USMNT 2022 World Cup Kits Released By Nike With Players Already “Angry” And Fans Unfazed

Well before Nike’s release of the US men’s 2022 World Cup kits on Thursday, and even before the Jerseys Leaked Last month, some USMNT players were able to see and even model the threads they’ll be wearing in November – and Weston McKennie, midfielder and fashionista, “tried to tell them”.

“Them” were probably Nike and US Soccer. Player, said Tim WeahShe was “just as angry” as the fans are now. But until then they had no recourse.

Nike officially unveiled the kits early Thursday morning, along with 11 other World Cup kits including those for Portugal, France and Brazil. The US home jersey is kept relatively simple in white.

The away kit features a blue tie-dye top that matches solid royal blue shorts and socks.

The US women’s national team will also wear both kits and then get their own new jersey ahead of next summer’s women’s World Cup, a US soccer spokesman told Emox News.

In a press release touting the US jerseys, Nike said they were “inspired by insights and conversations with athletes.” But the three athletes who have spoken out about them – McKennie and Weah in Instagram comments and Midfielder Yunus Musah on a Zoom call last month – have stated that USMNT players are unimpressed.

Musah, who has perhaps the most positive personality in the entire squad, was asked about them and said: “The kits are – yeah, they’re the kits they made, you know. I am sure that they will suit us well on the pitch.”

When asked to rate them “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” he smiled and turned his thumb to the side. “In the middle,” he said. “In the middle.”

(Musah has an endorsement deal with Puma. McKennie is at Adidas and Weah is at New Balance. None of the team’s Nike-supporting players commented ahead of Thursday’s release; some scripted messages were posted on social media on Thursday. )

How the USMNT kits were designed

Nike, which has not yet responded to detailed questions from Emox News on the creation of the jerseys, said in its release that the white “uniform design features include bold stripes, an enlarged center crest resembling basketball jerseys, double Swooshes on the sleeves affixed to American- Football jerseys, the unique shoulder and sleeve cut-and-sew construction and pattern of a hockey jersey, and timeless block lettering.”

The story goes on

The away kit was “inspired by design techniques found throughout the American fashion and streetwear industry,” the apparel company said. “The design team at Nike used a unique ice dyeing technique to create a vibrant, youthful print that brings the jersey to life.”

However, fans have strongly opposed both designs. Many have compared both jerseys to warm-up shirts or training tops. In social media comments, they plead in vain for Nike and US Soccer to rethink.

Privately, some US soccer officials like the tie-dye blue and believe it will sell well as long as the team performs well. Past USMNT and USWNT jerseys that were initially sneered at, like “Waldos” and “Bomb Pops” are now being celebrated. They often look a lot better on the pitch than they do in leaked photos, and better when numbers are added to relatively minimalist designs.

But the designs are not really in the hands of US Soccer either. Nike solicits and accepts input, but takes the reins for most of the process—making the USMNT jerseys and others.

Nike releases more 2022 World Cup kits

Nike also released kits for all but one of the other 2022 World Cup participants it supplies. It was said that the material for everyone was “modern” and “light”.

The only Nike kit that hasn’t been fully revealed yet is England’s. Those included in Thursday’s release were (from left to right and top row to bottom): US, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Qatar, Poland, Netherlands, Croatia, France, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Australia.

Adidas and Puma have already released World Cup kits for their national teams – including Mexico, Germany, Argentina and Belgium (all Adidas) as well as Ghana, Senegal and Uruguay (Puma).

The tournament begins on November 20th in Qatar. The USA and other countries will debut their new kits in friendlies next week.