my opinion of the 2 kits has shifted since they first got leaked. At first I truly hated the away blue one, even when the higher quality official images/ads came out. When I first saw it in person I thought it was a little bit better but my main complaint is it didn't have any tie to the US, unlike the best shirts from Mexico, Japan, etc. But right before flying to Qatar I bought one (an authentic) just to have my team's shirt, and I didn't want to buy white because I figured I'd spill something on it. I think the blue looks good on the field on the players as a whole kit, but mostly because you can't really see the black splotches which I don't like. While I don't love this shirt, I don't hate it like I did at first. The white one I initially thought was OK just super boring. I always hated the stupid front collar thing but the rest seemed ok. But seeing it on fans here I've grow to dislike it more and more. The red and blue shoulder highlights look bad, the front collar looks even worse, and even the numbers don't look right. It's just a bad shirt. Overall this is still a real low point for Nike. They just have to do better in 2026.
Pablo… how are you enjoying yourself? What is the vibe like? How are fans mixing before and after the games? It’s difficult to tell from the tv coverage in the USA.
Any word on our jersey vs Netherlands? I seem to recall from previous WC’s that the group winner is “home” and the group runner-up is “away.” So with Holland wearing oranje, would we wear our away blue? Or our white, since it doesn’t clash with orange?
Looks like we're wearing white. Not surprised since it doesn't clash with the Dutch orange. 🇳🇱-🇺🇸 kits pic.twitter.com/m0VBS4mI9l— Brian Straus (@BrianStraus) December 1, 2022
I assume when we play Argentina they would have to wear their purple jersey and we would have to wear white so it wouldn't clash? (Knock on wood)
Or, when we play Argentina, they wear their albiceleste stripes with white shorts and socks while we wear all blue.
Dark blue socks! So the US is wearing a third version of that uniform element. The NED-USA winner will be the designated home team in the next round, for whatever that's worth.
yeah having a total blast! I am part of a big group of friends, but meeting new people has always been the best part of World Cups. The ability to watch a game (or more) per day has been incredible. The stadiums are all top notch. Even alcohol has been easy to get, maybe not like a norm al WC but we've been to dozens of bars and have never had an issue. The lack of beer in stadiums has really been a non issue. There are some negatives but overall it's been a very fun experience. 3 games to go for me (2 SFs and Final).
Why having a true identity kit matters. US Soccer should take this article into Nike and say “do this for us”, but I’m sure mediocrity will continue to win the day in the halls of USSF. https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-wo...oatia-world-cup-quarterfinal-a-battle-of-kits
I guess there is a belief that changing the kit so frequently boosts jersey sales. It seems to me, if you commit to a standard look, different and slight variations can be made to spur desire to purchase iterations of that kit, right? Not having a consistent brand identity for the team seems like a major miss.
White shirt is our standard look, Waldo the outlier. I’d guess that the latter didn’t sell well despite its current online popularity since its design philosophy was never brought back for a WC year,
i think the waldo probably sold very well, but i doubt more than most every kit since. im completely confident saying it didnt sell half what the current away shirt has sold, though. you can trace the arc of hating kits to scrambling to buy them in this very thread. fifa regulations dont allow for a waldo that would satisfy "everyone".
that, how much a design can continue on the back at all, what colors can be worn with the shirt as fifa moves more and more monocrome, etc. waldo/white/white with interrupted on stripes on the front over isnt remotely what people want when they say "waldos". outside of nike making a fans-only shirt its a futile discussion.
Speak for yourself. Is there really a problem with waldo/blue/blue though? I know they get more and more aggressive about non-clashing shorts and socks, but shouldn't that be fine? White/blue/blue works for us and England, what's the difference?
Because a kit is supposed to be "predominantly dark" or "predominantly light". A shirt that is 50% red and 50% doesn't meet the kit regulations. Now a kit that's predominantly white with a number of thin red stripes? That would work.
So like the US and England aren't supposed to wear white shirts with blue shorts anymore? Is this just for international competitions? I have definitely noticed the trend toward monochromatic uniforms, but I hadn't heard of it being formally codified. (To the extent there is any discretion here we should of course tell FIFA to go **** themselves)
It seems to be a little nebulous, but generally speaking you're correct. But I believe the real key relates to shirts, shorts, and socks. So England could wear white/blue/white, but I think FIFA prefers teams wear monochrome uniforms. Obviously, they can't force it, because we obviously see Brazil wear yellow/blue/white, Argentina normally wear light/black/black, etc. I can somewhat understand it. Those regulations make color clashes a lot less likely (think of a game where you see West Ham wear burgundy and Leicester wear black, like I've seen before). But I'd also say that if, say, Brazil wears its classic uniform and the US wants to wear the Waldo, that should be fine because you can tell the teams apart. But I don't make the rules, and FIFA has a book (yes, a book) on uniform regulations.
Well, had we qualified in 2018, these would have been our jerseys: Pretty close to Waldos, and white enough to be worn vs a “red” team. I’m a big fan of this jersey—except the blue should be navy.