After being seen (and criticized) by many American fans after several weeks of leaks, the new Nike national team uniforms were finally unveiled by US Soccer and its supplier on Thursday morning.
Both the US men and women will wear the kits, beginning with this month’s USMNT friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia. The women will likely play in them for the first time on October 7 when they meet England in London. The kits will be on display around the world when the men take on Wales, England and Iran at the World Cup in Qatar in November.
It will be the sixth time the US men have been outfitted by Nike at a World Cup, dating back to France ’98. The main jersey released Wednesday is the traditional white, which has been the color of the USA’s “home” jersey at every World Cup since 1994, when the hosts wore Adidas’ iconic “denim kit.” In the photographs distributed by Nike, the new white shirt is accompanied by white shorts and royal blue socks (the women are shown wearing white-blue-white).
Nike’s new secondary jersey is royal blue with a tie-dye effect with spots. The Americans’ “away” jersey was red (or mostly red) at the 1998 and 2014 World Cups. It was navy blue in 2002, ’06 and ’10. Both the MNT and WNT will wear the new blue with royal shorts and socks.
Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest and Brenden Aaronson in the new USMNT World Cup kit.
Courtesy of Nike (3)
Antonee Robinson, Ricardo Pepi, Adams and Dest with the new USMNT teams.
Courtesy of Nike
Rose Lavelle, Mal Pugh and Sophia Smith with the new USWNT teams.
Courtesy of Nike (3)
According to Nike, the minimalist design of the white jersey is supposed to evoke other popular American team sports. The company’s logo is on each sleeve instead of the right chest, so it’s meant to mirror American football jerseys. The centered US Soccer crest is “similar to basketball jerseys,” Nike said, while the shoulder and sleeve seams are supposed to resemble those found on hockey uniforms. The sleeve stripes “allude to the classic stripe details found in American sports,” said Nike, while the larger blue tab below the collar is part of a template that uses in teams from several countries, including the Netherlands, Australia, Nigeria and China.
The new blue jersey takes inspiration from “design techniques found throughout the American streetwear and fashion industry,” according to Nike.
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