We’re back, and we've got more hot uniform takes.
After last week giving you USL Video Editor & Motion Graphic Designer and resident fashion expert Gus Rachels’ opinions on the best new home uniforms in the USL Championship this season, this week we’re looking at the new road looks around the league.
Gus Rachels: The full ensemble of New Mexico’s inaugural away kit is what sells it. The yellow shorts and accents on the socks and jersey pop to set this look apart from other white away uniforms.
GR: It’s a little covered up by their sponsor logo, but the Adidas-branded stripe pattern used for Germany’s kit from 2018 (which was modeled after West Germany’s look from 1990) looks great in Tulsa’s orange, and the addition of their blue for the collar and side stripes rounds out this kit nicely.
GR: The glitched-out hoops here would probably be too aggressive if they were in a darker color, which is why the yellow-on-white look works well for this busier design. Using black for the collar and side stripes provides necessary contrast, and the 20th anniversary crest is very well done.
GR: When you have a kit that’s so uncomplicated, the small decisions have a much larger impact. A perfect example: the decision to use a black and white logo on Reno’s away kits. Making that shift stylized this kit where a full-color logo would have fallen flat, and the black-on-white look is a strong one.
GR: A recoloring of their home kits, Austin’s inaugural away jersey brings the same adventurous design into white and teal, and it works just as well. While an away kit can sometimes be an opportunity to experiment with new designs, the recoloring option is a smart way to solidify their on-field look no matter what colors they’re wearing.
GR: Speaking of a unified home/away kit ensemble: like Austin’s fading stripes, San Antonio’s jagged pinstripes are now a unique kit feature within the league that will remain consistent no matter where they play, and it’s a big upgrade from their all-white secondary kits from last year.
GR: Nashville’s new away kit is a simple design but is a perfect example of “less is more.” Their logo works well in one color, and the metallic gold material is high quality and shines elegantly when hit with light.
GR: Much like their home kit, El Paso do a great job here with taking something from their brand (a railroad track) and incorporating it into a common kit design feature (a single stripe running behind the crest). They’ve taken an already-classic look and made it undeniably theirs, and those subtle diamonds fading up from the bottom are a nice touch as well.
GR: Gold is a powerful color that needs to be handled delicately and Louisville nail it here. The diagonal pinstripes and collar do a fantastic job of adding detail without going overboard, and the embossed one-color logo captures light and lets the form of the crest stand out.
With all due respect to the other kits on this list, the No. 1 spot was an easy decision. The black-and-copper color combination is unique to the league, is a clever nod to Arizona’s nickname, and looks both formidable and beautiful. The subtle embossing of Arizona’s state outline is another masterful detail that sends this kit over the top. Any Rising fc fan should be proud to see this kit on the field or wear it in the stands.