MLS Reaches Into Its Past For Retro-Inspired Third Kits For Five Clubs

Major League Soccer is reaching into its past — and beyond, in some cases — for the inspiration behind new third kits for five of its clubs.

The kits — collectively dubbed the Archive Collection — were launched on Tuesday, July 16. Clubs getting third kits for the remainder of the 2024 season include:

Inter Miami CF
LA Galaxy
Los Angeles Football Club
Portland Timbers
Sporting Kansas City

Drawing on the nostalgic look of sports broadcasting, advertising, magazines and catalogs, the adidas x MLS Archive Collection creates a unique narrative for each club. The collection features jerseys, jackets and Gazelle shoes that lean into a retro theme of each club’s city.
— MLSSoccer.com

Adding to the retro feel of the new kits are varsity block name and number font on the back and the wordmarks across the chest of each shirt. These wordmarks replace clubs’ usual sponsor logos, which relocate to the back of the kit, under the number. A retro MLS logo in kit colors appears on the back collar.

“As this throwback-inspired series begins, MLS and adidas will explore expanding which clubs have a third jersey in 2025 and beyond,” the league said in Tuesday’s announcement.

Here’s a closer look at each of the new jerseys:

INTER MIAMI CF

Inter Miami’s new third kit leans heavily on 1980s nostalgia. The shirt is turquoise with tonal stripes on the front and sleeves. Coral trim appears on the collar, sleeve cuffs and sides. The numbers on the back are white with a coral outline and drop shadow.

LA GALAXY

As one of MLS’s original teams from 1996, LA Galaxy pay homage to the kit they wore in the league’s inaugural season. The front of the shirt is half teal and half black, with a star pattern providing the transition between the two sides. The club’s original crest sits on the left chest, and the “GALAXY” wordmark on the chest emphasizes “LA” with an inline. The collar, sleeve cuffs and Adidas shoulder stripes are all red.

LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB

Having only joined MLS in 2018, LAFC doesn’t have the same rich history to draw on as their crosstown rivals. So their new third kit draws on “1970s-era SoCal iconography, the golden hues of the setting sun, the diversity of their people and the expansion of the club’s primary gold.” A brown band across the chest of the tan shirt features “LOS ANGELES” in a retro font and lighter bands underneath.

PORTLAND TIMBERS

The Portland Timbers’ new third kit reaches back to 1978, past the inception of MLS, to pay homage to Clive Charles, a defender who was one of the first players in the English First Division and who joined the Timbers in 1978. The maroon shirt has a script “Timbers” wordmark across the front, and the white collar and sleeve cuffs have green and gold trim.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Before they rebranded and became Sporting Kansas City in 2011, the Kansas City Wizards were one of MLS’s original clubs in 1996 and wore rainbow kits. Sporting’s new third kits harken back to those days with a zigzagging rainbow pattern separating the light blue on top of the shirt from the white on the bottom. A retro Wizards crest and a “KANSAS CITY” wordmark appear on the chest. The sleeves are solid light blue with black cuffs and Adidas stripes, while the back of the shirt is solid white.