Club América - 95th anniversary kit
The kits of Mexico’s Primera División are usually adorned with any number of garish, overbearing advertisements, so it’s nice to see a team opt for simplicity. Such is the case with Club América’s 95th anniversary kit, to be worn Oct. 23 vs. Chivas. A limited edition of 5,000 will be sold.
Cruyff. Cruijff. However you spell it, CLASS.
New York Cosmos Blackout Collection
I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for the latest genius collaborative project from Umbro and the New York Cosmos: The Blackout Collection. Inspired by the 1977 blackout which blanketed the city in darkness, Umbro took their recent Cosmos designs and made them all black errrthing for a collection that will appeal to footy heads and rap music artists alike. I will be making a move for the t-shirt, but if my budget allowed, I’d have the whole kit and kaboodle hanging in my closet. Below is the full line and a nifty animated film filling you in on Carlos Alberto’s signing with the ‘mos, which coincided with the power going out (quite the introduction to 1977 New York).
France national team - 2011/12 home and away kits
After a disastrous campaign in South Africa that most in the Gallic region would like to forget, the French national team dropped Adidas and linked up with Nike for what seems to be a signal towards some sort of rebirth for Les Bleus. They’ve always been a team that’s been easy to hate, at least for me, but one that I’ve always begrudgingly respected. This is due mostly to the existence of one Zinedine Zidane, whose glory days with my beloved Juve cast a somewhat kindly light upon his nation in my eyes. For someone like me, whose footballing preferences can be easily swayed by sartorial choices, these new kits will do much to restore the French to the heights of their turn-of-the-century grandeur.
Selections from the vault
A few from my personal collection…
Puma King Pelé
Introduced in conjunction with the 1970 World Cup, these Puma boots were made (and named) for the undisputed king of football, Brazilian legend Pelé. Representatives from Puma paid Edson $120,000 to sport the boots, with the caveat that he attract extra attention to the shoes. To comply, Pelé stopped the referee before kick off of one of his matches in Mexico so that he could tie his shoelaces, assuring that the television cameras covering the match would provide the world with a close up of the new Puma product. As a teenager in Baltimore, my father owned a pair. After leaving his boots outside to dry in the alley behind their home after a soggy match, my grandfather, in a lesson to teach my dad responsibility and general housekeeping, threw his cherished kicks away as they were in close proximity to the garbage. School of hard knocks, indeed.
The “King” line has flourished ever since in various incarnations. I bought a pair of the replaceable cleat variety on Carnaby Street in London as a 15-year-old, complete with aluminum studs longer than those available here in the States. Puma reintroduced the “King Pelé” version in 2008, with great results:
Joe Namath
Only someone like Namath could look less like a football player and more like a Velvet Underground hanger-on whilst on the disabled list. I would comment on the gumption it would take to pull off a ballsy move like wearing a fur coat on the sidelines, but the NFL did that for me by moving to require all team members and staff to wear league-approved apparel after “Broadway Joe” brought out his minks. The nerve. Namath was one of the first athletes to challenge the notion that athletes couldn’t be glamorous, and though this coat probably did a lot to usher in things like Dennis Rodman’s hair, the Jets star can’t be blamed for being anything more than captivating. He owned a bar called “Bachelors III,” for Pete’s sake.
Magic Johnson - 1989-90 season kicks
Cons? Pro.
Classic sportswear, on-field and off.
