Tackle Twill

Club América - 95th anniversary kit

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:10:04 -0400

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. (via The Vintage...

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:18:28 -0400

Cruyff. Cruijff. However you spell it, CLASS.

(via The Vintage Football Club)

New York Cosmos Blackout Collection

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:11:38 -0400

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

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:42:24 -0400

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

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:26:13 -0400

A few from my personal collection…

Michael Jordan + Kid 'N' Play

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:39:10 -0400

Puma King Pelé

Thu, 12 May 2011 14:16:07 -0400

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

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:51:57 -0400

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

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:33:49 -0400

Cons? Pro.

I think I’ll buy me a football team. thenycosmos: New...

Wed, 04 May 2011 17:23:37 -0400

I think I’ll buy me a football team.

thenycosmos:

New York Cosmos X Pink Floyd

Bo knows Blue

Wed, 04 May 2011 16:46:00 -0400

Thankfully, the ad wizards in KC brought back the baby blue strip after years spent stashed somewhere in the bowels of Kauffman Stadium, perhaps in hopes that Billy Butler doesn’t emulate Bo Jackson and destroy team property in such an aggravated manner.

"Pistol" Pete Maravich

Wed, 04 May 2011 16:31:17 -0400

Words can’t really begin to describe the phenom that was Pete Maravich. His scrawny frame produced moves thereto unseen on the boards, accented further by his Beatles-at-Shea shag cut. A three-time All-American, he set several NCAA records playing for his father at LSU, and went on to an illustrious pro career (5x All-Star). He became known for his droopy gray socks, which loosely hovered around the bottom of his legs. While at LSU, a fan stole his cherished practice socks from the team laundry. Afterwards, he took to cleaning them on his own, scrubbing them with Woolite over the washbasin in the Tigers’ equipment room. To think that his ankle-breaking maneuvers were pulled off in Converse low-tops only adds to his legend.

Toronto Raptors inaugural season jersey

Tue, 03 May 2011 16:25:00 -0400

“Let’s bring basketball back to Canada!” they said. On paper, it sounded great. Then they named the team the “Raptors,” trying to cash in on the popularity of Jurassic Park. Let’s be honest with ourselves - who amongst us had ever heard of a velociraptor before we saw those clever girls on screen terrorizing John Hammond’s grandchildren? It’s hard to take anything from Canada seriously in the first place, but a team with a cartoonish dinosaur as their logo doesn’t really scream “title contenders.”

Notre Dame Alternate Green

Tue, 03 May 2011 16:10:17 -0400

Joe Montana busting up the middle in the Notre Dame emerald green alternate jersey. Though I consider myself a traditionalist, especially when it comes to Notre Dame football, I believe these green jerseys deserve a special place in the locker next to the tried-and-true navy and white variants.

For an entertaining read, check out this definitive Notre Dame uniform guide.

Adidas NASL cleats

Tue, 03 May 2011 13:53:18 -0400

In black, white and “super.” Super has always been one my favorite hues.

Baltimore Orioles 1971 Alternate

Tue, 03 May 2011 13:44:00 -0400

Someone at Memorial Stadium thought it wise to outfit my beloved Birds in a head-to-toe orange strip. I’ll let Lou Hatter of the Baltimore Sun fill you in:

“Orange you glad you’re an Oriole fan?” You betcha.

Mitchell & Ness Head Coach Cardigan

Tue, 03 May 2011 13:11:00 -0400

Mitchell & Ness brings us this line of classy-as-all-hell cardigans. The tack pin on the logo is an especially nice touch. The Notre Dame one makes me want to re-enroll in school and follow my dream of kicking for the Irish, knocking up the head cheerleader, then having a crash-and-burn career in the pros with a post-NFL stint as an “official spokesman” for binge drinking.

Colorado Caribous (NASL) - 1978 Home Jersey

Tue, 03 May 2011 12:59:14 -0400

Fringeworthy. This jersey was the sole assassin of the NASL.

US National Team Away Jersey - World Cup 1994

Tue, 03 May 2011 12:52:39 -0400

The biggest soccer event in US history saw the home team take the field at their opening match in the Pontiac Silverdome against Switzerland sporting…faux-denim kits. Can one chastise Adidas, perhaps the classiest of sportswear manufacturers, for this misstep? The answer is a resounding yes. The company made the Yanks look like Amy Grant’s road crew, an embarrassment on their own turf. However, the debutante ball of American soccer was only slightly blighted by this sartorial blunder - the on-field heroics of the men in denim and wavy stripes outshone their hideous wardrobe.