2014 MLS Kit Ratings

2014 MLS Kit Reviews

I love the MLS (Major League Soccer) it is amazing! The kits are beautiful, but now I shall judge them. My key complaint with MLS kits is the fact that they keep shoving red and blue kits down our throat. Please stop, American Soccer is a beautiful passionate sport and I love it. I really like seeing individuality, bold color and common themes that add to the identity of a team. I can't wait to see what 2015 holds, but I will get out this review for 2014 out real quick. Hope you enjoy.

Chicago Fire

Primary

Now there are a lot of things that this kid does right, and there are a lot of things that this kit does wrong. It is a huge improvement over years past kits with an awkwardly shaped grey hoop where this bright blue one is now. As far as this lightning blue strip goes it is an awkward attempt to make gradient work with a mixture of fading and lines. I think that the kit does a good job this making this work. While I would like to see their old red and grey look I can see why they are maybe trying to branch away from Toronto FC (Red and Grey).

Identity: The men in red, not sure where the neon blue came from.
Color: The men in red, you got it...way to go.
Grade:D

Secondary

I really do love this kit. It does a great job of incorporating the city and its flag into its design. While I am sad that this kit is in blue I love how they chose to accent it. If they were able to reverse the blue and the red in this design I could see a sharp looking new primary kit. Unlike the primary kit, it takes to focus off of the sponsor name, which I approve of.  If they could make this in red I think it would be awesome!
Identity: Chicago flag (here) had a big part in this outfit, and I would like to see it used more like in this soon to be released alternate kit. (here)
Color:Yes it is a blue secondary, but this makes sense with the Fire as their colors are red and blue.
Grade:B

Chivas USA

They will be re-branded for the 2015 season. Go LAFC

Primary

It is a very cool looking kit, but I would like to see a MLS team organically grown from LA, a city with a very unique identity. I would like to see a team emulate that passion. In fact one of the chants from Chivas during the Super Classico to the LA Galaxy is, "You represent fashion, we represent passion." Now you tell me that there is a fan base there that you can totally drive off of. You don't need to copy a Liga MX team.

Identity: One reason why I feel they lose points in the identity department, not because they are not unique (if you see red and white stripes your brain immediately goes Chivas) I say this because this is a total copy of CD Guadalajara. To me the kit feels like it has no soul. (I love the design of CDG but come up with your own crap CUSA)
Color: I love the color combination of red and white and teams should use that contrast more (looking at you FC Dallas) it is sharp and professional, but in the re-brand I would like to see another color besides red, there are already too many MLS teams wearing red.
Grade:C

Secondary

Nice kit, but nothing risked is nothing gained. Yes I do realize it is a Secondary kit, and I don't expect you to identify with it so much. I am just looking for a little effort. I do appreciate them trying with the stripes, but it feels like an after thought. Just another blue kit in the MLS.
Identity: This is just another kit by a team that doesn't necessarily have blue in its palate or the team doesn't necessarily identify with blue to churn out a blue kit.
Color: Don't get me wrong I love blue, but it is just another blue kit and a secondary floating around out there. I do love the striping, I would definitely use that again.
Grade:C

Colorado Rapids

Primary

Now, I have got to say I love a lot about this kit, and there are some things I need to address. I know it has been a theme of Adidas around the league to start lopping off the sleeves of kits and replace them with white, and it so works with this kit. Yes I do realize that the burgundy comes from the Kroenke Sports Enterprises which bought the team in 2007, but I like it. It is, you guessed it, unique!

Identity: Colorado has gone under many logo changes and themes but I believe burgundy is here to stay, it is a very classy look. Last kit was just straight burgundy but this time I love how the sleeves work. I like that they continued the color past the shoulders. (Something I wish more kits would do, looking at you FC Dallas) Normally kits have to work around the Adidas stripes, but I think this was a good cooperation. It looks sharp, distinct and professional.
Color: Burgundy, so beautiful I love the Colorado "C" on the jersey it is a nice accent and sort of a, "We don't have a sponsor, fine! We don't care. We'll still make our kit look sick!" (They have one now, Ciao)
Grade:A

Secondary

This is the time when I start chewing out another team for churning out another blue secondary kit, but The Rapids do well with this one. This is directly taken from the Colorado state flag. It is a lot of color and really goes pop on the field. You can see the difference, my only complaint is that it is a tad too loud.
Identity: Any time you can incorporate a flag I am a fan of it. Still love the sublimated "C".
Color: Granted the Colorado flag has a four color palate with red, blue, yellow and white, I would like to see some white in the kit, but it is already pretty busy as it is.
Grade:B

Columbus Crew

To be re-branded in October 2014

Primary

Yellow! It is your greatest ally, use it. They were my favorite team as a kid, and I loved them because they were different. In an ocean of blue, red and black (yes I am talking DC United and Dallas Burn) this extremely bold look was very unique.

Identity: You will never see a fan base identify with a color like the Crew. Good job on applying that to the kit The kit incorporates a very hard to see diamond sublimated pattern. (that pattern may be cool on a very loud alternative kit *hint* *hint*)
Color: My chief complaint is that the crew use a million different shades of yellow in the palate, there is no definite yellow and gold that they use. I would like to see that become solidified. You can see that on the contrast of the yellow on the shield to the yellow on the kit.
Grade:B

Secondary

I really like this kit, it is very "Crew". This isn't just a basic away kit, it still incorporates all the elements of a Colombus primary kit, but still has white
Identity: It is sharp, but it doesn't really scream "Crew"
Color: I do like that it has all of the elements of the crew colors. The white secondary is very much a reflection of the NFL and American sports, I think it is nice and kind of an awkward nod to the 90's
Grade:B

FC Dallas

Primary

Now this is a new kit that I have a real beef with. Is it cool, yes. Does it represent the modern era of MLS well, yes. Does it honor the club's identity, not so much. I really don't like this kit.

Identity: This is one kit that I think begins to disown its identity. I really miss the white and red hoops, they could have kept the dark red design and turned the lighter red to a white color. That would have been wicked, and very FC Dallas.
Color: Great color of red, especially for FC Dallas, but I hate how they did the sublimation. Sublimation should only be used to add accent, not convey the key points of the kit. FC Dallas are sometimes known as "The Hoops" for goodness sake.
Grade:D

Secondary

Identity: Hoops, got to love those Hoops!
Color: The blue is so rich, but I am not sure how I feel about the grey. I believe that the grey kind of takes away from the overall look of the kit, and I am not sure if the sponsor logo clashes or enhances.
Grade:C

D.C. United

Primary

Lets see what the most successful team in the MLS has come out with this year. Yup, pretty stale. This is where I am begging for sublimation on the kit. Maybe like the Chivas secondary they could put little black lines down the kit.

Identity: They went simple on us, yet they stayed true to the red and black. Very recognizable to DCU fans. However I would like to see their logo get redone when they finally move out of old RFK and into a soccer specific stadium.
Color: Red and Black, good choice. They did miss something really big though. I would have enjoyed a red collar, or a partially red collar. like the Houston Dynamo kit, instead of the little bit in the front being white, how about red. Only thing is that the Adidas stripes are white and from the TV DCU look more black and white than anything else. I would like to see more red.
Grade:C

Secondary

I am not a fan of the color but I cannot make up my mind on wither or not I want their secondary to be white or red. I am thinking red with black shorts. This picture is of secondary they use in 2014 but is from beyond 2013. It is old and has a lot going on. From the TV it all looks plain white. Throw some red shorts on man, or something.
Identity: Black is what you normally see DCU in, but sometimes you have to switch. I don't think many identify DCU with white, but it is a clean kit that looks professional.
Color: Maybe red or a little more black could be used in the future.
Grade:B

Houston Dynamo

Primary

Creamsicle, that is the only thing coming to mind when I see that soft orange and white. your tag line is "Forever Orange" not "Forever Orange...and sometimes white, powder orange and white" what happened to these hardcore kits (here). Yes, that is a lot of orange to handle. Even if you were going for the support your local college sports the University of Texas Orange is way different (Texas Orange) this looks more like University of Tennessee. (Tennessee Orange)

Identity: I want to see orange! Not creamsicle, yes your shield is orange, black and white. USE IT! This kit follows the pattern of Adidas lopping off sleeves, don't let them do that to you.
Color:I want to personally see you be the orange and black team. Every sports league has got one, (NFL Bengals, MLB Orioles, NHL Flyers) and the Flyers look sick! You can use the white, but learn from the Flyers, they use orange and white, but the orange is burnt and the white adds to the effect with the black. I do like the striping on the kit though.
Important note: I would like it without the sleeves, but these kits look really good on the field. Especially versus Sporting KC. It looks very cool, but it doesn't make a good fan kit in my opinion.
Grade:B

Secondary

Oh boy. Did you get this from an AYSO kit. (here) Oh, no that was your primary kit. This literately looks like a high school kit. This is not something I would imagine an American professional sports team wearing. Oregon State University's colors are orange, black and white. (here) now that is an orange. I bit of a boring kit, but a good color of orange. (very interesting that both of my bad reviews fall on Texas teams)
Identity: Above the shield it says "Forever Orange", yet it is on a VERY white kit. Yes it is very simple, you had your chance Houston. I think that the collar, might have blue, but it is so subtle.
Color: I would like to see Houston do something similar to the Crew here, where it is predominately colored around the upper chest, but the rest is white. Please try harder next time Houston, I really do want to see a "Forever Orange" kit. 
Grade:F

Sporting Kansas City

Primary

Now there are a lot of things that this kid does right, and there are a lot of things that this kit does wrong. It is a huge improvement over years past kits with an awkwardly shaped grey hoop where this bright blue one is now.

Identity: A little bit rugby with the single shoulder, but classy.
Color: The blue that is used is a bit too powder for my taste, especially for the Blue Cauldron.
Grade:B

Secondary

This is by far my favorite kit. It is so bold and contributes so much to the eye. It is what I think of when I think SKC.
Identity: Since FC Dallas is moving away from hoops SKC can take it.
Color: This is the blue that SKC needs. nuff said.
Grade:A

Alternate

Identity: Why you so classy SKC
Color: Black, not the first thing that comes to your mind when you think SKC, but when every team has a blue kit, this can come in handy.
Grade:B

LA Galaxy

Primary

Classy, classy, classy. A HUGE Improvement over their last kit.

Identity: The sash, the Peru Sash. It belongs to LA Galaxy. 
Color: I think it is awesome when teams claim a white primary. It is bold and classy (I like classy)
Grade:A

Secondary

Nothing too special.
Identity: Hummmm....blue secondary. I belived in you LA Galaxy
Color: Yes, blue is very prominant in their logo, but I think it would be cool to see an old yellow and green throwback.
Grade:B

Alternate

Now I never thought that an Alternate Jersey would cause such an uproar. It looks cool, but probably not for the Galaxy. It was designed by fans.
Identity: I really don't think people will look at this and immediately think LA Galaxy.
Color: one, two, three, four! There are four colors alone on this kit, not including the silver used for the shield. Also only one of those colors are relevant to the Galaxy. The kit itself is based off of the City flag of Los Angeles This something that I would expect from the re-brand of Chivas USA (I like the crest of Los Angeles County and City of Los Angeles)
Grade:C

Impact de Montréal

I love the Impact so much, and I am a native of Oregon. That shows you how much potential is in the Impact brand. But several things need to happen for them to look really good. I love the feeling of French football. Just look at this sexy kit (here) Oh my goodness that kit looks so good.

1. Get rid of that red thing on your chest:

I absolutely hate the BMO (Bank of Montreal) logo on the kits. No matter what you put it on the two tone logo looks cheap. The gigantic red circle filled in with white is a huge distraction and draws attention away from a very sharp looking kit. This is how it is (here) and this is how is should be (here) Red is not in your palate Montreal!

2. Touch up the logo:

I love the logo, watch the video I love the history that goes into this logo. I absolutely love it. I gain a whole new respect for the club. But how it looks is very, not to put together. I would get rid of alot of the gradients on the shield. Remove most of the shading. Go for a simple style where all of the blue on the logo is the same color, all of the black is the same color and all of the white is the same color. I believe that would give it a very modern look without sacrificing image. There would be no call for a re-brand, just a tweaking of image, much like your MLS brother the Portland Timbers did. (here) Plus you could get rid of grey, a prominent color of the hated Toronto FC.

3. Tap into your 1994 days:

I love the alternate kit, but there are some things off about it. I would like to see your primary kit look alot like the kit from your 1994 days. That is what your Alternative kit is based off of, but I will talk about that below. Maybe a modern look like Inter Milan kits (here) It is a very snazzy and modern look that just is dripping with class and it is incredibly unique to boot. Brand identification any one?

5. Fix the collar:

I am never a big fan of fancy collars on soccer kits. I just looks a bit too old and unkempt. My rule is only put a collar on if it is the lightest color on the kit (or if the entire kit is white). Then only accent the front, much like the USMNT. The collar that is on the current alternate kit looks a bit sloppy. I am sorry to say that the collar brings down the whole outfit, but I will talk about that later.

4. Bleu, Blanc et Noir:

Never let go of your heritage. I love how this match-up looks here in the picture (I put it large below because it is very good). I know I have said that I am sick of red versus blue match ups in MLS, but this just looks so amazing. I desperately want to see a rivalry with such a classic look get even bigger, but is is hard to do when one team is wearing a very advanced looking uniform and the others is sort of sloppy looking. I would love it if nobody dared to call the Impact de Montreal the Montreal Impact, they should really change their English name to something like what The Angels of Anaheim did. The Impact of Montreal, this is so they can keep their identity without having to cater to the English language too much. Keep it classy Montreal.

Primary

Ok, now, finally getting into the real stuff.

I explained everything earlier.
Grade:B

Secondary

I explained everything earlier.
Grade:C

Alternate

I explained everything earlier.
Grade:C

New England Revolution

Primary

Hey this looks like if the New England Patriots owned a soccer team....what....they do...crap. There is really nothing special about the Revolution's new kit. It is just another red and blue kit in the MLS. I will say that it looks very professional and clean.

Identity: Hey, cool 90's logo. But I does look sharp and have several references to the New England area. So it is not all bad. I would like to see it incorporate the Flag of New England in its eventual re-brand and relocation to a soccer specific stadium. Eventually if the Kraft's ever get around to it.
Color: Red and blue, wow, the MLS has never seen this before. If they want to be "America's team" like the Yankees and the Cowboys, they are going to have to try a lot harder than just signing Jermaine Jones. (which is pretty awesome by the way)
Grade:C

Secondary

Woah, its white now.
Identity: Is that still the logo or the flag patch on the arm.
Color: Wow, a white secondary. Well blue was already taken. it is crisp but unimaginative.
Grade:D

New York Red Bulls

Primary

Now, I hate the corporate take over of The Metrostars, but I am here to judge uniforms. This uniform is very crisp, especially with the red shorts. It goes well and is accented with the yellow perfectly.

Identity: Never loose the red, Metrostar for life! Especially with the addition of NYCFC and really big money coming to town. You need that identity to keep fans from flocking over to the shiny new side.
Color: Nice colors, a big improvement from the black kits of past. The "bulls" on the uniform don't feel forced. They seem very natural to the overall look of the kit.
Grade:B

Secondary

Yupp, you guessed it, another blue secondary. The "red bulls" on this kit do look forced however. It is not nearly as natural as the primary. Not a hint of Metrostar in this one (this is where you call in the black)
Identity: It may just be me but I don't see blue and yellow and think, "AH! New York Red Bulls!" No, those are Galaxy colors. The whole outfit is saved with yellow shorts.
Color: I don't really get where they get the color blue from. Maybe the outline of their logo. (or more blue kits in the MLS)
Grade:C

Philadelphia Union

Primary

Now there are a lot of things that this kid does right, and there are a lot of things that this kit does wrong. It is a huge improvement over years past kits with an awkwardly shaped grey hoop where this bright blue one is now.

Identity: I have never seen a team with this design or this logo or this color palate. You are special PU.
Color: Umm, I don't get the palate but it looks cool.
Grade:A

Secondary

Identity: I really don't get the color, mostly because the colors on their crest don't match the color on the kit.
Color: Again, I don't understand the color, but cool
Grade:B

Alternate

Identity: I have never seen a kit look like this, it is sharp and retro.
Color: black and orange done right
Grade:B

Portland Timbers

Primary

Now there are a lot of things that this kid does right, and there are a lot of things that this kit does wrong. It is a huge improvement over years past kits with an awkwardly shaped grey hoop where this bright blue one is now.

Identity: The more green  the better, gotta love that deep V cut and deep V neck.
Color: I like the green and white, I know the timbers are supposed to be green and gold, but the green and white are very crisp. I like when the two contrast, it just looks clean.
Grade:A

Secondary

Identity: Rose City, this is what Portland is. With the thorns all around the kit it has a very powerful image. I really wish they changed the crest to their Rose City special (here) Normally they include it somewhere on the kit, disappointment.
Color: The sublimation from black to red is cool, but it doesn't let the kit look "strong" it makes the whole mess look weak. Super rich black though.
Grade:B

Alternate

Identity: This is the most Timbery Timber thing ever. A collar that looks good for once and a crest and logo sponsor that threw all the way back to complete the look.
Color: This is the best green ever. Dark forest and Gold. The Timbers Army should be proud.
History: This is the right way to do a throwback kit. Classy as F***. Well done Timbers, well done. NASL!
Grade:A

Real Salt Lake

Primary

Real Salt Lake makes the most beautiful kits ever.

Identity: The addition of the yellow stripe is powerful and really separates the red kits from the rest of the red kits in the MLS
Color: Red, bold choice for the MLS, but the yellow stripe and blue sleeves save it.
Grade:A

Secondary

Identity: The sleeve and classy white is so RSL I hope they never lose the single colored sleeve, it is royalty. It is RSL.
Color: Majestic white and royal blue with regal red. Oh RSL, why you so gosh darn classy.
Grade:A

San Jose Earthquakes

Primary

Earthquakes re-brand done right, ability to secure a shirt sponsor.....ehh...moving on!

Identity:This is how you do it! I love the fault lines, if they could go the entire distance of the kit that would be awesome, but they desperately need a sponsor. The kit feels real empty without one.
Color:Granted they cheated and now have four colors to the palate, oh well. The blue and black style that they use is very unique. Yes it does do the Adidas sleeves thing, but I think it works for the quakes.
Grade:B

Secondary

Now this one I am a little unsure of. I can't tell if they are honestly hearkening back to their old NASL days or trying to draw 49er's fans in when they play in Levi Stadium. This honestly feels like an alternate kit to me and not the true standard. I am anxious to see what they do next year in their own stadium though.
Identity: It includes the new fault lines and overall the image is very clean. I can't look at those fault lines and not see San Jose, good job marketing department.
Color: They may want to fix the crest and have it in red on the red kit, or do what many other teams do and go silver.
Grade:C

Seattle Sounders FC

Primary

It pains me to say this but this is a very good kit. I really captures all the colors of the sounders and screams Seattle.

Identity:Neon colors, with beautiful sublimation. Very good clean kit.
Color: Green and blue both neon. Yup Sounders kit is a go people.
Grade:A

Secondary

You don't need two black kits, especially when the one below is a much better black kit than this one.
Identity: Yes, it is very Seattle.
Color: You need a blue kit, you have a green, and a black (a color that is barely in your palate) now you need a blue one.
Grade:C

Alternate

You don't need two black kits. This one is the better of the two.
Identity: I honestly do miss the "super cyan" haha, no I don't. Honestly though, they don't need two black kits.
Color: Black again.
Grade:C

Toronto FC

Primary

This is sublimation done right.

Identity: I love the red! It is such a bold red and it is for the "reds" frickin yes man!
Color: ahhhhhhhhhh so so so red! It is exciting with the sublimation.
Grade:A

Secondary

Identity: They have departed from the grey, bold choice. Got to be carefull, though DCU is red and black forever.
Color: The black is rich and I love the sublimation.
Grade:A

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Primary

One of the most beautiful kits I have seen in this group by far. I do believe that beautiful is a very appropriate word to use to describe this kit. It is an extreme improvement from its predecessor which had awkward thinning rising hoops. The stripes rise at a very natural curve and add a certain layer of class to the entire outfit. The dual colored collar add a certain amount of Avant-garde to the uniform. The Adidas strips do not interfere with the design as they seem like they are forced on so many kits, instead they are very natural and almost add to the hole uniform. I hope they stay with this design for years to come.

Identity: You are kind of stuck with white with a name like Whitecaps you are kind of stuck with a color, but they do a really good job with it.
Color: Very crisp, very easy to look at. Truly a beautiful shade of blue. I love the two tone collar. The kit completes the look on the field with white shorts and socks. Very nice.
Grade:A

Secondary

No! You were so close Vancouver! A blue secondary! Granted this secondary does look very sharp and quite clean. A big improvement over the brown thing we will not talk about. (cannot unsee)
Identity: It really does a good job of representing Vancouver and the sponsor name just blends right into the kit. A really well done kit. I would have liked to have seen what they did with the collar on the primary here on the secondary, except with light blue make it white.
Color: It works with the Whitecaps theme and the sublimation looks good. I like that they use metallic lettering on the back. Nice touch. The sublimation is nice and I am sure fans are scrambling to get their hands on one of these kits.
Grade:B


Credit for photos to:
Newcomb, Tim. "Jersey Week Rewind: A Look at the New Uniforms across MLS for 2014." SI.com.      Sports Illustrated, 7 Mar. 2014. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.