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Major League Soccer's Jersey Week is still two weeks away, but there continue to be developments in MLS soccer fashion in the meantime. Of course, the big news this past week was the public release of the new D.C. United primary jersey. But that wasn't the only news, with additional leaks of new kits hitting the internet from a number of teams. Additionally, we've fleshed out our jersey reveal schedule and only have a few holes left to fill.
Starting with this week's post, I'm adopting the lingo apparently being used around MLS now. "Home jersey" is out, and "primary jersey" is in. Same for "away jersey" (which will now be banished to the same place as our old Volkswagen shirt logos) in favor of "secondary jersey".
1. D.C. United's new primary jersey. Last Saturday, D.C. United revealed this season's new primary jersey at a season ticket holder event in Georgetown. We've had on-going coverage of the new kit from Adam and Ben, and for the most part, reaction seems very positive. And, with the report that Leidos is about to sign on as the team's shirt sponsor, we will soon get to see what the final, game-ready shirt will look like (h/t to readers mtegethoff and dekotora for mocking up what the new jerseys may look like with the Leidos logo emblazoned on the front).
In case you didn't see this cool video MLS put out to hype the new D.C. United primary jersey, take a look below.
My take on the Black-and-Red's new jersey is that it is terrific. The things I particularly like.
- It is truly classic, with a clean and minimalist look that exudes toughness.
- It uses basic/primary colors that are instantly distinguishable from other MLS teams.
- The new secondary logo (i.e. the hip tag) is great. I'd like to see this used on other D.C. United gear as well.
If I were nitpicking, I would offer the following areas that could have been improved.
- While the word "Tradition" across the back neckline certainly applies to D.C. United, it is not something everyone across the league immediately associates with United (and other teams use it as well). Instead, I would have preferred "Vamos", "Vamos United", "The Original Champion", or something that is more uniquely identifiable with the team or the District.
- The new secondary logo is so good, I would have liked to see it embedded right into the fabric of the shirt in some way. Look at the Montreal Impact tease below, the fleur-de-lys is "watermarked" right into the fabric. Don't know how the creatives would have done it, but I'd have liked to see a version of the new jersey with an all-black secondary logo printed right into the fabric. But, with the new adizero fabric, would there have been sufficient depth in the fabric to "watermark" something right into it?
Speaking of the weight of the new jersey, a few regular commenters on the site mentioned how incredibly thin it is. Question for those who have the new jersey: given its thinness, and it's form-fitting sizing, is the new authentic jersey still a viable option for the average fan? Or, should we take a look at the replica jersey (although the replica jersey doesn't have a lot of the best elements in the authentic jersey)?
2. New MLS Jersey Leaks/Previews. This week, a few more images emerged to preview some of the upcoming new jerseys.
Chicago Fire primary kit--it's not a lot to go on, but here are the first two teases the team has released.
#cf97 Jersey Sneak Peek #1: See the full jersey unveil at Season Kickoff Luncheon 3/4: http://t.co/gUSyjotEIb #cf97 pic.twitter.com/wRF0rqRYXB
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) February 13, 2014
JERSEY SNEAK PEEK #2: This insignia & tricolor line adorns the back of the 2014 primary kit. #cf97 #MLS #jerseyweek pic.twitter.com/hsCJam6yv0
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) February 18, 2014
Houston Dynamo secondary kit--we saw a tease last week, but this week they've revealed their updated logo. It appears to be 3-D.
BREAKING: Our new away kits are white, feature our crest. #ForeverOrange pic.twitter.com/IAQGPurq8q
— HoustonDynamo (@HoustonDynamo) February 12, 2014
Montreal Impact primary kit--reports are the Impact's new primary jersey will feature the fleur-de-lys, which makes perfect sense. The first leaked image is likely seen in the photo to the left in the following tweet. I really like how the fleur-de-lys is "watermarked" right into the fabric of the jersey.
#IMFC will unveil its new 2014 primary jersey on March 4 and you're invited! http://t.co/FRBvSGlZTL pic.twitter.com/hOuZsjrZ7v
— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) February 5, 2014
New England Revolution primary kit--there is some debate on Twitter whether this tweet from Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester is legit. I'll assume it is.
Came home to this today. I was hoping for camo but the new 2014 @NERevolution jersey is pretty sweet! #NERevs pic.twitter.com/KVlgSGKJqn
— Jon Lester (@JLester31) February 19, 2014
Portland Timbers secondary and alternate kits--Merritt Paulson continues to leak images of the Timbers' new jerseys. It appears their secondary kit will have two pairs of shorts that go with it, one black and one red. I definitely like the red better in this picture than what we could see in last week's tease of the jersey itself. As for the alternate jersey, I continue to think this will be a kit Portland fans will really like.
New 2nd and 3rd kit launch getting closer...only a short(s) time to go #rctid pic.twitter.com/ElqiTWe0f0
— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) February 13, 2014
Vancouver Whitecaps secondary kit--this is the Whitecaps' 40th anniversary as a team (same for the Seattle Sounders). I really like that these teams (and the others whose roots predate MLS) are celebrating their pre-MLS history. It had been rumored that both Vancouver and Seattle would celebrate by having a special anniversary crest, and that is now confirmed for Vancouver.
FC Dallas primary kit--we haven't seen any pictures yet, but text descriptions say their new jerseys will have "modern hoops". Another report tries to divine some clues from a recently released photo of a new team scarf.
3. Updated MLS Jersey Reveal Schedule. We're down to needing information on just a few teams to complete our MLS jersey reveal schedule. If you've heard what the plans are for the Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders, or Toronto FC, or if you can correct any of the information in the schedule below, just leave a comment with the team, their jersey reveal date, and your source.
| Date of 2014 Jersey Reveal | |
| Chicago Fire | 4-Mar |
| Chivas USA | 1-Mar |
| Colorado Rapids | 19-Mar |
| Columbus Crew | After 3 Mar |
| D.C. United | Done |
| FC Dallas | 6-Mar |
| Houston Dynamo | Febr |
| LA Galaxy | 22 Feb/3 Mar |
| Montreal Impact | 3-Mar |
| New England Revolution | 4-Mar |
| New York Red Bulls | 4-Mar |
| Philadelphia Union | 4-Mar |
| Portland Timbers | 3-Mar |
| Real Salt Lake | Done |
| San Jose Earthquakes | Done |
| Seattle Sounders | |
| Sporting Kansas City | 4-Mar |
| Toronto FC | |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 5-Mar |
According to our schedule, the next unofficial jersey reveal will reportedly occur next week on Feb. 22 when the LA Galaxy play their new farm team, LA Galaxy II, on their Legends Night.
Cover photo courtesy of dcunited.com.
Do you have anything else to say about the new D.C. United jersey? What about the new leaks? Tell us about it in the comments section below. Also, help us crowdsource to completion the jersey reveal schedule.
