NYCFC and Columbus Crew reveal their away kits for 2016

We’ve got a couple of new Major League Soccer kits to show you, and…well, they’re both “interesting,” to say the least. Let’s not waste too much time and just get into the unveilings.

First off, New York City FC has officially unveiled their new away kits, and it’s a bit of a departure from what they wore as an away kit last year. Instead of being relatively simple, NYCFC have decided to go with a unique-looking ripple effect on the body of their jersey, with the crest being the epicenter of the ripple effect. The team makes use of its secondary colors of orange and navy blue by using navy as the primary color of the kit and orange on the trim.

NYCFC sent us a press release elaborating on what went into the design of the new kits, and here’s part of it:

In addition to incorporating the blue and orange of New York City’s flag, the uniform has the Club crest at the epicenter of radiating graphic elements that celebrate the energy of New York City. This is reinforced by the striking metallic orange jock tag that features the NYC monogram. New York City FC’s principal partner, Etihad Airways, is showcased in orange in the middle of the jersey.
Fans had their say on elements of the jersey, voting to include “This City Never Sleeps” on the back neck tape, which sits alongside “This is Your City This is Your Club” that runs through the neck tape; a reminder of the bond between the Club and its supporters.

I will say that I actually like the NYC monogram standing on its own. Maybe we’ll see them use the monogram by itself as a crest logo in the future? That’s just me speculating. For now, I’m not a huge fan of the away kit, but I guess as long as the players and fans are happy (and they look like they are in this video), then who cares what I think, right?

Meanwhile in Ohio, the defending Eastern Conference Champions unveiled their new kit, and hoo boy, it is a doozy. Are you sitting down for this? If so, you should still take proper precautions to brace yourself for what you’re about to see.

Yep, they’re actually going to wear that. I’m sure that we were all expecting to see some sort of yellow, and they delivered. What we didn’t expect were the extra colors and the execution of the overall design. This is pretty wild, to say the least. Fortunately, if you’re a bit confused about what’s going on here, the Crew came out with my favorite accompanying element for uniform unveilings: An infographic!

So obviously, civic pride is at the heart (literally) of this design. With that being said, it could’ve been done a lot better, and unfortunately, the Crew’s uniform set is taking a big hit as a result. What was arguably one of the best uniform sets in all of Major League Soccer is now in the middle of the pack, in my opinion, and it isn’t because of their black primary shirt.

So, what do you all make of the new shirts here? I’m just going to say that they’re both adventurous and end it on that note.