Major League Soccer expansion franchise Charlotte FC will be rocking Carolina blue when they take the field for the first time next March.
CLTFC officially unveiled their home kits for their inaugural season in 2022 on Thursday, Dec. 9. Made by adidas, the “Carolina Kit” features a bright blue body and white sleeves. The adidas logo, shoulder stripes and sleeve sponsor logo are all black, while the logo of main sponsor Ally Financial is white. The sleeve cuffs and V-neck collar feature black and blue striping.
“As our fans look forward to the debut of Charlotte FC in 2022, the new primary kit represents the bold and progressive philosophy of the Club and embodies the pride and passion of our community. This kit symbolizes our mission to unite fans across the Carolinas as we make history in MLS and in soccer in the United States.”
— Charlotte FC President Nick Kelly
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The shade of blue used for the kits is the same shade used by the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Both teams are owned by billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper. The lower left corner of the jersey features a silver map of North and South Carolina in the jock tag position, while a white “CLTFC” monogram appears on the back collar.
The shirt will be paired with white shorts, also with black adidas stripes, and blue socks with white trim. The names and numbers on the back will be printed in white.
The shirts unveiled Thursday largely match up with a leak from early November. Twitter user @theduohq snapped a photo of the kit on the racks at a Dick’s Sporting Goods location in the Charlotte area. The only difference appears to be the collar, which was solid white in the photo posted to Twitter.
UPDATE (8:42 p.m. MT): With both authentic and replica jerseys now on sale at MLSstore.com, the authentic versions have the blue and black striping on the collar, while the replica versions have a solid white collar. So it would appear the jersey spotted and posted to Twitter in November is a replica.
Until recently, CLTFC’s website, social media and other materials seemed to emphasize black over blue, making the decision to go with a blue home kit a bit of a surprise.
Charlotte FC unveiled their name and logo in July 2020. The club was slated to begin play in the 2021 MLS season, but that was pushed back a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ll play their first-ever MLS match on Feb. 26, 2022, when they visit D.C. United, and their first-ever home match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on March 5, 2022, against Los Angeles Galaxy.
SHOP: Charlotte FC new home jerseys available now!
The other expansion team getting ready join the league, St. Louis CITY SC, won’t take to the pitch until 2023. Reports this week indicated that Las Vegas is a frontrunner to land the 30th MLS franchise, with the owners of Premier League club Aston Villa apparently involved in the bid.
All photos courtesy Charlotte FC unless otherwise noted
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