New primary kit celebrates the 15th year of the team
The Philadelphia Union made official today what we were eagerly anticipating after recently seeing a leaked image of the new primary kit. The “XV” kit celebrates the Union’s 15th season and is “pays homage to the club’s beginnings and evolution while looking forward to what the future holds” according to the press release. With a return to a center stripe, which is a callback to the early kits, the design was inspired by the trusses of the Commodore Barry Bridge and meant to be symbolic of the team bridging the gap between the fans and team.
The shirt was designed by the Union Creative Collective, a group of season ticket holders, Sons of Ben members, media, Union employees, and fans, along with the Union and Adidas. The center stripe includes shapes that could be interpreted as a snake skin, river, or lightning bolt. IBX’s logo is a new addition to the sleeve, with Apple TV returning to the other sleeve, and Bimbo continues as the front-of-kit sponsor. Of note, the IBX logo will only be on players’ jerseys.
Photos: Philadelphia Union
My first impression when I saw the kit leak a couple weeks ago was “I love it!” Now that I have seen the official kit in high resolution, I feel even more strongly about it. I have been wanting a snake skin motif, and while the 2020-2021 primary kit had a subtle snake skin pattern, that one just missed the mark in my opinion. This is more what I have been waiting for, and I really like the light blue and gold detailing on the sleeves. It must be noted that the replica sleeves do NOT have this detailing, so we decided to bite the bullet and get the authentic- expensive as it is.
I know some people are not fans of the center patch, which I get, but all in all, it is probably a top 3 primary kit for me. I look forward to seeing it in person this weekend at the “Art of Doop” Kit Launch event being held at Subaru Park. In an upcoming podcast, we will be reviewing the new kit and our kit launch experience, as well as the other new MLS kits with returning guest Poulomi Banerjee, so stay tuned for that!
The goalkeepers also got new kits. It is a very 90s vibe for me (not a bad thing) and they are currently selling the green version in the online team store. I definitely prefer the purple, and it looks sharp on all three of our GKs below.
Are you going to the kit launch? What are your thoughts on the new kit? Let us know in the comments!
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