The writers and editors at The IX Soccer have gotten together to look at the NWSL’s new kits that dropped Thursday morning.
Here’s the thing about jerseys: Everyone has an opinion and those opinions usually fall on one of two sides, love it or hate it. Rarely does a jersey evoke a feeling of `I can live with this,’ but weirdly, this drop had a few of those!
There was pretty much a consensus that the Spirit rocked it, and the Royals, well, yikes. Angel City had everyone divided and the Thorns had one big fan. Other than that, it seems the center crest debate will live on in perpetuity. Sadly, there were no collars in this drop.
Here’s the panel: Julie Schreiber, Annie Peterson, Abigail Segel, Gabby Alfveby and Kathleen Gier.
TOP THREE: Washington, Chicago, Orlando.
Annie: In the midst of some of the chaos in DC, the Washington Spirit jersey captures one of the best things about the city: The cherry blossoms. The jersey is beautifully executed and stands in sharp contrast to those neon yellow kits.
Julie: Maybe I’m biased because I live here but I love when the cherry blossoms are incorporated into DC team merch because they are truly so iconic around here.
Gabby: I love the detail of the cherry blossoms but that they chose to still incorporate a dark green too. It’s very fitting for DC and a very visually pleasing uniform. I also think it really captures the star power of this team after finishing second and falling to Gotham FC in last season’s championship.
Abigail: Love the lilac color of the Pride jersey, and the nod to the resilience of the city’s queer community 10 years after the Pulse Nightclub massacre. And I appreciate that the club will be donating $20,000 from jersey sales to a local LGBTQ+ advocacy and community center.
Kathleen: Very satisfying color palette. Moving toward lilac is intriguing after the really dark purple of the past. I also love the nod to Pulse, that’s really special.
Annie: I don’t know if this reminds me of Argentina or what, but it seems just perfect as a soccer kit.
Abigail: Great colors, and you can’t go wrong with vertical stripes. Feels baseball-y, in a good way.
Gabby (a dissenter!): I’m not a fan of how patriotic this jersey is and the patriotism that is gives especially with the state of our country right now … but it’s cool that they were trying to honor the city of Chicago I suppose.
Runners Up: Denver, Gotham, Boston
Abigail: I’m a sucker for simple kits, so long as the colors are nice, and boy are the colors nice here. More color-blocked kits!
Julie: I am biased towards it because I love their color palette and color blocking, but it’s probably the least jersey-ish of them all.
Abigail: I did laugh out loud seeing this for the first time out of sheer surprise. It’s very funny to me that the team whose main color is the same color as the Statue of Liberty made a kit that has the Statue of Liberty on it but barely a speck of that color. But what can I say, it’s working for me.
Annie: I’m probably reading too much into this, but I love the nod to the Statue of Liberty and the idea of both freedom and welcoming immigrants: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free …”
Gabby: At first glance, you may not notice, but this kit features Lady Liberty made up of New York City’s flag colors, blue and orange, which is perfect to honor the community and the reigning champs. The addition of the gold star is powerful.
Kathleen: I appreciate the bold colors and getting creative with the green.
Julie: I feel like they did something cool and they are getting unnecessary shade.
Gabby: How they chose to represent all the different neighborhoods in Boston is very cool I just didn’t really realize that was what the shapes were at first.
Middle of the Pack: Kansas City, North Carolina, Houston, Angel City
Annie: The Current has a kit that represents currents! A lot of times, I rank jerseys by asking myself, `Would I buy this?’ And the answer here is a resounding yes.
Kathleen: I understand what they’re trying to do, but it’s giving warm-up top.
Kathleen: I love the pink accents. I think the pattern is really interesting and fun.
Abigail: I also let out a giggle seeing this one for the first time! I think I don’t actually like it design-wise, but the Venus flytraps are so fantastically silly that I cannot mark it down too much.
Annie: This is the Houston Chronicle kit and any reference to the newspaper industry is good, but obviously I’m biased.
Kathleen: I really like the pops of orange with the lighter blue.
Annie: This was the most contentious kit among the panelists. Kathleen and I liked it, Julie and Abigail ranked it lower. Long live center crests!
Kathleen: I just really like the black and pink and the light radiating out from the centered logo is really fun.
Julie: Angel City is fine, not that different from what they already have, I feel.
Mixed Feelings: Wave, Bay FC, Racing, Reign
Abigail: I like the detailing, but I cannot escape the fact that mostly this is just a beige kit. Why are we doing beige kits?
Annie: I really, really wanted to like this one, because I get the reference to Balboa Park, one of my favorite places to explore in San Diego. The trim is nice. But it needed just a bit more oomph.
Julie: Bay is cool, I’m not wowed.
Kathleen: I like leaning into the poppy, but there’s a lot going on with the pattern.
Julie: Just not a color I associate with the team, which is throwing me off.
Annie: This reminds me of that mass-produced art you buy at Target.
Gabby: This kit gives “goalie” a little bit.
Kathleen: Makes me want to go bowling or play laser tag, in a good way.
Bottom of the Barrel: Thorns, Utah
Abigail: This kit looks like it’s been put under one of those Instagram filters that were popular in 2014. Also, get a new sponsor.
Annie: Nothing will ever compare to the Ed Hardy-like jerseys for me, so they’ll all be a disappointment. But Gabby jumped in and loved this one, throwing our whole ranking system off.
Gabby: It is really neat that they chose to include the Oregon state motto, “Alis Volat Propriis,” arched over a rose towards the bottom on the front of the jersey near the seam. The motto means “she flies with her own wings,” which is perfect for a women’s sports team, especially as these athletes continue to fight for equity.
Annie: I feel like anything I could say would be really mean.
Kathleen: So aggressive.
Abigail: Utah’s press release said this kit is meant to be an homage to bees, and I never thought I’d say this, but the Steelers did it better. Also, the America First sponsorship needs to go to an extent that is impossible to overstate.
Julie: Just not attractive, I fear : (
Gabby: Gives men’s sports vibes…gross!