Good morning, Uni Watchers. It’s Friday — we made it!
Major League Soccer’s 30th Season kicks off tomorrow, and as is UW custom, the rundown of each year’s new kits is done by those with a far greater knowledge of the Beautiful Game — both kits and traditions — that I. Yesterday our own Jamie Rathjen brought us a really great look at the Eastern Conference, and today Weekend Editor Anthony Emerson will bring us his takes on the new uniforms for the Western Conference. As we noted yesterday, there’s one new club in the League this year, and they’re in the West, so Anthony will have the rundown of their inaugural kits, along with the rest of the MLS Western Conference.
Enjoy! Here’s Anthony with …
by Anthony Emerson
Welcome to the second half of our MLS kit rundown. Jamie had the Eastern Conference yesterday. I’ve got the Western Conference, and I also get to cover the league’s newest team, San Diego FC, which (being an expansion team) is the only team I’m covering that has got two kits.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
San Diego FC
Home (“State of Flow Kit”)
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) December 13, 2024
I normally do these alphabetically, but I decided to start with the newest MLS team, and the only team that has two new kits this season. SDFC’s home kit is navy with silver elements, with red, white, and blue swoops. (Every Adidas team in the world has those swoops starting at the midsection and circling around to the back of the shorts on their current kits. It sucks and I hate it.) There’s a small bright blue element around the back collar. “State of Flow” is inscribed on the back. At the hemline is a small “SD” logo, surrounded with “Chrome Azul” around it. Almost every kit here features these elements.
I do like what’s going on here, although it feels a little safe, like SDFC was afraid of misfiring right out of the gate. Pretty solid overall.
Away (“Woven Into One Kit”)
18 Communities 1 Heart pic.twitter.com/3YeDkL6MxE
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) February 14, 2025
Safe again from SDFC. Primarily white and navy blue, the light blue elements are a bit washed out for my taste, but there’s nothing “bad” going on here. I do dig the striped collar (although I wish it went down to a full V-neck). But it’s clearly going for “safe” when MLS’s marketing materials describe the jersey itself as literally “a blank canvas.”
“Woven Into One” is on the back neck and the hemline logo is an “18” inside of a shape that roughly corresponds to the map of downtown San Diego.
Austin FC home (“The Heartbeat Kit”)
One of the best-looking teams in MLS, Los Verdes have a solid if unspectacular home kit. It’s hard to screw up these colors. I’m liking this collar design again, just like on SDFC’s away, but it is making me wish Adidas used more than one template for a 30-team league.
The back neck inscription is “¡Verde Listos!“, a popular chant from Verdes fans, and the hemline logo depicts a green anatomically-correct heart.
Colorado Rapids away (“The Headwaters Kit”)
My first reaction was “I hate this.” The more I looked at it, though, the more I came around. I do like the minimalist crest, inspired by the Colorado flag. And the whole design looks to me like a combination of Pat Steir and Katsushika Hokusai works. And who doesn’t love a kit that evokes high art?
I’m not sure I — or most other fans — could pull off actually wearing this, but it’s off-the-wall, bold and provocative.
The back neck design is a rather nice Rapids logo, while the hemline logo is a pair of crossed oars reading “1996,” the year the club was founded.
FC Dallas away (“The Inferno Kit”)
When I first saw this jersey, I let out a very heavy sigh. This is the best Adidas and FC Dallas could do? This is an extremely generic red-and-black jersey, with absolutely nothing going for it. Maybe the beck neck design can salvage something? Nope, just the Texas flag. Hemline logo? Nope, just the worst-ever memorial to team founder Lamar Hunt. Did some intern get assigned to do this, and forget until the day it was due?
Houston Dynamo home (“Season 20 Kit”)
This is what I picture in my head when I think of a Houston Dynamo kit. The Dynamo are one of the most iconic and best-looking teams in all of MLS, and unlike the team from up I-45, they went all out and came away with an absolute beaut.
I adore the sublimated diamond design, which reminds me of stained glass windows. The Dynamo also joined the University of Houston Cougars in adopting powder blue (which the club is calling “Space City blue”) as a secondary color. The back of neck logo is the club’s “HD” mark next to the number 20, and the hemline logo is the full 20th season logo.
LA Galaxy away (“The RIZON kit”)
In the queer community, we often talk about the use of so-called “bisexual lighting” when filmmakers want to indicate that a character is not 100% straight. And yes, that’s the first place my mind went when I saw this kit. Was this a conscious decision by the Galaxy, a nod to the fact that MLS has been more welcoming to queer fans than most other major professional sports leagues? Maybe. Probably not. I do know that the boys are going to look faaaabulous on pitch. The design sort of reminds me of aurora borealis, which isn’t something that evokes LA to me (the club claims it’s inspired by the Los Angeles skyline), but it’s still great-looking nonetheless.
LAFC away
Crafted with precision, destined for greatness.
Introducing the 2025 Secondary Kit ⚪️#LAFC | @AdidasFootball
— LAFC (@LAFC) February 12, 2025
LAFC did not bother with a cute name for their away kit this year, which is fine by me. I find this kit to be really classy — white and gold always looks good together, and the design on the very nice polo collar is top-notch.
It does, however, remind me an awful lot of Real Madrid’s 2011-12 primary kit, down to the polo collar. But, if there’s any team to steal from, it’s Real Madrid, and if there’s any year to steal from them, it’s 2011-12.
The back neck design is “Shoulder to Shoulder” and the hemline element is a phoenix with the club’s logo on its chest.
Minnesota United away (“The Convergence Kit”)
Minnesota United normally looks very nice. This is not one of those times. It looks like someone spilled bleach over the center of the jersey (although a fan less charitably described it as “barf“). I like the minimalist version of MNUTD’s crest, and…that’s it, really. Feels like they could’ve done better here.
The kit is allegedly inspired by the meeting of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers in St. Paul, hence the name “convergence.” Except the word they’re looking for is “confluence.” Oops.
The back-of-collar design is the six-pointed star from the team’s crest, and the hemline element is an outline of the state with the same star over the Twin Cities.
Portland Timbers (“Forever Green & Gold Kit”)
Listen man, I try hard not to be biased in favor of teams that share Uni Watch’s color scheme, but damn do the Timbers look nice here. And it’s not just the perfect colors — I love that they sublimated the growth rings of a tree, emanating from the club’s badge. I love that they’re one of the few teams who said “nah” to Adidas’s contrasting front swoops. I love that they knew it was their 50th anniversary, but didn’t feel the need to go all out — just put out a simple, classy design that will make the fans happy. It’s perfect. No notes.
The collar logo is a rather snazzy “50,” with the design of Portland’s flag within. The hemline element is a small logo reading “The Spirit of 75: Celebrating 50 Years of Portland Timbers,” dating back to the team’s time in the original NASL.
Real Salt Lake away (“The Grid City Kit”)
Welcome to Grid City pic.twitter.com/4OtdNeLsOq
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 13, 2025
Honesty, kinda surprised it’s not called the Chessboard Kit. I kid, I kid — as the video shows, it’s a reference to the incredible feat of urban engineering that is Salt Lake City, and the city’s grid (highly recommend you watch this video from Daniel Steiner if you’re at all interested in Salt Lake City’s history, urban planning, and/or maps). I just praised my beloved Hearts of Pine for taking a little-known element of our city’s culture and adopting it into a road kit, so it would hardly be fair for me to knock RSL for doing the same thing. It helps that the kits are unique and will be instantly recognizable on the road. I also like that RSL published a photo showing the jersey with blue, red, and white shorts — not often clubs do that.
The collar element is a very regal-looking lion wearing a crown, and the hemline logo is an outline of the state of Utah with “05” (the year the club was founded) over a mountain design.
San Jose Earthquakes home (“The Headliner Jersey”)
For the Quakes, it’s not the Headliner Kit, it’s the Headliner Jersey. Anyway. The jersey was designed with Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen (an Earthquakes season-ticket holder), and the collage-like design, taking newspaper headlines and handwriting, is supposed to evoke the “DIY ethos” of the Bay Area’s punk rock scene. I can dig it! I’m not sure how well it works, but I do like where they’re coming from, and the flash of red on the collar and from the hemline element keeps it from being too drab.
The collar design is “San Jose” in a red, distressed font similar to Rancid’s logo. The hemline element says “soccer for the people.”
Seattle Sounders (“The Salish Sea Kit”)
x̌ax̌aʔ ti qʷuʔ // Water Is Sacred
Introducing The Salish Sea Kit pic.twitter.com/WQO7y0AN50
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) February 13, 2025
I’ve thrown effusive praise on a couple of these kits but this one, right here, is the best of the bunch. The kit was designed with artists from the Puyallup, Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes. The design evokes weaving patterns of Indigenous artists in Washington and is meant as a reminder that we are all stewards of the environment.
It’s incredible. It’s exactly what a football kit should be — intimately connected to the community the team represents, bold without being obnoxious, classy without being staid.
The back collar design is a very nice wave motif, with “74” representing the year the club was founded. The hemline design is the Lushootseed word “x̌ax̌aʔ ti qʷuʔ ” and the English translation: water is sacred.
Sporting Kansas City home (“One KC Jersey”)
From something unforgettable to something…pretty forgettable. I’ve always felt that Sporting KC’s entire identity reminded me of a mid-tier country club, and now they’re introducing a hoops kit that makes the players look like they’ve been run over by golf carts. A half-assed argyle-ish design on the back collar and no hemline element means I can be done talking about this now.
St. Louis City SC home (“Forever City Red kit”)
I’m finding it hard to get excited about this kit, even though there’s nothing really wrong with it. Maybe it’s because the shade of red feels just a smidge too pink. I do like the collar well enough. The diagonal stripes are made up of five smaller diagonal stripes, which are supposed to represent the five St. Louisans who played for the US in their shocking 1950 World Cup upset over England. Normally, this is the kind of storytelling I normally roll my eyes at, but that US team did wear sashes, and they brought back one of those players for the photoshoot, so that’s nice.
But I’m just not really feeling it. The back collar design is the club’s Gateway Arch logo surrounded by “Forever City Red” and the hemline design is the St. Louis city flag.
Vancouver Whitecaps home (“The Peak Jersey”)
New heights, new threads. ️
Introducing —a symbol of ambition, unity & the drive to push beyond limits. This kit is built for those who dare to climb.
Available now at the Official Gastown Store #VWFC | #TogetherWeDare pic.twitter.com/kwd8yzqG2Y
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) February 13, 2025
We finish up with a solid if unspectacular kit from Vancouver, unfortunately overshadowed by their Cascadian rivals in Seattle and Portland. This is another case where there isn’t anything wrong, but I’m just not vibing with the overall design. Maybe it’s because the major design element sort of feels like it’s been put there to draw your eyes to the advertiser. It did get me to Google “Telus” to figure out what it was (it’s basically Canadian Comcast), so congrats. Whitecaps fans do seem to like it very much, so that’s good.
The back collar element says “TGTHR we DARE” and the hemline element is the club’s initials.
Readers? What say you? Which club do you think has the best and worst new kit? Anything really stand out for you (good or bad)?
Fire away.
The St Louis City back collar link goes to the hemline design.
Fixed, apologies.
What are San Diego’s team colors? The logo is black with silver graphics, and an outline with blue, red, orange, and yellow. That’s a lot of colors when typically teams (in the US) have a primary color, and at most two accent colors.
They’re called “chrome and Azul.” Navy blue, in practice.
I think they’re supposed to be blue and silver, but with a couple of tertiary colors like red and yellow. And sometimes grey is used in place of silver.
RIght i think the idea is silver (chrome) spiral against navy blue background (azul) and with fringing colors implying a beach sunset sky
A couple thoughts:
1. PNW once again coming with the best kits in the league. Why can’t the rest of league come close to the consistency of Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland with their kit designs?
2. Salt Lake should only wear their away kit this season. Their home is horrendous.
3. Totally agree that’s how Houston should look. Always.
4. San Jose is nice enough. The lack of contrast between the blue and black makes it not a total eye sore. I like the collage look, but it would work better as a training/pre-match shirt.
I didn’t think any of the designs I wrote about were 10/10 chef’s kiss level, but Seattle’s sure is. Thanks, Anthony!
I splurged and bought one for myself. Thanks Jamie!
Are you sure? It’s still wrong for me about two hours later.
Gotta say I really like both Colorado and Minnesota’s riparian kits. Not quite as much as I like Seattle’s littoral kit, but one doesn’t expect to like any MLS kit more than either Seattle or Portland. With San Jose, I love the idea and like the executions, but it really illustrates the limiting, even constricting, flaws with the Adidas template.
Riparian I knew, but had to look up littoral. It’s a good day when I learn a new word.
I am more familiar with Los Santos (GTA) than Los Angeles, but that Galaxy shirt certainly reminds me of the many sunsets I enjoyed from Rockford Hills, so I can certainly see the inspiration.
A bit more info on FC Dallas. The jersey is light pale blue trimmed with navy and red. Another look here:
link
Maybe it’s because the major design element sort of feels like it’s been put there to draw your eyes to the advertiser. It did get me to Google “Telus” to figure out what it was (it’s basically Canadian Comcast), so congrats
If you’d Googled “Vancouver Whitecaps NASL,” you’d see why they like white and blue shirts with contrasting chest stripes. Does it draw your eye to the advertiser? Probably. But there is an historical reason for the choice.
Yes, it is the signature look. Looks better with “Whitecaps” or “Vancouver” in the hoop instead of Telus.
The removal of the bit of red trim an upgrade.
Whitecaps are set to update the clash/change uniform next season. Everyone knows what I’m waiting for. It’s been more than 10 years now. Time to bring back the brown kit!
GTGFTS
4 May 1989
Bob Kipper tries to stop the bleeding with Robby Thompson on 2nd, but the damage is done.
Giants and Mike Krukow win the businessman’s special 6-3 in front of 11,820.
I really dislike Saint Louis City’s new kit, the red has been a pinkish color that i actually love, but the lack of navy and yellow on it makes it look cheap compared to the inaugural kits
GTGFTU
11 Sep 2024
George Springer is forced out in the top of the 1st.
Mets are wearing their first responder caps and win 6-2.
Also, on the GTGFTU, if I’m not mistaken, I believe that was the get-away afternoon game in Toronto where the Mets were losing 1-0 going to the 9th inning & also being no-hit. Francisco Lindor led off with a HR & the Mets scored 6 runs to win it & that’s when I started believing that they could actually make the postseason (which they did).
> The Dynamo also joined the University of Houston Cougars in adopting powder blue (which the club is calling “Space City blue”) as a secondary color.
This isn’t exactly accurate. Space City Blue was an original color of the Dynamo, and a trim color on their uniforms until they switched to orange and black in 2021. This is a 20th-anniversary homage to the old colors (one which Dynamo fans have been clamoring for since they got rid of it).
They didn’t so much “adopt powder blue” as they did bring back an original color. The UH Cougars thing is a different situation and not really comparable.
Thought in football, the term is “primary” and “clash”. NOT home and away. Since there are plenty of color v color games.
Saying “home” and “away” is still pretty common despite that, though. American leagues including MLS usually use primary/secondary. I (including in yesterday’s post) usually use first/second as short for first choice/second choice. None of them are wrong, so you’ll see a lot of variations.
Is there a bigger mismatch between a team’s colors/vibe and their city than San Diego? Those unis are weak.
As a san diegan i agree wtih you although i’ve come to appreciate (or maybe just imagine) the chrome spiral in the logo referencing a Kumeyaay woven basket. That helps me not picture it as a manhole cover. I do think they’ll lean more into the sunset color gradient fringe.
The nitty-gritty details of the 50th anniversary Portland kit: there’s 50 tree rings and there are icons at certain rings that correspond to their entry to MLS and their winning the MLS Championship Cup. As a Sounders fan it kills me to say that they nailed it.
Still wondering what San Diego’s uniforms look like (shirts, shorts, socks), since the videos are crap.
Houston has been using sky blue since their inception