MLS last night unveiled new '20 Adidas kits for each of its 26 teams, and the Fire's primary kit is "blue for the first time in team history," according to Brian Sandalow of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. The kit, featuring the "maligned new primary logo on the left side of the chest," is "navy blue with thin red diagonal pinstripes." According to the team, the "look will be completed by navy blue shorts and red socks." The new look is a "departure from what the Fire had worn for the vast majority of their existence." Other than four years in the '10s, the Fire's "primary look has been red shirts." The new Adidas kit "features a template strikingly similar to the one worn away from home" by EPL side Wolverhampton Wanderers, albeit in "different colors" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/6). In Chicago, Jeremy Mikula writes the "shift from red to blue is the latest overhaul the Fire have made to their identity in anticipation of their return to Soldier Field." In November, the team changed its name to Chicago Fire Football Club and "unveiled a new crest that team marketing called the 'Fire Crown'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/6).
THREE STRIPE LIFE: In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald writes almost all of the newly released jerseys "have a similar element: three big, bright ... stripes on the right shoulder," which is a "long standing Adidas design theme called EQT, short for 'Equipment.'" The decision to "use those three big stripes league-wide drew criticism from fans who have long complained that MLS restricts teams' creativity by having a jersey deal with one supplier." But going into MLS' 25th season, the league and Adidas "wanted to have some retro elements in this year's jerseys," so Adidas "pulled out an old design with ties to American soccer and the world's game." The only team that "doesn't have the big stripes is Chicago, because the Fire changed their crest and colors after Adidas had already done a new uniform with the old versions" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/6).
FIRST LOOKS: In Miami, Michelle Kaufman notes Inter Miami's inaugural away kit was revealed as part of last night's event, and the "black Adidas shirt has three pink accent stripes on the shoulder and embossed herons taken from the team's logo." The inaugural '20 logo "can be found on the bottom right hand corner, and the club's motto: 'Freedom to Dream' is on the inside of the collar." The home kit, which is "expected to be pink with black trim, will be revealed in the next few weeks" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/6). In Nashville, Drake Hills notes Nashville SC's second jerseys were revealed, and when the team "isn't wearing its traditional gold kit, it will be playing in a sleek midnight blue." Nashville's uniform features a blue jersey, shorts and socks "along with three golden stripes over the right shoulder" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 2/6).
KIT CORRAL: The following are some takeaways from the jersey release for specific teams:
- FC Dallas for the past two seasons "has not featured hoops on the primary kit," but the new kits revealed last night will "have the hoops getting larger as it goes down the jersey, a nod to the team's history" and previous uniforms. The inside of the collar will feature "nine stars and the phrase 'Founding Club' can only be found on the jerseys of the original teams" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/6).
- The Whitecaps' new kit has "local touches like the city's flag and motto 'By Sea Land and Air We Prosper' adorning the waist and nape of the neck, respectively." There also is a "subtle wave pattern woven into the material, a nod to the team origins" (VANCOUVER PROVINCE, 2/6).
- The '20 Minnesota United kit features a "feathered wing that looks applied by an artist's paint brush on the jersey's front." Fans will "recognize it as a nod to a kit the team wore in its NASL days" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/6).
- Sporting K.C.'s new indigo secondary kit "pays homage" to several characteristics of Children's Mercy Park, including the "metal fins that protrude from the exterior" of club's home stadium (K.C. STAR, 2/6).
Clockwise from top right: ATLANTA UNITED, CHICAGO FIRE, PORTLAND TIMBERS, FC DALLAS
