VIDEO - Chicago Fire's Dominic Orduro is Fast, Freaky Fast

What happens when Dominic Oduro puts his salary on the line to prove how fast he is?

Well.... that's a lot to fight for. And you can only imagine how fast one of the fastest players in the league is going to run to protect his earnings.

"@FreakyFast8" on Twitter easily claims his end of the bet, a jelly donut from "Touchline TV" host Brendan Hannan.

Next up? Usain Bolt?


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VIDEO - All Your Base Belongs to MLS and adidas

Many Americans continue to wonder about Snooki's weight (98 pounds!) who's going to be eliminated next from "The Voice" or what twists and turns will happen next in "Game of Throne"/"Madmen".

The computers, well, are preparing to take over the world. The upcoming Major League Soccer All-Star Game on July 25th in Philadelphia will feature the first world's first "smart soccer match" where all the players on the field will be tracked by adidas' miCoach system and the data will be available instantly for analysis.

Sounds pretty cool. Hopefully ESPN gets some of the data to share in-game with views.

We're just glad they didn't call it SkyNet. We're safe for now.

Right?


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VIDEO - Another Sweet NBC Sports Network MLS Promo

Another promo from NBC Sports Network for their Major League Soccer coverage.

All rise.

Is there anything more to be said?
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DrinkWear - Beer Rags? FBM's 2012 MLS Western Conference Kit Preview

By Nick Sindt / Senior Shirt Correspondent

With the MLS season about to dawn, we at the Free Beer Movement thought we’d sit down and evaluate this season’s offerings for those who are unabashed kit-nerds like us.  Hey it’s part of the US Soccer culture, right?

(I will do my damndest to refrain from lambasting the ALL ADIDAS ALL THE TIME motif in MLS.  In truth that contract is great for the league, and thus the American game in general, but I’ve been drinking whilst composing this so I make no promises.)

To rate all of the kits (new and last year’s offerings that will be kept due to the two-year agreement between MLS and adidas) I will be making suggestions on what type of beer to toast each kit and its sponsor with:

Lowest of the Low = Macro-Brewers who produce flavored beers to be represented by Bud Light Lime.  You’re on thin ice; one step away from being toasted with two 40oz-ers of Zima.  Heretofore referred to as Bud Light Lime.

Below Average = Macro Brews like Miller Lite and Bud Light.  You have your place and time, and I appreciate everything you did for me in college, but really it’s time to add some depth, nuance (Lime is not a nuance), and maturity to yourself just like I purport to have done.  Heretofore referred to as Miller Lite.

Average = Macro-Micro Brews like Same Adams, Leinenkugels, etc.  You’re pretty widely distributed because you’re easy on most palates but restaurants still up-charge you as if you’re a Micro-brew simply because you’re not Miller or Bud.  Heretofore referred to as Sam Adams.

Above Average = Micro/Craft Breweries.  Pick your favorite local small-time brewer’s year-round offerings and toast the kit designers for a job well done with your go-to grown-up beer.  Heretofore referred to as New Glarus Moon Man.

Best of the Best = Seasonal Micro/Craft Brews that you wait all year long for and are willing to shell out the extra scratch for.  It’s so good it’s worth it, so raise a glass with your best can/bottle/glass of suds because even if it’s not your team this is a classy shirt and deserves its due.  Heretofore referred to as Surly Abrasive.

Read Nick's reviews of the Eastern Conference teams' jerseys.



LA Galaxy

Home

The new home shirt for 2012 is quite simply a class act: a) the sash is not a design element anyone else in MLS uses, b) the detailing within the sash makes this pretty badass to wear off the field (let’s be honest you won’t see it on the TV feed or from the stands), and c) the shade of blue is not Crayola “Blue” nor is it Crayola “Navy” which adds to the depth of the shirt.  Let’s be honest, did you expect anything less for the team that has David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and 8 or 9 other DPs if they so desired?

Kit = Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = Miller Lite – Not a huge fan of ‘Herbalife’ spelled out, the logo would be better from the design side of things but the sponsor name spelled out likely works better with the sash…

Away

As an away shirt, it acts as an ok compliment to the home one.  On its own the only thing saving it is the different shade of blue, otherwise this is pretty tame.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Miller Lite – Given the plainness of this template a more design-esque sponsor could definitely help this shirt out.

Third

Like all shirt manufacturers, adidas has a boring template to slap some colors on when necessary, and this is one of those times.  As boring as the template is the hubris behind the black and metallic gold totally redeem it for me.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite – Same thoughts as the away shirt.

Portland Timbers

Home

Bravo adidas.  The inaugural shirt for the Portland Timbers was beyond well done.  Two-tone coloring on the body of the shirt and white sleeves are above and beyond most MLS shirts, throw in the chevron detailing in between the two different greens and this shirt just hits a whole new level.

Kit = Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = New Glarus Moon Man – Maybe I’m a touch biased by how nice the rest of the shirt is, but the sponsor’s name being large doesn’t bother me.  It could be due to the font, possibly the good beer I had earlier tonight.

Away

If the home shirt is on a different level from the rest of MLS, this one will force the Poet Laureate to create some new adjectives to describe it.  Keeping many of the same design elements from the home shirt – two-toned body, white sleeves, and awesome detail separating the two shades of red (thorns this time) – adidas wins again with the ‘Rose City’ inspired away shirt.  My only complaint is that I’d have to shell out an extra $40 to get the Rose City logo on the right chest of the shirt as adidas’s “replica” shirts don’t have them.

Kit = Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = New Glarus Moon Man – Same commentary as the home shirt.

Third

The 2012 3^rd kit for Portland is something straight out of that 70s show.  Like the frosted mini-wheats commercials of yore, the adult in me appreciates the nod to the past, while the kid in me is somewhat confused about this radioactive, highly flammable material (I know it’s not old-school polyester.  I know you wouldn’t make players play in that kind of shirt).  All in all, not a bad effort, but without other teams following suit this feels a touch out of place in the league.  As a shirt to wear outside of MLS games or watch parties, it’s not horrible but takes a certain bit of style to pull off; who knows maybe everyone in Portland has that style.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = New Glarus Moon Man – Fitting for the era and the shirt.

FC Dallas

Home

Like the Rapids, the Dallas Burn went through a re-branding a few years ago to become FC Dallas Giant Steer Heads (‘There’s only two things in Texas…’ ).  Along with the name change was a switch from the sanitized MLS solid-colored shirt to become the first MLS team with hoops, a la Celtic and others.  Since that time adidas has shown some invention with Dallas’s hoops and while not everything is a home run, neutrals like me at least appreciate the effort.  The 2012 edition of the home shirt is an almost brilliant offering.  The small “border” striping for the thick hoops not only gives the shirt a touch of nuance, but it also furthers adidas’s three stripes everywhere-all-the-time motif.  The collar is a nice touch for the shirt that isn’t being used much elsewhere throughout MLS.  If I were to nit-pick the extra three stripes along the shoulders is a bit much of adidas’s branding on the shirt.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man/Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = N/A – FC Dallas across the chest is a bit reminiscent of other US sports, especially high-school and college teams; when in doubt follow Atletico Madrid/San Jose’s lead and go without a shirt sponsor.

Away

Same template but with blue as the primary color and the detailed, smaller hoops are grey which is a nice alternate look – not radically different away colors but not as humdrum as other MLS away offerings where the home color becomes trim on a white shirt.  The collar is slightly different from the home shirt, and FC Dallas appears to be larger text across the chest.  Other than the text sizing looking weird (could just be the MLSGear.com website picture), this is a solid away effort.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = N/A – Same thoughts as the home shirt.

Chivas USA

Home

2012 sees CD Chivas USA get a new home shirt with a pretty standard vertical stripe shirt with a navy collar.  When a team has stripes or hoops as their tradition it’s tough to do anything that’s vastly different from years before; though adidas is definitely trying with the GrinGoats.  Though a pretty standard offering in terms of stripes, the collar is a nice addition and elevates this shirt up to the borderline between middle of the road and just above.

Kit = Sam Adams/New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Corona I mean New Glarus Moon Man – I’m not a fan of Corona as a beer but I like to see beers sponsoring the league and the continued tie-ins with Mexico make it an interesting choice.

Away

On its own the away shirt is not bad, sublimated vertical stripes on a solid blue shirt.  However, as the away/compliment to the home shirt, this is a better-than-solid effort though a little too much white trim.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = New Glarus

Real Salt Lake

Home

Last year’s RSL kit wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either – just a shade below middle of the road.  This year’s effort continues adidas’s trend away from conformity and tosses the navy blue trim onto a single sleeve.  Not too shabby; though, would’ve been better if the adidas three stripes had also followed suit and gone to the single, navy sleeve. 

Kit = Sam Adams/New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite – From a looks perspective Xango doesn’t add much to the shirt.  From marketing their own name and brand perspective, I have googled this company a few times  because I’m intrigued about what they do or make.

Away

Same template as the home shirt but back to the boring white away idea.  The single sleeve spruces it up a touch and it’s definitely an improvement from last year’s 98%-white-with-a-few-splashes-of-color away shirt.

Kit = Miller Lite/Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – Same thoughts as the home shirt.

Third

Last year’s garish bright yellow 3^rd kit returns (I think) for the 2012 season.  It’s tough to form an opinion on this shirt…on the one hand that color is extremely loud and the shirt template is pretty basic.  On the other it’s a third kit and it’s supposed to be somewhat “different.” Regardless of your opinion, I think we can all agree that this shirt is definitely not part of the usual boring dreck that we see in MLS.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – Same thoughts as the home shirt.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Home

Whitecaps FC’s inaugural home shirt is an interesting take on the horizontal stripes/hoops idea though I think adidas should’ve pushed the envelope a bit with the thickness of the stripes to make more of an impression.  With the current stripes these shirts appear (from afar) to be just a white shirt with a modicum of blue trim; it’s a step up from boring but not by much.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Sam Adams – not sure who Bell is or what they do, but thankfully BMO isn’t sponsoring every team north of the border.

Away

One word describes this kit perfectly: Almost.  A quick glance and you think this is a typical solid blue shirt with some adidas stripes.  Upon closer inspection there is a nice sublimated pattern on the shirt that appears to be an interlocking of the club’s crest.  However, the sublimation hardly stands out against such a dark background.  Again, if the envelope had been pushed to create a little more contrast (think Olympique Marseille’s argyle away shirt from 2009 but less ostentatious) this could’ve been a great shirt.

Kit = Sam Adams/New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Colorado Rapids

Home

A couple of years ago the Rapids re-branded themselves with a new crest and a new color scheme.  The maroon and frosty blue are a breath of fresh air in a league that seemed, prior to the Western Corridor getting involved, hell-bent on only using Caryola’s 8 standard colors.  That being said, this home shirt (a hold-over from 2011) is a little too “clean” for my tastes; the only splash of the secondary color is on the crest.  Whereas the Crew home shirt has a collar and the black “pops” against the yellow, the white is a weak compliment if only utilized for the 3 stripes.  A splash more of the secondary color and this could have been a solid offering.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = N/A – Could one add to this shirt?  Possibly, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Away

The same template as the home shirt (and again a hold-over from 2011), but with the club’s primary color adorning the shoulder portion of the shirt and a chevron down the backside.  While I can appreciate the touch of color to keep this from being a solid white shirt, it feels like a different direction could’ve been taken with this; possibly an Arsenal/West Ham/Aston Villa-like base with different-colored sleeves…especially considering the tenuous connection between the Rapids and Arsenal.  Overall, this shirt is on the same level as the home one, but just barely.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = N/A – Could one add to this shirt?  Possibly, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

San Jose Earthquakes

Home

Last year’s home shirt had the same template as RSL’s Third shirt but with more color variation, which was not too bad except for all of the white detailing standing out too much against the black.  This year’s shirt is much, much more basic.  Removing the white piping detail to have simply a black shirt with blue trim (aside from the white adidas striping on the shoulders) actually made San Jose’s shirts better.  Though, it’s still pretty plain.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = N/A – Could one add to this shirt?  Possibly, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Away

Same template different color.  From a uniform perspective, this is a much improved effort on the basic white shirt from last season – you’ve figured out by now that I hate white away shirts for white away shirt’s sake.  However, the white shirt appears to be more wearable by the fan base than this effort.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = N/A – Could one add to this shirt?  Possibly, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Seattle Sounders

Home

I have a gut feeling (not based on any research or discussions) that Seattle is attempting to be the front-runner in EVERYTHING for MLS, which is great for the club, the league, and the fans.  However, with their shirts for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, I get the feeling that they’ve jumped the shark a bit.  What are those silver things; backpack straps?  Is it supposed to be futuristic like a Delorean and hover boards?  Remove that weirdness and this is not a bad solid-color-with-trim shirt especially given Seattle’s color choices.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Away

Same template as the home, but I’m digging this charcoal-navy color combination.  Remove those backpack straps and this would be a very solid away shirt.

Kit = Miller Lite/Sam Adams

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Third

This shirt makes RSL’s Big Bird 3^rd shirt look tastefully fashionable.  I have no words in my to describe these colors, aside from “oh my god, my eyes, they’re bleeding.”  The collar and color panels help keep this template from being boring-ish with normal colors.  Seattle & adidas’s choices for the third shirt colors will ensure that this kit will at least be talked about.  Biggest question, will TV cameras be able to pick up the players against the bright green turf of Qwest Field.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Sam Adams


Read Nick's reviews of the Eastern Conference teams' jerseys.

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VIDEO - Highlights from MLS "First Kick"

Goooooooaaaaaals! Saaaaaaaaves! Taaaaaaackles! You get the idea. All the cool stuff from week one of Major League Soccer.
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DrinkWear - Beer Rags? FBM's 2012 MLS Eastern Conference Kit Preview

By Nick Sindt / Senior Shirt Correspondent

With the MLS season about to dawn, we at the Free Beer Movement thought we’d sit down and evaluate this season’s offerings for those who are unabashed kit-nerds like us.  Hey it’s part of the US Soccer culture, right?

(I will do my damndest to refrain from lambasting the ALL ADIDAS ALL THE TIME motif in MLS.  In truth that contract is great for the league, and thus the American game in general, but I’ve been drinking whilst composing this so I make no promises.)

To rate all of the kits (new and last year’s offerings that will be kept due to the two-year agreement between MLS and adidas) I will be making suggestions on what type of beer to toast each kit and its sponsor with:

Lowest of the Low = Macro-Brewers who produce flavored beers to be represented by Bud Light Lime.  You’re on thin ice; one step away from being toasted with two 40oz-ers of Zima.  Heretofore referred to as Bud Light Lime.

Below Average = Macro Brews like Miller Lite and Bud Light.  You have your place and time, and I appreciate everything you did for me in college, but really it’s time to add some depth, nuance (Lime is not a nuance), and maturity to yourself just like I purport to have done.  Heretofore referred to as Miller Lite.

Average = Macro-Micro Brews like Same Adams, Leinenkugels, etc.  You’re pretty widely distributed because you’re easy on most palates but restaurants still up-charge you as if you’re a Micro-brew simply because you’re not Miller or Bud.  Heretofore referred to as Sam Adams.

Above Average = Micro/Craft Breweries.  Pick your favorite local small-time brewer’s year-round offerings and toast the kit designers for a job well done with your go-to grown-up beer.  Heretofore referred to as New Glarus Moon Man.

Best of the Best = Seasonal Micro/Craft Brews that you wait all year long for and are willing to shell out the extra scratch for.  It’s so good it’s worth it, so raise a glass with your best can/bottle/glass of suds because even if it’s not your team this is a classy shirt and deserves its due.  Heretofore referred to as Surly Abrasive. 

Eastern Conference

Chicago Fire

Home

Much improved effort on past years.  The blue swath across the chest in place of the white makes this look a lot less rec-league – think about it every rec-league style kit template that all manufacturers put out is <Some Color> and White.  The collar is a nice touch of class for an organization that is near and dear to my heart.  The only downside is adidas continuing to kick us in the teeth with their three stripes down the sleeves and the sponsor; I’m happy Quaker is getting involved in the game and working to fight childhood obesity, but the quaker face and name does not inspire.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man (but only just barely or barley, as it were)

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Away

Wow, if the home kit is much improved over past years, this is an SAT analogy where iPod : Record :: Chicago Fire 2012 Away Kit : X!!!!  Hint: Burlap sack is the front-runner in a Gallup Poll, just ahead of Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination…I digress.

The navy shirt, as opposed to plain old white with some home color trim is miles ahead.  Adding the horizontal Carolina Blue pin-striping broken up by the four six-pointed stars takes this to a whole new level.  Sure you can find fault with the sponsor and the number of times the “Chicago” stars are found on the shirt (it is a touch “heavy-handed” in cooking terms), but overall this is a class shirt and I might have to take some money out of my daughter’s college fund to buy this thing.  Well done adidas!

Kit = Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Columbus Crew

Home

Columbus’s home shirt is YELLOW with some black trim, we get it.  2012’s edition is a decent enough shirt with a collar to make it suitable for wearing out and about or to the golf course.  Is it different from last year's?  Yes, but who amongst you that isn’t a die-hard Crew fan would know that?  Not many.  Columbus’s new sponsor is a bit of a detractor as it takes away from the overall look and presentation of it all.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Away

As with Chicago’s Away Kit, Columbus’s is simply a wow all on its own.  Adidas, I get what you’re trying to do here (throwback to the original MLS Crew shirt without being an exact match), I really do, but this is a miss/defect/travashammocery of Shakesperean proportions.  Why do the Black and Yellow horizontal bars stop right above Chad Marshall’s nipples?  I mean Sofia Vergara could ‘make it work’ but the beer swilling inhabitants of Crew Stadium…not so much.  What happened to mostly black with some yellow trim?  That kit would at least make me look trim.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

DC United

Home

Glory Be!!!!  There’s Red in them thar shirts.  For the first time in a long time, DC United’s other color, red, gets to play more than a passing role in their home shirts.  Not a fan of the weird neck/collar spikes, the bicep cuffs of color, but at least it’s not Black with White.  The VW sponsorship not only adds to the shirt but it’s nice to have a major auto maker on the MLS’s side.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Away

It seems the theme for MLS clubs this year is to have a collar on at least one of the shirts.  DC Unite obliges on their away kit, which has a nice red collar on a white shirt.  For some reason this one bugs me but I can’t pinpoint why.  The bicep cuffs and pit-stain trim are red and stand out nicely.  Even the concussion I received from three stripes on the arm doesn’t bother me as bad with this shirt.  Maybe it’s the complete package…Though, again it’s better than just White with Black.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Third

Utilizing 2011’s 3^rd Kit, ALL RED with some black will return for cup competitions.  Not a horrible offering, but with red shorts and socks it becomes a bit of an eyesore.  What is it with DC and adidas that makes them stray from the original template of black shirt & socks or white shirt & socks with red shorts?

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Houston Dynamo

Home

Houston retains the same kits from last season, which have a weird sunburst/Azteca sublimation that I’m not quite getting right now, but it looks decent.  Other than the tangerine orange base the only thing this shirt has going on is the adidas trademark three-stripes (we get it already…), a white collar, and the sponsor logo: greenstar, whomever that is.  Though I’m not getting the sublimated pattern, the simplicity of this kit is nice.  Solid effort when paired with White shorts, in opposition to the solid colored shirt/shorts/socks combo most teams trot out.  Plus it doubles as a golf shirt.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Away

Almost the exact opposite of the home kit, though the sublimated pattern is much more subtle if it’s even there at all…

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Montreal Impact

Home

For the newest entrant into the parity that is MLS, adidas broke out a stop or two.  To be honest I haven’t seen this template, yet, but I (and you) probably will on every team adidas outfits throughout Europe, Asia, and the US at some point in the next year or so.  Adidas did touch it up with a full-body cross made of fleur-de-lises, of which only the fleur-de-lises represent the city of Montreal.  This touch puts it above the offering for Vancouver last term, but well, well below Portland’s kits from their inaugural year.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – thankfully someone else sponsors the Vancouver Canucks Whitecaps

Away

Holy Hell!!! Adidas has gone radical with the Away shirt for the new boys; opposite colors from the home shirt on the same template. 

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Miller Lite – it adds that splash of red that you need ‘round February in the Great White North, whether you’ve put your neighbor through a wood chipper or slit your own wrists…

New England Revolution

Home

I’m too drunk and bored I can’t be bothered to comment other than there’s 3 colors in the v-neck!!!!  The only thing that could make this kit worse is a boring, white-guy, suburbanite sponsor…oops there it is – "United Healthcare".  At least the flag of New England redeems the back of the shirt.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Zima

Away

Worse than the home kit.  Makes me want to write an angry letter to the Revs front-office.  How far you’ve come from the garish, AMERICA-FUCK-YEAH shirts from yesteryear. 

Kit = Zima

Sponsor = Zima

New York Red Bulls

Home

Unlike last year’s patch-work design, this years is the Revs kit with less color.  For some reason it doesn’t bother me AS much as the Revs, but I’m still pretty pissed if I’m an NYRB fan who bought last year’s shirt – might as well buy a white t-shirt and screen print your own crest and sponsor onto it.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime – the logo is way too big for the shirt and it duplicates design elements from the crest.  Snore.

Away

No change from last year’s almost, but not quite as patch-work-y home shirt.  The Navy blue is redeeming but the sponsor and adidas’s fascination with their three stripes impedes me from liking this one too much.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Philadelphia Union

Home

So the last two years, the Union have had a weird Star Trek: The Next Generation thing going on.  This year they change it up a bit with a more modern interpretation on the solid center-swath of color.  The baby blue trim interspersed with the navy base is a nice touch as is the Gold PSG/Center-swath of color.  The authentic shirt has a “far-east” style collar that isn’t replicated on the replica shirt (come on adidas, make them one in the same already and quite with your pricing BS) which I haven’t decided on as of yet.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – To have to explain this to every woman you encounter gives you an opportunity to grow the sport.("Bimbo? No... Beeembo.")  To have to explain this to every woman you encounter makes you wish they had something more degrading, but at least respectable, like an escort service on the front of their shirts.

Away

Same template, but different colors (in a way that’s vastly different from the Montreal Impact).  Not sure yet what my thoughts are on that blue being the basis of the jersey, but it continues to pique my interest and it might eventually really grow on me.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Toronto FC

Home

TFC keeps their Home kit from the previous season which is an Arsenal/West Ham/Aston Villa-esque shirt with a base of one color and sleeves of a different color.  There’s nothing remarkable about this shirt but the graphite sleeves draw me in.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – we’ve seen this before but in two colors instead of one.

Away

TFC also keeps their Away kit from the previous season, which is very similar to the new Crew Home shirt, except it’s not yellow. And it doesn't have the weird cross-breast tri-color barf-fest. The graphite collar on the white shirt gives this shirt an element of class not seen in other collared shirts adidas has put forth for Eastern Conference MLS foes.

Kit = Sam Adams….almost a Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Sporting Kansas City

Home

Oh adidas and Sporting KC, how you missed the boat with this one.  The new crest and ideology behind the club’s name is great.  However, the kit having a seam mimicking the crest without a color differentiation (however slight) is a big mistake.  Without a color differentiation, the seam representing the border between Kansas and Missouri is unfathomable unless you inappropriately invade the shirt wearer’s personal space.  You’re so close to being above average, but just not enough nuance on this to make it a great kit.  Hurts to think that a shade or two darker on one side of the kit takes you from being toasted with a Sammy to a Surly Abrasive, doesn’t it?

Kit = Sam Adams…almost a Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = N/A

Away

Similar to Montreal with opposite colors on the same template, but this one is classier in its subtlety.  I still wish there was color variation between the Kansas and Missouri portions of the shirt.

Kit = Sam Adams…almost a Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = N/A

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VIDEO - "Return to MLS Paradise"

Our friend Jay Bell put together this cool video to get you pumped up for MLS "First Kick".

Enjoy!


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Soccer Marketing 101 - Turning Around the Chivas USA Brand

Tray tables on Volaris' flights... very innovative.

Like about half of the Major League Soccer clubs this season Chivas USA launched a new kit. We're not sure of the rhyme or reason to the rotation, but each team is set on some sort of timetable from adidas and this year we've seen new shirts (although nothing mind-blowing given the "house league" look that all adidas shirts seems to have) from Columbus, Los Angeles, New England, Chicago Fire, Real Salt Lake, D.C. United, Montreal Impact, and a handful of third shirts as well.

While Chivas USA's new look is not a massive departure from their shirts last season, their launch of them was certainly the most unique of all in the league.

Last week, Chivas announced a new sponsorship with airline Volaris which operates flights between Mexico and several southwestern U.S. cities and also debuted their new shirts ON a flight from Guadalajara to Los Angeles.

Players like Juan Pablo Angel and goalkeeper Dan Kennedy walked down the aisle (now that sounds odd) along with Chivas USA girls while passengers on the flight were gifted their own jerseys to wear off the flight.

Chivas USA gets a lot of flack for their marketing approaches (given the whole idea of the team sounds and has looked gimmicky) and compared to the success of their Home Depot Center roommates, the Galaxy, they light-years behind, but this move at least shows some dramatic re-thinking of how to approach their whole brand.

Many if not most of the passengers on this launch flight from Guadalajara (and future passengers) were probably already fans of the sister club in Mexico and if they weren't previously aware of USA's branch, now they are. Honestly, they may even have thought they were getting Chivas shirts from Mexico. Either way the sponsorship and the marketing here is a major push to more closely link the success of the Mexico brand with that of the American brand.

We may be getting ahead of where Chivas USA is, but if they're going to be successfully, and this ship has to get turned around quickly, they've got to get these Chivas (Mexico) fans on aboard quickly. Since 2004 they've flailed about in Southern California. In part, Chivas USA thought that the link between the two and the fandom for your average Mexican-American would come automatically, naturally. The other part of the failure being that in marketing to Mexican-Americans and Mexicans in the United States it was real poor to assume that everyone was a Chivas fan. You're never going to get a America, Puma, Pachuca, or Cruz Azul fan anywhere near a Chivas USA game and there are loads of them, too, in LA and elsewhere.

But they're here now, made their bed in tying the team to the Chivas name, and the USA side now has to telegraph their marketing more directly.

It's taking the USA brand to Mexico and basically saying "Hey, this is the American branch of CD Chivas. When you're in the U.S. and in Los Angeles, come support this side like you would in Guadalajara and Mexico."

It sounds obvious, but Chivas USA's market is much, much bigger than the Los Angeles-area and to pretend that they're going to be able to compete on a fan-by-fan basis in this marketing with the Galaxy is absurb. Ask the Clippers how that works against the Lakers in that town (although they're doing much better this season). When put up against a more successful and flashy club with a deeper history then you're going to get creamed.

Chivas USA has got to make each CD Chivas (Mex.) fan in the LA-area and the whole United States a fan of their side. If I were a fan of Chivas' Mexico branch I'd sure as hell want to support this side if I knew there were more than just a name connection between the two.

The two Chivas need to play a friendly against each other every season. The relationship should really be more like a senior side to an academy team. Even though that seems insulting to the "Major League" label attached to Chivas USA it's a reality that it is the only club in the U.S. with this sort of unique arrangement.

Young Mexican players needing serious minutes should get a run out in the USA side. There's a lot of serious ticket draw to see up-and-coming players make their professional debuts.

Certainly none of this is new and, at some level, been done, but it's the regularity and the promotion of it all that needs to be turned up to "11" on the dial.

Last year's shirt sponsorship deal with Mexican beer Corona (no matter what you think of its taste) and was a huge step in the right direction to continue to connect the two Chivas brands and the Volaris deal is another positive trend.

The Chivas USA idea is still salvageable (and perhaps a move to soccer-mad San Diego might get them out of the Galaxy shadow) and last week's announcement shows that the right moves are finally being made.


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