As 2022 Season Kickoff Approaches, 7 MLS Teams Unveil New Kits on Tuesday

With the kickoff to the 2022 Major League Season less than two weeks away, teams are cramming a whole lot of kit unveilings into a short time. On Tuesday alone, we saw seven teams unveil new jerseys, including four home and three away.

It was a flurry of activity that was tricky to keep up with on social media, but we managed to keep our heads above water. Let’s take a closer look at the jerseys unveiled on Tuesday …

AUSTIN FC – Away

Dubbed the “Sentimiento Kit,” Austin FC is trying to capture a feeling with its new away kit for 2022. The shirt is solid “cool verde,” or light green, with black accents, including the V-neck collar, sleeve cuffs, sponsor logos and club crest. Printed inside the collar is the slogan, “VERDE ES UN SENTIMIENTO” (“Green is a Feeling”). The jock tag features a graphic depicting one of Austin’s moontowers.

“Throughout Austin FC’s young history, the word ‘Verde’ has become a source of pride and inspiration. It has become something bigger than this Club,” reads the club’s website. “It’s become an ethos for this fan base and everyone part of Austin and Austin FC’s journey.”

COLORADO RAPIDS – Home

The Colorado Rapids are looking to the Rocky Mountains for inspiration with their 2022 home kit. The burgundy jersey features an embossed abstract mountain peak pattern on the front and sleeves. The Adidas logo and shoulder stripes are light blue, as is the trim on the V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs. A Colorado state flag appears on the back collar, while the jock tag is a light blue “C” lifted from the state flag.

The burgundy shirt will be paired with light blue shorts and socks.

LA GALAXY – Home

One of the original MLS franchises, LA Galaxy are going without a sash on their home jerseys for the first time since 2011. The kit unveiled Tuesday is predominantly white, with navy blue accents. A pattern of quasars lifted from the club’s crest is woven into the collar and sleeve cuffs. An LA logo with the quasar appears on the back collar, while the jock tag contains a logo reading “Sólo Un LA” (“There’s Only One LA”).

The shirt will be paired with white shorts and white socks with navy blue trim.

Tuesday’s unveiling lines up with leaked photos that surfaced on Twitter in late January. Those photos showed a replica version of the kit, on which the quasar pattern was printed on the sleeve cuffs and was not included on the collar.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – Home

Another original MLS franchise, the New England Revolution now have a new home kit to go along with their new crest for 2022. Dubbed the “Liberty Kit,” it is predominantly navy blue with a pattern of embossed rectangles that is inspired by the Freedom Trail, which winds through the heart of Boston and past 16 historical sites from the American Revolution.

The Adidas logo and shoulder stripes, along with the sponsor logo on the front, appear in white, while red trim appears on the collar and sleeve cuffs. A New England flag remains on the back collar, while a new “96” emblem appears in the jock tag position. For the first time since 2013, the Revs will wear blue shorts at home as well.

This Revs jersey also lines up with leaked photos of a replica jersey that was posted to Reddit and Twitter earlier this month. The only major difference between the authentic and replica versions appears to be the red trim.

NEW YORK RED BULLS – Away

After wearing black for the past two years, the New York Red Bulls are living up to their name with their new away kit unveiled Tuesday. The “1RITMO” (pronounced Un Ritmo) kit is predominantly red, with a tonal checkerboard pattern made of squares filled in with pen strokes and drop shadows. The club crest is full colour, but the sponsor logo is monochromatic white. The Adidas logo and shoulder stripes, along with the collar and cuff trim, are white. An “NY” shield logo appears on the back collar, as does the team wordmark.

“A continuation of the club’s 1Beat narrative… 1Ritmo (pronounced Un Ritmo) was created to embrace and unite all our communities and celebrate the cultures within them, inside and outside the walls of Red Bull Arena,” reads the club’s website.

Like LA and New England, the kit unveiled Tuesday lines up with leaked photos that surfaced online earlier this month. And, as with New England, the major difference between the authentic and replica versions appears to be the collar and cuff trim.

PORTLAND TIMBERS – Away

Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to unveil a day earlier – it was Valentine’s Day, after all – but the Portland Timbers are leaning heavily into their hometown’s “Rose City” nickname with their new away kit.

The kit is predominantly a light shade of pink – “Vapour Pink,” as the team calls it — with a “Victory Crimson” rose floral pattern across the front and sleeves. The crew neck collar, sleeve cuffs, Adidas logo, shoulder stripes and front sponsor logo are all crimson. The club crest is rendered in crimson and pink, with a white axe.

Printed inside the collar is the supporter slogan “ROSE CITY ‘TIL I DIE.” The jock tag features a “custom art composition” with the same slogan translated into Latin (“ROSE URBE USQUE MORIAR”) along with a skull, a rose, two books, and a “King of Clubs playing card – a nod to the famous tifo by the Timbers Army,” according to the club’s website.

This is the first of Portland’s 15 MLS jerseys to use colours outside their traditional palette, and also the first one to be predominantly pink.

SEATTLE SOUNDERS – Home

The Seattle Sounders are starting their engines for 2022 with a modified blue checkerboard pattern on the front of their traditional “rave green” home jersey. The checkers angle upward on each side and get smaller as they approach the outside edges of the jersey. The pattern 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 V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs are blue, as are the Adidas shoulder stripes. The Adidas logo and the sponsor logo on the front of the shirt are white.

A “Waves of Progress” insignia appears on the back collar, representing the waters of Puget Sound and the “constant motion” of the club. “11 waves represent the 11 players on the pitch, working together and pushing us forward.” The jock tag features a logo commemorating the club’s founding in 1974.