Confessions of a Soccer Nobody: The Curious Case of Futbol Fashion
What is it about sports jerseys that turn men with little fashion sense into design critics? Take soccer kits, for example. This is the time of year when MLS and USL clubs kickoff the league play in their new jerseys while European clubs unveil those they’ll wear next season. This annual ploy aims to generate income by making the previous year’s model obsolete and outdated.
Since this is a World Cup year, we have the additional temptation to purchase national team kits, most of which were newly designed solely for global marketing purposes. Without fail, a barrage of emails circulates among my brother, friends, and me debating the merits of the latest Nike design or Adidas offering. What turned us into such fashionistas? And do we have any credibility in offering such judgments?While the latter question is certainly debatable, a curious thing happens when otherwise clueless men act like they belong on Project Runway. What criteria are we even using anyway? Color? Fit? Design aesthetics? Historical awareness? Why do some fans love the sash in jerseys like those of the United States national team (pictured left) and Crystal Palace while others loathe them? Why do some fans embrace garish colors like the green of the Seattle Sounders (pictured right)?
Is it because of allegiance? Are we blinded by club or national loyalty so much that we are incapable of seeing the beautiful, the terrible, or the sublime? Or was this loyalty founded on fashion sense? How many sports fans do we know that began rooting for their teams because they "liked the jersey"? Can we really be duped into fandom because of styles?As a fan of the Harrisburg City Islanders, these thoughts swirl around my head because the club has excellent merchandise in general and jerseys in particular. Does the club garner my interest because of geography, their players, the quality of the organization, the incredible setting of the Skyline Sports Complex, my love of the game, or does it really just come down to their kit design? I pray it’s not the latter, but how do I know definitively? I liked last year’s blue jersey, buying one that I wore with pride to home games. But then the City Islanders unveiled their new Nike Laser designs and it was love at first sight. I found myself happily forking over the $45—not too bad a price for a replica jersey—so that I could have the white, striped kit. Was it allegiance to the club that made me do it? Or have I become a slave to fashion?
Rating the Local Clubs
Setting aside such thoughts, this seems an opportune time to assess our local clubs and their jerseys. Which team offers the most affordable and/or stylish kit? How much does the level of the club impact the quality of their jersey? These questions were considered by the Soccer Nobody and friends in determining the following ratings:
Harrisburg City Islanders – 3 stars (Nike, $45)
Stylish and inexpensive, the Nike Laser replicas are terrific. Two things prevent them from receiving a perfect score of four stars: the odd sizing of the kit (mine ran a little small) and the City Islanders logo. A more classic badge is needed for the club, as the palm tree and cartoonish lettering clash with the Snickers and Capital Blue Cross advertisements. The busy front is offset nicely by the sleek stripes and simple color scheme of the design. Great design, affordable for fans, but the screen printing of the logos could be improved.
Reading United AC – 3 stars (Xara, $48)
A simple yet classic design by Xara Soccer. The "away" blue kit outshines the plain white "home" design, and both feature the club’s main sponsor, Giorgio Foods, beneath the Reading United badge. This is a logo Harrisburg could look towards for inspiration as it features numerous references to the city of Reading and its history: a keystone shape symbolic of Pennsylvania, a locomotive representing the famed Reading Railroad, the blue and khaki colors of their parent club, and a soccer ball headpiece on the train. The best part about the jersey: numbers can be added to the kit (for only $5) that includes the team’s logo in the numbering.
Philadelphia Union – 2 stars ($69.99-$119.99)
Here’s where the Sons of Ben become angry: this design didn’t impress. The colors aren’t bad, the use of khaki is original, but the central, vertical stripe and incomplete shoulder piping is bothersome. And how do your USL-2 and PDL affiliates have jersey sponsors while the MLS parent club does not? This kit design seems tailor-made for an advertisement across the chest, yet none have surfaced. Overall, this is too busy, expensive, and not overly wearable (despite the amount of Union fans who don them at the Linc).
Throw-Ins
Reading United AC continued their torrid start to the 2010 season, beating the West Virginia Chaos, 1-0, and Carolina Dynamo, 4-0, in a pair of road contests this weekend. United has outscored their foes 13-1 in amassing a 4-0 record. Luke Mulholland (Wingate) scored the only goal in Reading’s win over West Virginia, while Mulholland, Eric Schoenle (West Virginia), Matt Hedges (Butler), and Ray Gaddis (West Virginia) each tallied against Charlotte. Reading United now embarks on a two-game road-trip at the Bermuda Hogges before returning home to host Carolina on June 5.
Reading United’s second win, at Carolina, was all the more remarkable because they needed to win by four goals to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, America’s oldest professional soccer tournament. The competition is modeled after England’s famed F.A. Cup, wherein every adult team in the nation competes, ranging from the amateur ranks to MLS. The U.S. Open Cup often creates intriguing matchups between minor league clubs and their MLS brethren. Could you imagine the Harrisburg Senators playing the New York Yankees in a single-elimination game? That scenario has happened frequently in throughout the U.S. Open Cup’s history—for example, Harrisburg stunned D.C. United in 2007 and defeated the New England Revolution in 2009—and now Reading United has qualified for the next stage of the tournament. Pairings will be released shortly.
Bob Warming has been named head coach of the Penn State men’s soccer team, replacing Barry Gorman who resigned this spring to join FC Dallas of MLS. Warming has led Creighton, Saint Louis, UNC Charlotte, and Old Dominion during his extensive coaching career, amassing nearly 400 wins and reaching the NCAA tournament in 15 out of the past 17 seasons. The Nittany Lions kickoff their 2010 season in late August and return four All-Big Ten performers from last season’s 12-8-2 club. Penn State will host several top teams in 2010, including national runners-up Akron, perennial power Indiana, and local rivals Villanova and Bucknell. Happy Valley is also home to the 2010 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament (November 11-14).
Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball...
Categories: Confessions of a Soccer Nobody
Tags: Reading United AC Harrisburg City Islanders Seattle Sounders kits Philadelphia Union U.S. World Cup jerseys Penn State Bob Warming
The United States blue away jersey is so amazing! I really like it a lot. The home white jersey is really boring though. They should have put a blue or red stripe across the front instead of a white on white stripe.
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