FanPost

Rating 2020 MLS Shirts

Hey Everyone!

In the past, I have tried to do a yearly fan post that reviews and rates the new MLS jerseys. I skipped last year for qWhite a few reasons, but this year's batch of shirts is a bit more inspired so I decided to give it a go. We know that Adidas created a MLS specific template to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the league. that template features shoulder yokes and three stripes on the right shoulder. The look works better for some teams than others, but you'll see that in the article. Before I get started, a few things:

1. I will be reviewing the shirts, not the full kit. I have not been able to find photos of every team's full kit (shirt, shorts, and socks) so I will just rate the shirts and included some shorts information that I know of.

2. Ratings are 100% subjective and rated on a 0-5 point scale. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong in the comments.

Alright, here we go:

ATLANTA UNITED

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Atlanta comes out with a white and gold strip for their secondary this year. Im not a big fan of the metallic gold, but I do like the subtle 5 stripes within the white shirt. 3/5

Chicago Fire

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For being the "Men in Red" this shirt sure features a lot of navy, which will appear like yet another black kit on the pitch. Add to that the worst rebrand in MLS history and you have a real dud. The only thing that saves this kit from getting a 0 is the diagonal pinstripes. 1/5

FC Cincinnati

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For some reason, FC Cincy was allowed to get two new kits this year, but I'll only review their primary. This shirt tries to be a classic half and half design, but it just comes off as too cluttered with the shoulder stripes and contrasting shoulder yokes. I would have liked it better if they went full heel and made the dark half orange. 2/5

Colorado Rapids

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Colorado will halfway return to their classic look this year with this burgundy kit that I have heard will be paired with white shorts once again. This is one of the shirts that the shoulder stripes looks well with. I always liked the Rapids' look on the field and I think I'll like it again this year 4/5

Columbus Crew

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Columbus continues their tradition of having a black change shirt that I assume will be paired with black shorts. I'm not a big fan of the checkerboard pattern (one that is the same as the Russia 2018 shirt) and I dislike how the shoulders don't carry the pattern. It has yet to be seen how the shirt advertiser will change the look, but overall its not bad but not great either. 3/5

FC Dallas

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THE HOOPS ARE BACK! after a few years astray, Dallas finally comes back to their signature hoops with a blue brushstroke patter on a red base. The hoops fade to make a perfect space for the pyramid scheme Advocare ad, but this is a return to tradition for the team and I welcome it with open arms. 4/5

D.C. United

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Out of all of the teams in MLS, D.C. is the one best suited for the three shoulder stripes. They harken back to the team's golden years, when they ran the league, racking up 13 trophies in the process. I love the thicker red stripes on the sleeves. I think they will really pop on the field and on TV. It remains to be seen how often the team will wear the rumored red shorts. Let's hope for more than once or twice. 5/5

Houston Dynamo

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I give Houston an A for effort on this one, but I'm personally not a fan. I find that the colors vibrate a bit too much for my liking, and the modern pattern doesn't seem to vibe well with the plain shoulders. However, I am very glad that they went out on a limb and tried something different. 3/5

Los Angeles FC

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LAFC seemed to not want to deal with the Adidas template and blacked out their shoulder stripes. Their black shirt is interrupted by subtle grey stripes which, as someone pointed out on twitter, seem to mimic the Chivas USA kits a little too closely. But, they are still a team that tries to emulate DCU's iconic look. 3/5

Los Angeles Galaxy

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The galaxy are one of two teams that should be allowed to wear all white (the other being the Whitecaps) and they return their classic sash this year. This sash doesn't do it for me though. The last couple home kits had a beautiful mix of blue and gold and this one looks like they forgot to set their printer to color mode. 2/5

Inter Miami

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I don't understand what Miami is doing. They have David Beckham as an owner, they are in one of the most vibrant cities in the country, and they trumpeted pink as their unique brand and this is what we get? It has sublimated Cranes in the shirt but you'll never see those from the stands or on tv. This would look so much better if it was paired with pink shorts, but I doubt that would actually happen. 0/5

Minnesota United

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After three years of mediocre looks, MNUFC finally brings back their famous loon wing. This is a unique look throughout world soccer and I really hope that Minnesota sticks with this from here on out. 5/5

Montreal Impact

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Another shirt that looks like they ran out of color ink. This look would be so much better if it had blue pinstripes, change the shoulder stripes to blue and didn't recolor their crest. 2/5

Nashville SC

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Just like Miami, Nashville starts off their MLS history with a dud. This is supposed to be purple and gold but on the field its going to look a lot like black and yellow, just like a team two states to the north. Between the stadium fiasco, the new crest which I think is a downgrade from their USL days and the plain kits, I'm not too optimistic about Nashville. 1/5

New England Revolution

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I really like this effort from the Revs. The brushstroke chest stripes adds a different texture than we're used to seeing and the ever so slight upward angle to the stripe gives it a sense of energy. This is apparently going to be paired with red shorts and the photos I've seen of them look awesome. Now if only they can build a stadium to match the shirt... 5/5

New York City FC

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The pigeons come out with a rather simple change kit with sublimated parallelograms. They hardly ever wear their secondary shirt so we won't see this one all too often. My only complaint about this is that they recolored their crest. It could use a little more orange as well. 4/5

NYRB

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HAHAHAHAHAHA *breaths* HAHAHAHAHAHA. New Jersey seems to be doing their best D.C. United impression with this one. They'll claim that this is to call back to the MetroStars, but really its just the Red Bull brand dictating that they have to match what RB Leipzig and RB salzburg are wearing. Yay corporate synergy. 0/5

Orlando City SC

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At first, I didn't like this one. I thought it looked like someone accidentally washed a purple shirt with their whites, but it has quickly grown on me. The radiant sun effect coupled with the metallic nature of their crest really creates a vibe that feels very Florida. I would love it if they wore purple shorts with this, but I believe they are going with white. 4/5

Philadelphia Union

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Philly comes out this year with a navy shirt with a sublimated snake design. Even in the professional photos with perfect lighting, the snake is barely visible. If it were up to me, I would have made the snake gold and really leaned into it. The sublimation seems like a way to try to be unique without actually causing a stir. Oh, and please for the love of God bring back the center stripe. 2/5

Portland Timbers

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The Portland Timbers are the team hurt most by the shoulder stripe template. The thin hoops are separated by very faint grey hoops with a wood grain pattern to them. The shoulder yoke and shoulder stripes just feel awkward in what would be a very classy look from one of the best looking teams in the league. 3/5

Real Salt Lake

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RSL's shirt reminds me a lot of Houston's except this one doesn't hurt my eyes so much. The eccentric pattern coupled with the throwback stripes makes this feel like a kit we would have seen in 1996. They will pair this with blue shorts which are making a comeback after years away. 4/5

San Jose Earthquakes

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This one feels like it was designed without a shirt advertiser in mind. Without the ad, this was a very nice shirt based on the San Jose city flag. The colors work really well together and it did a great job of highlighting the crest. Then they signed an ad deal with Intermedia and there was nowhere on the chest to fit it so the ad takes up almost the entire stomach. What a shame, this had so much potential. 2/5

Seattle Sounders

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The most recent MLS cup champions are doing their best watermelon impression this year. Despite the resemblance to Gallagher's least favorite fruit, I think this comes off well. The blue cuffs feel just right. My biggest gripe is that because of the cut of the shoulder, they were not able to affix the championship star directly above their badge so it is awkwardly attached to the shoulder, slightly off center. I don't know why they didn't just put the gold star next to the silver. 3/5

Sporting Kansas City

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The only Kansas City team to actually play in Kansas, Sporting Kansas City had a history of being a very fashionable brand. They bring that back by returning their secondary jersey to dark blue rather than the black of more recent years. The black is interrupted by light blue polka-dots. I like the look, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that they look a little like pajamas. 4/5

Toronto FC

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This is how teams should do sublimated designs. The intersecting lines create a very interesting pattern on the TFC secondary strip, but they are dark enough that you will actually be able to see them from the stands. The rest of MLS needs to take note because this is how you do a white kit that doesn't look like a Haynes t-shirt. 5/5

Vancouver Whitecaps

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To round it all out we have Vancouver's secondary shirt. It features sublimated wavy hoops meant to evoke the Vancouver city flag. The shirt is fine, but it will be paired with light blue shorts that match the sleeve cuffs. The pictures I've seen of them are gorgeous! 5/5

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