With a little over a week to go before the 2023 regular season kicks off, a baker’s dozen Major League Soccer clubs unveiled new kits on Wednesday. A total of 13 clubs introduced new primary or secondary kits that they’ll wear when they take the pitch this year. Here’s a rundown of all the new looks:
ATLANTA UNITED – Primary
Atlanta United is dedicating their new primary kits to their supporters, the “17s.” Broad black vertical stripes run down the front of the red jersey, mimicking the club crest. The shoulders and sleeves are solid red. The collar and sleeve cuffs both have black and gold trim, and the Adidas shoulder stripes are gold. The back is solid red, with black side panels and gold striping down each side and across the back hem.
AUSTIN FC – Primary
Austin FC have put a new twist on their usual green and black stripes for their new primary kit. Vertical stripes of varying widths run across the front and sleeves. The look is anchored by solid black on the sleeve cuffs and crew neck collar. The back of the jersey is solid green, with black side panels. The Adidas shoulder stripes are white, as are the side/hem stripes.
CHARLOTTE FC – Secondary
Charlotte FC is coming for the crown in their new secondary kit. It’s predominantly purple, with a pattern of embossed crowns isolated from the Charlotte FC crest all over. The Adidas logo, club crest and sponsor logo are all rendered in monochromatic bright blue. The collar and sleeve cuffs have thin blue and pink striping around them. The Adidas shoulder stripes are pink with thin blue borderlines. The striping that runs down each side and across the back hem is pink.
FC CINCINNATI – Primary
FC Cincinnati is drawing inspiration from the Ohio River that runs through the city for their new primary kit. The front of the kit is royal blue, with a tonal water graphic running across the chest. The sleeves and side panels are navy blue, while the back is solid royal blue. The back collar features a graphic of the word “CINCINNATI” shaped like the city’s famous Roebling Bridge. Another depiction of the bridge appears in the jock tag position. The sleeves are navy blue, with orange trim at cuffs, and the collar is navy blue with orange trim on the sides. The Adidas shoulder stripes are white, as are the Adidas and sponsor logos on the chest.
COLORADO RAPIDS – Secondary
The Colorado Rapids’ new secondary kit was designed in collaboration with local artist Pat Milbery, who specializes in large-scale street art and murals. It’s inspired by sunrises and sunsets in Colorado, and is designed to raise awareness about mental health issues. The tonal blue geometric pattern on the front and sleeves mirrors Milbery’s style and radiates out from the club crest, which is rendered in two-tone blue. The collar and sleeve cuffs are royal blue with fuchsia trim, and the Adidas shoulder stripes are royal blue. The back of the jersey is solid light blue, with royal blue side panels and gold striping down each side and across the back hem. A custom sunset icon on the back collar “serves as a reminder of a new day on the horizon and that the possibilities for a better tomorrow are infinite.”
COLUMBUS CREW SC – Secondary
The Columbus Crew are putting the pedal to the metal with their new secondary kit. The front and sleeves are predominantly black, with the same tonal “isometric checkerboard” pattern found on their primary kits, but streaks and grain added to represent “speed, velocity and movement.” The back is solid black with yellow side panels. The crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are black with yellow trim. The yellow taping down the sides is embossed with the club mantra “Never Stand Still.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO – Primary
The Houston Dynamo are looking to capture the power of the sun with their new primary kits. The orange jersey features a pattern of large hexagons on the front and sleeves, and inside of each of those are squares that get tonally darker as you reach the center. It “celebrates the energy, light and guidance sourced by the Sun with a Texas twist.” All the trim around the collar, sleeve cuffs, shoulders, sides and hem is solid black.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – Secondary
After introducing a new crest last year, the New England Revolution continue to defy convention with their new secondary kit. It’s mostly white, with a solid red sash running diagonally across the front, mimicking the new crest. Other broad diagonal stripes with varying degrees of speckling run behind the main sash at different angles. All the trim on the collar, cuffs, shoulders sides and hem is red, while the Adidas logo and sponsor logo on the chest are navy blue.
NEW YORK CITY FC – Primary
New York City FC’s new primary kit is an ode to the “confluence of cultures that make up” their home city. The base is light blue, with a tonal print of a blown-up club crest made out of subway tiles. The back is solid light blue with navy blue side panels. The crew neck collar has orange trim all the way around and navy blue trim on the sides that leads into the navy blue Adidas shoulder stripes. The sleeve cuffs are navy blue with orange trim, while the stripes down the sides and across the back hem are orange.
NEW YORK RED BULLS – Secondary
The New York Red Bulls’ new secondary jersey was designed in collaboration with luxury sportswear designer Daniel Patrick as “a kit that fueled by the desire to innovate.” The front and sleeves feature a teal tie-dye pattern on top of a pale yellow base. The back is solid yellow with teal side panels. The crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are teal with red trim, while the Adidas shoulder stripes and the side/hem stripes are solid teal. The Red Bull logo and club crest are full-color applications.
PHILADELPHIA UNION – Secondary
Philadelphia Union’s new secondary kit for 2023 is inspired by the club’s 2019 MLS Playoffs run, in which they won their first-ever postseason game. The tan and light blue camouflage pattern on the front and sleeves “mirror[s] the intensity with which the team approached all matches” in that run. On the right chest, the snake from the club crest appears on its own in navy blue. The sleeve cuffs and collar are navy blue with light blue trim, while the side panels and side/hem stripes are light blue. The Adidas shoulder stripes and sponsor logos on the chest and sleeves are all navy blue.
PORTLAND TIMBERS – Primary
The Portland Timbers are weaving tradition and community into their new primary kits. The front, sleeves and side panels of the green jersey are covered in a tonal plaid pattern “to reflect the tight-knit relationship between the club and the community.” The back of the jersey, the collar and the sleeve cuffs are all solid green, with gold trim on the sides of the collar, above the cuffs, down the sides and across the back hem. The Adidas shoulder stripes and the sponsor logos are white.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS – Secondary
On the 50th anniversary of his final film, “Enter the Dragon,” and his death, the Seattle Sounders are paying tribute to martial arts legend Bruce Lee with their new secondary kit. It features a large, hand-drawn red-and-black dragon print across the front and sleeves that represents strength and power. The back of the jersey is solid black. The collar and sleeve cuffs feature red and black trim. The club crest is rendered in yellow and black, and sponsor logos appear in yellow to “symbolize ‘the center of everything’ and are associated with nature, balance, and heroism.”
Lee’s signature appears in yellow in the jock tag position, and Lee’s “Core Symbol” appears on the back collar. The symbol is “an insignia created by Bruce as a representation of his martial art form, Jeet Kune Do, and his personal philosophy. Encircling the Yin Yang symbol are two opposing directional arrows and characters for Bruce Lee’s famous quote: ‘Using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.’”
