I don’t like this jersey. I think they should just stay with the same design and make small changes to it every couple years. It would be nice to one day see at a game a whole section of fans with the same jerseys but thats not happening.
much better than the pinstriped blue copa america kit. but that’s not saying alot
this is so ugly. i, a compltely unrelated high school blogger, even felt compelled to write about this gross malfeasance…aka ersatz apparel (http://thehnoeic.wordpress.com/)
Brazil, Argentina, England, they all change their kits every two years. So that’s a bunk argument. They keep the same color scheme. In recent years, the US has done the same. It’s just that the US will add pinstripe hoops, or a vertical stripe. Small changes really. It’s not as if they go all-white one year and then switch to navy/red stripes the next year. In this respect, Nike has been good in carving out something of an identity for the USMNT–white shirts, navy shorts. Even if it is a bit too much like England.
Personally I would go for all-white at home, with red shirts/navy shorts on the road. But I’m not a kit designer. Maybe I should be.
Also, the new Dutch away kit is beautiful. I want one. With Huntelaar 18 on the back.
I don’t like the jersey at all. I would rather wear the jersey of the U.S. from the 1990 World Cup.
Tiger Woods is going to look awesome winning the Masters with that on…oh wait…
It looks like a golf shirt. It totally sucks. I wish we’d stick with the all navy blue look. I don’t like the white/gray top dark shorts look since it too closely resembles Germany & (worse yet) England.
I can’t think of too many senior sides who have all navy which would make us more unique. I’d like our uniforms to be instantly recognizable (like Brazil, Argentina, Holland (home)
Ok, first let’s establish this: FIFA makes every country change their uniform every 2 years.
Second, let’s establish this: Nike is a joke. WHERE’S ADIDAS????
To DM:
I question your taste after this statement: “If Nike had done as nice a job on the US kits as they did with the Dutch we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”
Because the new Dutch away kit is by far worse than the new USA kits. Possibly the worst Nike design of all.
http://footballkitsblog.com/holland-2007-09-away-kit/
I like the colors of that blue pinstripe, but the logo gets completely lost. But then I love the new one, so our eyes definitely work differently.
I wouldn’t wear it if someone gave it to me.
It’s a good thing they put the “don’t tread on me on the inside” — because on the outside it screams “tread all over me, we suck and we’re not serious”
I’m curious if any of the players will actually wear it. This jersey is a disaster.
For the record though, I like and own the royal blue/white pinstripe third jersey from last year. Its original and it ain’t fugly.
I like the look our youth teams sport — white jersey, navy shorts, navy socks with red trim at the top. I think it looks “meaner” on the field and more serious. I’m not a fan of the all white or all navy kits
Actually Ives you were right on the button with the sweater comment. I hate to say this but the good teams are not always trying to change their kits. I mean when was the last time Brasil changed kits, Argentina, Italy? It seems the US team gets a new kit design like girls get shoes.
Adidas is a terrible idea…they come up with the ugliest designs i have ever seen.
Exhibit A: The newest Chicago Fire jerseys
This is bull, adidas needs to get out of American soccer. I don’t want those awful three stripes in any conceivable location on the shirt. Is that a good design?
If they could refrain from that, like they do on the Notre Dame shirts (football and futbol, actually), then I’d be okay with it. But Nike puts together nice team-specific designs for soccer (there’s no comparison to their college football crap) and I’m very happy for it.
If only they could do MLS or USSF Ref shirts…
I love it. I love the little differences in color as the panels change. It’s great, and I def need to get it when I get more money.
I can officially say that I LOVE it more than any USA shirt since the red one with blue trim and one thin horizontal blue stripe.
Or maybe it would be better had it been red stripes instead of grey? how do you fix this?
The new kit looks like one of those cheap knockoffs that they sell on E-Bay for 3 bucks out of Bulgaria.
It’s alright by me, but they could’ve improved it with a blue stripe right under each red one – seems more appropriate.
What the hell is that?
I don’t think this one is a classic, but I like it.
What I would love to see is the “Candy Stripe” jersey from ’94 be brought back. That was fantasic uni…
Santos, think about switching the petition to saying that we want the Don’t Tread On Me jerseys permanently. Those seem to be pretty popular with the US MNT fans. Might make them actually consider it. Just a thought.
I agree that this thing looks horable. It reminds me of the old metrostars jersey. I wonder what the alternate kit looks like. It will probably be blue but could be red.
I like it a lot, and cant wait for a Bradley one! Good news is, since most dont care for it, there wont be a backorder!
For those that do not like it, what do you want to see????
This is the “U.S. Men’s National Team”. In the U.S., shirts without collars are much more likely to be worn by women than by men. (Gender differences in fashion and sports may be arbitrary, but they still exist.)
The colors of the U.S. are red, white and blue. The last national uniforms in America to use gray were on the losing side of the Civil War.
I kinda like it.
Can’t believe some of you are suggesting Adidas. A quick glance at the MLS will show you how awful they are. Would you like the Dynamo’s asymmetrical streak for no apparent reason in red white and blue? Please.
This design is restrained and classy. Not as classy as the vertical stripe over the shoulder, but I suppose we were due for a change.
I’m a fan of stripes. I guess I’m the only one who likes it.
My initial impression is “Yawn…” Maybe it will look better on the field. We’ll see. Hopefully the new away kit will be sharper.
Like others, I wish we would have more red, at least in the away kit. I’d love to see us go back to something more reminescent of the 1950’s era jerseys, with the red diagonal band across the chest. I also liked those 2006 WC send off jerseys they wore against Latvia, maybe with just a bit smaller collar, or no collar, and lose the “Don’t Tread On Me” logo.
Who does Nike consult when they come up with these designs, or do they just do it on their own? They need help.
Not a big fan; looks like the five yard line markings on an american football field.
I hate it mainly because the fans want to wear red! When are they going to listen?
Wtf? It does look like a hilfiger shirt…..bleh……….
More like a golf shirt… Yuck… I thought the blue pin stripped one was bad…this one is even worse… I agree this piece of poop should be blow torched!
It looks like the FC Dallas shirt
wait . . . is it sorta growing on me now?
ugh.
we need one standard uni, like argentina, or england or whatever.
make it the tread on me. please.
Jordan, I guess your point about the anthem is what I’m trying to get at. All you need are those first two notes to get the goose bumps going. It’s that instant reaction to the kit that would be nice to have as well. However, with so many different designs, we will never get there, especially when they are plain as this one.
These jersey just say: Hey, who is going to the kegger after class?? Its like the US soccer team just became Arizona State frat boys.
Wow that has to be the worse uniform ever. Past. Present. And Future. I’m not buying this crap.
Wheres the away uniform. Is it just as horrible? Can we get the team who chose this design at nike fired? ALL OF THEM?
Angler, To your point of “does it inspire me?” I did not like the 06 jerseys originally but after seeing the team playing in the uniform in the World Cup and against mexico it grew on me. Im sure when we walk out in line next to mexico and hear the national anthem then the jerseys will inspire me just fine
I think people are overreacting here. This shirt isn’t great, but wow, its not horrible. And why are people complaining that we always change our kits and others never do. We hadn’t modified ours since the 2006 WC, while the Euros trotted out new kits for Euro qualifying in ’07 and now recently brought out whole new sets just for the Euro ’08 itself. And why in the world are people advocating Puma, there kits are all the same except for the national colors and the badge, why would we as Americans want something that unoriginal.
Jordan, does this jersey inspire you? Do you feel like it will make us stand out and be recognized when lined up against other clearly recognizable jerseys? Not me. Subtle is one thing, this jersey is anonymous. Not something we should aspire to on the pitch.
Some of the reactions are a bit off the wall. It is just a jersey….
It also needs to be paired with the shorts and socks to see what the entire kit looks like before we fly off the handle with the explitives that some feel the need for.
MemRook, I think you are underestimating the importance of the jersey to creating an identity that can bond fans. When you look in the stands and see a mass of one color – Mexican green, Italian blue, Dutch orange – it creates an immeasurable impact on the team which we will never be able to generate. This is an issue that needs to be addressed in favor of the fans over more $$ from jersey sales. When I was in Germany in 06′ and went into a bar, it took a few minutes to determine that, hey, its all yank fans in here. Now if everyone in that bar had been in red with a blue/white sash because that is what the US always wears, we would have owned that bar and no one else is coming in. That is the value that we miss from these kind of design changes and why lots of fans are irate about the change. That and the thing is ugly as all get out.
Nike has proven they can’t get the job done. We need a new sponsor.
DC I agree with you on looking for a “Classic” look. I think this achieves that because it is a very simple look. Hoops with subtle pinstripes across is not very busy and is fairly simple. i would say an attempt at something trendy would be our 94 outfits with the stars and then the billowing stripes. This is a fairly conservative look. I havent decided whether I like this one better or worse than the previous ( I liked the red/blue stripe jersey we had) but I definitely like it unlike a lot who have decided they hate it already. I still think it will look even better when we actually play in it
Michael
If Nike had done as nice a job on the US kits as they did with the Dutch we wouldn’t be having this discussion.