U.S. Soccer posted a behind-the-scenes video of the USWNT trying on their new home kit for the first time today. The USWNT will debut their new kit in an international friendly on May 27, 2012 against China PR at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. The new Nike jersey design was unveiled on April 16, 2012 by U.S. Soccer in a press release on their website. Notably, the men's and women's national team will share the same jersey for the first time in the programs history. This unifying act is underlined by the slogan "Two Teams. One Jersey." which Nike has been using to promote the new kit. The only difference between the men's and women's jersey is the two stars above the U.S. Soccer shield on the women's jersey, which symbolizes their Women's World Cup wins in 1991 and 1999.
The design of the new home kit has faced heavy criticism on social media platforms. Fans have compared the jersey to Where's Waldo and have even photo shopped Waldo's stripped hat and glasses on promotional images of the kit. The fans certainly have a point on this one. I was disappointed by the design when I first saw it, but I was also not too keen on the old women's kit. Honestly, I thought they were ugly and the large white and red stripes were overkill.
The jersey has grown on me in the past month and I predict by the time the Olympics kick off, I will be able to say that I actually like it. The release of the behind-the-scenes video was a good move on U.S. Soccer's part to reach out to fans and gain momentum for the debut of the kit. Nothing will sway fan opinion of the jersey more than seeing their beloved players in them and having the players talk about how much they like them. This video did just that.
The video is also important because the upcoming friendly is not televised or live streamed. Seeing the players in action in the jersey will probably be the tipping point for approval by the fans. At the end of the day, the fans care a whole lot more about the soccer than the jersey, so if they view something in which they enjoy (the USWNT playing) then those positive feelings could transfer over to the jersey. Due to this, I am surprised U.S. Soccer would not hold off debuting the kit until the Olympic send-off match on June 30, 2012 because that game will be televised.
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