MLS Reveal Week Day 1: Five New Uniforms for Three Teams

A little trim here, a removed collar there and a uniform designed like a state flag highlighted the opening day of the MLS and adidas “Jersey Week” on Monday.

Throughout this week, 12 MLS teams will unveil varying combinations of new primary, secondary and alternate kits, all designed in conjunction with adidas. Monday saw the New York Red Bulls offer a new home kit complete with more detailing, the Houston Dynamo unveil a new home and secondary jersey full of more subtlety and the Colorado Rapids show off a new, darker primary uniform and a more dramatic alternate look, paying homage to the state’s flag.

Colorado Rapids

Alternate uniforms always allow more freedom to play. And that was the case in Denver, where the Colorado Rapids went all University of Maryland on us and debuted a third kit based off the state flag. The team will wear the blue shirt during this Saturday’s season opener on the road in Dallas.

The major design element for the alternate jersey comes as the Colorado “C” is embossed directly into the front of the shirt, almost a silhouette look, while the Rapids logo on the jersey breast is bright red with the three adidas stripes in yellow on the sleeves. The Colorado flag features blue, red and yellow.

The team announced Monday that the alternate kit will be worn for “most of the Rapids’ road matches.”

Colorado made some changes to its primary look too, darkening the burgundy stripes on the white sleeves, all while keeping the team’s primary burgundy color in full display as the base color. But the Rapids want you to take special note of those stripes on the uniform front. The stripes are made up of the names of the club’s season ticket holders, making Colorado the first MLS club to include fan names in the uniform. The primary kit continues to feature the altitude number “5280” on the back of the neck. The Colorado flag is on the lower left front corner.

“The Rapids’ alternate jersey that Pablo previewed today was inspired by the passion for Colorado displayed by the supporters in Centennial 38,” says Rapids President Tim Hinchey. “With our new alternate jerseys featuring the Colorado state flag, and our primary kits including the names of our season ticket holders, we’re showing the pride we have for our fans and our state, and thank them for their passion and support over the last 18 years.”

There remains no jersey sponsor on the Rapids’ looks.

Houston Dynamo

Houston pulled back and revealed subtle changes with its new primary and secondary uniforms, all while keeping the “base concept” the same. Gone are the collars and embellished background prints of last year, instead offering clean lines, distinct stripes and solid colors.

The Dynamo showed off its primarily “Forever Orange” primary kit, pushing the fact that it is lighter and performance based (nixing the collar helps there). Little bits that highlight the orange look with white accents include a Texas flag on the bottom of the front of the jersey, the “Forever Orange” slogan on the upper-left hand side of the uniform and a back-neck design inspired by the club’s new BBVA Compass Stadium.

“We wanted to maintain a traditional looking uniform that met the standards of top clubs from around the world,” Dynamo president Chris Canetti says. “We also wanted it to be a stark contrast to our previous uniform. It was important for us to incorporate elements that represent our club and fan base, such as the Forever Orange tag and the Texas flag. Overall, I think we have met our objectives and have a quality new uniform that players and fans will enjoy.”

The secondary kit serves as a basic reverse of the primary kit, with white the dominant color and orange as the accent color. There was no jersey sponsor on the new Houston kit, also a change.

New York Red Bulls

Not too many MLS teams wear white at home, but the New York Red Bulls will continue to do so, as revealed by their new primary look.

Don’t fret, though, the Red Bulls didn’t eliminate the famed bulls and sun logo—the Red Bulls are owned by the Austrian drink manufacturer by the same name—from the front of the uniform.

The new jersey instead showcases more red accents, including a new red collar, red cuts on the sleeves and a dash of red on the torso, framing the bulls and sun logo.

Coming Up

Tuesday’s reveals include a secondary kit from Chivas USA, a third uniform from the Philadelphia Union, a new primary look from Sporting Kansas City (the team will reveal an alternate at a later date) and a new primary kit from Toronto FC.

Wednesday’s reveals include a secondary look from the L.A. Galaxy (an alternate will come later), a third kid from the Montreal Impact, new primary and secondary looks from the Seattle Sounders and a new primary uniform from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

The Portland Timbers plan a new primary and secondary kit for Thursday.

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Keep up with all the changes

Day 1 Story
Colorado Rapids – Primary
Colorado Rapids – Secondary
Houston Dynamo – Primary
Houston Dynamo – Secondary
New York Red Bulls – Primary

Day 2 Story
Toronto FC – Primary
Philadelphia Union – Tertiary

Day 3 Story
Seattle Sounders – Primary
Seattle Sounders – Secondary
Sporting KC – Primary
Vancouver Whitecaps – Primary
Montreal Impact – Tertiary
LA Galaxy – Secondary

Day 4 Story
Portland Timbers – Primary
Portland Timbers – Secondary

Day 5 Story
Chivas USA – Secondary