Nike United States Men’s National Soccer Team Home Kit

Given the fixture on June 12, there should be little surprise that the victorious  1-0 scoreline from US v. England clash in the 1950 World Cup provides inspiration for the new American home strip. In 1950, the team playing in Brazil wore a white shirt with blue sash. The feel of the sash is retained in the new shirt, though given a subtle gray tone, evoking the spirit of one of the most important US National team sides on its 60th anniversary.

The new strip was designed by Nike Soccer creative director Phil Dickenson. He unveiled the kit yesterday morning, alongside US manager Bob Bradley, former team member Eric Wynalda, and 1950 Captain Walter Bahr. Dickenson stressed the need to establish a lineage and tradition in the National Team kit – the design also featuring a hidden coiled rattlesnake and the text “Don’t Tread on Me,” a phrase used for over two centuries in the United States and now part of the USMNT’s patriotic call. Bradley championed the shirt’s technical detailing. Wynalda seemed chuffed by the jersey, and perhaps a bit envious of the current crop of players.

At 83, Bahr best articulated the feeling of the new shirt. He said, “I like it. It’s classy.”And, on the nods to the shirt of his playing days, he noted, “They had a good design in the 1950s, why change it?”

Photography by Karen Day. More images of the new United States Men’s National Team Home Strip after the jump.