Nike "went with high contrast" in its new home uniform for the U.S. women's national soccer team revealed yesterday, according to Tim Newcomb of SI.com. The white jersey and shorts "have slight black accents -- a stripe on the side, the crest, Swoosh and two stars signifying the team’s previous two World Cup wins -- but otherwise remain starkly white." The USWNT "will have a neon yellow gradient build in the socks," and the team's Nike athletes "will have matching yellow cleats." Nike opted for white "to honor the tradition of the U.S. wearing white as a home kit." The blue and red on the away kit "rounds out the red, white and blue colors of the U.S. flag." Nike VP/Global Football Design Martin Lotti said, "We went for monochromatic for the highest contrast. Black and white gives the highest contrast and the black stripe highlights speed. It is a brilliant white and keeping it clean, simple and modern will contrast in its surroundings." He added that Nike worked with the USSF "all throughout the design process, showing them the design bit by bit along the way and never were there concerns raised about using black accents instead of, say, blue" (SI.com, 4/22). In Portland, Allan Brettman writes, "Patriotic purists might note that the uniform lacks any red or blue to complement the overall white of the jersey and shorts." Black stripes and piping "provide accents on the shorts and jersey." The U.S. Soccer crest and the two stars representing the team's World Cup titles "also are in black." But those purists "might be mollified by the graphic element inside the jersey collar: a blue triangle speckled with 13 stars representing the founding colonies" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/23).
THEM OL' U.S. BLUES: USATODAY.com's Laken Litman noted some of the reaction to the new uniforms "has been outrage due to the fact that the uniform does not represent the American flag at all." The uniforms are "white, with a hint of black and yellow 'volt' socks." The aqua cleats, "which are actually a 'blue lagoon' color, pay homage to Canada since that’s where this year’s World Cup will be played." Nike VP/North America Communications Charlie Brooks said, "Not every team pays homage to the flag. Take Germany’s kit for example, world champions. The German flag is yellow, red and black. The kit is white with black trim on it. I understand people asking about the colors, but there’s also that level of not all national teams have to represent the flag." He said Nike wanted the uniforms to "paint inspiration for the team itself, something crisp, stylish, sharp, strong and impactful" (USATODAY.com, 4/22).
