Major League Soccer kicks off its 27th season this weekend, with New York City FC looking to defend the MLS Cup title it won in a penalty shootout against the Portland Timbers on Dec. 11, 2021.
Every MLS club will be sporting at least one new kit this season; clubs alternate between new primary and secondary kits each year, keeping each for two years. But some changes this year go even further than that, including one new expansion franchise joining the fray.
Here’s what every team will be wearing when they take the pitch starting this Saturday, Feb. 26 …
ATLANTA UNITED
The two-tone green of Atlanta United’s new secondary kit comes from “City in the Forest,” a nickname for Atlanta that’s printed on the neck tape. The geometric pattern is meant to represent the city’s treeline, the club says, but the same pattern has been used by Adidas as far back as the late 1980s and early 1990s.
AUSTIN FC
Light green: so hot right now! Following in the footsteps of Atlanta United, Austin FC’s new secondary kit — dubbed the “Sentimiento Kit” — is a solid “cool verde” jersey with black accents that tries to capture the feeling the club has created in a short time around the city of Austin. The jock tag features a graphic depicting one of Austin’s moontowers.
CHARLOTTE FC
More light green, you say? Charlotte FC has you covered. The expansion franchise heads into its first season with a secondary kit that’s black with mint green accents that play off their hometown’s “Mint City” nickname (more details at the link). The primary kit stays truer to the club’s crest (below), with a Carolina blue body and white sleeves.
CHICAGO FIRE FC
One of MLS’s most pleasant surprises of 2021 came when Chicago Fire FC announced they were replacing the “fire crown” with a new crest (below). That new crest sees its first game action in 2022. The club is carrying over its secondary kit from 2021, adding the new crest, while the new primary kit borrows details from the Chicago Water Tower.
While it’s not present on the promotional photos that accompanied the kit launch, the Motorola logo will remain on the front of the jerseys as they’ve renewed their sponsorship deal with the club.
FC CINCINNATI
FC Cincinnati’s new secondary kit for 2022 features an embossed graphic based on Cincinnati’s civic flag across the chest, with the club crest rendered in silver and blue and positioned in the middle of the C. Another graphic based on the flag appears in the jock tag position.
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids have turned to the Rocky Mountains for inspiration for their new 2022 primary kit. The burgundy jersey features sky blue accents and an abstract mountain peak pattern embossed on the front and sleeves. The light green secondary kit carries over from 2021, which features embossed topography lines representing six Colorado mountains that are over 14,000 feet high.
COLUMBUS CREW SC
After the brouhaha over the club’s proposed name and crest change last summer, the dust has settled and the new-new crest (below) takes its spot on the left chest of the Crew’s kits. This season, the club has returned to yellow for the base of its primary kit, which also includes an “isometric checkboard” pattern embossed on the front and sleeves.
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United are keeping it simple with their 2022 primary kits, with tonal vertical stripes on a solid black base and minimal red trim on the collar and sleeve cuffs. The club announced on Feb. 22 that blockchain technology provider XDC Network would take over as the shirt sponsor for the 2022 season.
FC DALLAS
The fans wanted hoops, and FC Dallas gave them hoops — er, kind of. The club’s new primary kit for 2022 features blue hoops made up of diagonal slashes on a red base; the hoops get narrower as they reach the bottom of the shirt. An “LH” logo on the jock tag remains from previous year to honor former club owner Lamar Hunt.
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Houston Dynamo’s new secondary kit for 2022 pays homage to the 11 bayous that run through the city, providing flood mitigation, recreation and wildlife habitats. The tonal pattern on the black kit is meant to mimic the moonlight reflecting off the bayou waters at night.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Though they’re hard to see unless you’re close up, Sporting Kansas City’s new secondary kit is embossed with lines that bend at the same angle as the horizontal stripes in their crest, representing the Missouri-Kansas state line. Those embossed lines are comprised of the area codes for for Kansas (913) and Missouri (816).
Like the secondary kit, the primary kit will feature Compass Minerals as the main sponsor; however, photos of jerseys with the new sponsor logo were not available on MLSStore.com by the time of publication.
LA GALAXY
For the first time since 2011, LA Galaxy are going without a sash on their primary kit. The main feature of the new all-white kit is a pattern of quasars, lifted from the club’s crest, woven into the collar and sleeve cuffs. The secondary kit featuring original Galaxy colours from 1996 carries over from last season.
LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB
The glitz and glamour of Los Angeles is front and centre on LAFC’s new primary jersey. A tonal art deco pattern reminiscent of old Hollywood covers the front and sleeves of the black shirt. The Adidas logo and club crest are centered on the chest, making this the only kit in the league this season with that placement.
INTER MIAMI CF
After wearing white at home for the past couple of years, Inter Miami has finally fully embraced the pink, making it the predominant colour for their new 2022 primary kit. Dubbed the “Heartbeat Kit,” it also features a graphic resembling an electrocardiogram readout forming an M embossed on the sleeve cuffs and on the jock tag.
MINNESOTA UNITED
Minnesota United have gone dark for their new 2022 primary kit. Having traditionally worn grey at home, the Loons went full black for the base of their new kit, and adding tonal vertical pinstripes. Light blue trim adorns the shoulders, collar and cuffs, and a light blue six-pointed star from the club crest appears on the back collar.
CF MONTRÉAL
Soccer runs in Montreal’s veins, as evidenced by CF Montréal’s new secondary kit for 2022. The grey jersey features a blue marble pattern across the front and sleeves, which calls to mind the away jersey Adidas produced for English Premier League side Arsenal in 2020-21. The floral emblem of Montreal appears on the back collar.
NASHVILLE SC
Nashville SC aim to make beautiful music in their new primary kits for 2022. The blue side panels on the yellow jersey feature a soundwave pattern that also includes the ‘N’ from the club crest.. The jock tag features a graphic representation of the club’s new stadium, set to open in May, and the back collar includes the exact latitude and longitude coordinates of the stadium’s center circle.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Back in November, the New England Revolution became the last of the MLS clubs from 1996 to ditch its original identity, replacing the “crayon flag” with the crest below.
That crest now adorns both of the Revs’ 2022 kits, though in just one colour on the secondary kit, the basic design of which carries forward from last season. The new primary kit features a pattern of embossed rectangles inspired by the Freedom Trail, which winds through the heart of Boston and past 16 historical sites from the American Revolution.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
After two years wearing a black secondary kit, New York Red Bulls are living up to their name with a new red secondary kit. The tonal checkerboard motif mirrors their primary kit, though the checks are larger and have drop shadows. The club crest appears in full colour, but the Red Bull logo on the chest is just white.
NEW YORK CITY FC
Defending MLS Cup champions New York City FC are hoping lightning strikes twice in their new secondary kit for 2022. The orange shirt has a blue lightning bolt down the middle, and then fades from orange to navy blue following the shape of the bolt on the left side. The MLS patch on the left sleeve is a special silver patch to commemorate NYCFC’s championship victory.
ORLANDO CITY
Here comes the sun (doo doo doo-doo) on Orlando City’s new secondary kit for 2022. The base of the kit fades from purple at the bottom to white, while the sun rays go from purple to yellow to white overtop. A simplified outline of the sun/lion’s mane from the club crest adorns the back collar.
PHILADELPHIA UNION
The vertical stripe running down the left side and under the crest of the Philadelphia Union’s new primary kit harkens back to the club’s first few years in MLS, when they wore dark blue jerseys with gold stripes down the centre. A gold lightning bolt appears on the back collar, and the sponsor logo on the front of the shirt appears in gold for the first time.
PORTLAND TIMBERS
The Portland Timbers went way out of the box for their 2022 secondary kit, deviating from their usual color palette for the time in their MLS history. The pink base is adorned with a crimson print depicting roses, evoking Portland’s “Rose City” nickname. The slogan “ROSE CITY ‘TIL I DIE” is printed inside the collar.
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake has simplified their primary kit for 2022 to pay tribute to the club anthem “Believe” written by Branden Steineckert, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The red jersey features blue side panels, as well as red and yellow trim on the blue collar and sleeve cuffs. An outline of the state of Utah appears in the jock tag position with “EST. 05” written inside.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Nicknamed the “Creator Kit,” the San Jose Earthquakes’ new secondary kit features black accents on a light grey base. The side panels contains alternating black converging vertical and diagonal line patterns. The back collar features a graphic with “SAN JOSE” spelled out in a gothic blackletter font inside a black rectangle, while the motto “La Unión hace la Fuerza” (“Unity Creates Strength”) is printed inside the collar.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
The front of the Seattle Sounders’ new primary kit features a pattern of interlocking blue diamonds is meant to represent the “unbreakable bond” between the players and the fans, according to the club’s website. “Each blue diamond symbolizes the unforgettable moments that have forged the special relationship between players and supporters.” The Jimi Hendrix-inspired secondary kit from last season will carry forward to 2022.
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC looks to unite club and culture with its new secondary kit for 2022. The front features a half-and-half split of white and silver, with the sleeve on each side contrasting with the respective half of the front. Black accents adorn the shoulders, cuffs and collar. Despite the only red on the kit being in the club crest, “COME ON YOU REDS” is printed inside the collar.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
The Vancouver Whitecaps have turned their primary kit on its head to create a new secondary kit for 2022. The new kit swaps navy blue and white to create a cohesive set. Two-tone blue trim sets off the white collar and cuffs. A “VANCOUVER” graphic appears on the back collar, while a red maple leaf with a tonal wave graphic appears in the jock tag position.
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