Magculture turns us onto The Green Soccer Journal, a magazine we first found out via twitter. Aside from the usual things setting it apart from most football magazines (good design for one), they’ve also got an enviable contributor list. Including folks like Guardian Sports writer Richard Williams, illustrator Peter Till and photographer Neil Bedford, it’s clear they roll deep.

Take a leap to see spreads from the magazine.

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.

In 1966, Bobby Moore hosted the World Cup wearing a red shirt.

The England Away kit, despite many years of hurt, remains legend. Aitor Throup recognizes the heritage of English football and Umbro, and adds his own contemporary twist with a keen sense of human anatomy and ergonomics. As first look at the away kit, we share the above video. Throup discusses his process and the technical aspects that make his a unique take on the classic.

The shirt will officially launch at retail outlets on March 3, 2010.

01. 88 Bikes
“As Kiva and other microfinancing groups show, philanthropy can be tailored to any size and still make an impact. When Dan Austin, a writer, filmmaker and cycling enthusiast first met children in a Cambodian orphanage in 2006, he wanted nothing more than to give them a taste of the exuberant feeling of freedom known to every suburban American kid. So he figured out a way to give them bikes.” (design observer).

02. In Conversation with Terrence Blanchard
“About twenty years ago, when he was writing the music for Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, his first film score, trumpeter Terence Blanchard took a hiatus from a successful career—at 28, he could already look back on a four-year stint with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and several years with the contemporaneously influential quintet he co-led with alto saxophonist Donald Harrison—to change his embouchure.” (Jazz)

03. Neil Simon’s ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ Closes in a Week – What Went Wrong?
“… comedy is changing on Broadway, and on Sunday one of Mr. Simon’s most-produced plays in the last 25 years, “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” became one of the biggest commercial flops on Broadway in recent memory. It closed a week after it opened, shocking many in the theater world, not least the writer himself.” (NYT)

04. The Two Sides of Lionel Messi (Above)
“The candidates were announced last week for the Fifa World Player of the Year award. Am I the only one out there who’s not too interested? My problem with the thing is that this concentration on the individual can tend to overshadow one of the fundamental truths of the game – the stars shine brightest when the collective balance of the team is right.” (BBC)

Today, Arsene Wenger will officially opening Highbury Square. A residential development on the grounds of Arsenal’s former stadium, the project has taken careful consideration in preserving the spaces past and incorporating elements of its sporting heritage. Some parts, like the exterior of the East Stand (above) are listed. Other decisions were made simply to keep the legacy of Arsenal alive in the new configuration. (via Curated).

More images, via The Observer, after the jump.

Since the NFL season is now officially in full swing, enjoy this amazing photograph of Vince Lombardi. Taken during his time at Fordham (during the 1930s), the image is one of many outstanding football photographs available online through the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you are into sporting history a whirl through the archive is highly recommended. Enjoy the remainder of week one.

Last year, at the beginning of the Premier League season, we sang the praises of Saville Rogue. The scarf maker produces subtle cashmere pieces that allow the wearer to support ones team without being plastered with logos. They are wonderful, for sure, but this year we’re taking things back to basics.

Football kits are generally pretty unfashionable. For one, they are covered with the logos of some dubious companies (for example, who among us has ever tried Chang Beer? Also seems a bit odd that a team with a dire financial situation would promote a job site). Another slight against the shirts, the fashionable rarely wear newly devised technical fabrics. Other issues include looking as if you’ve just come off holiday at Butlins, looking like a child, and being forced to wear colors that just don’t suit you.

We say, who cares?!?! Football is football, and supporting ones team always in fashion. On that token, we’ve taken stock of a few new kits for the new season that take risks and/or actually look quite good (note: some don’t look good, sorry Man U fans). Included, of course, are the Arsenal away and third shirts (above). The sporty black and pink number from Everton also gets a nod. And, as Fulham has managed to do something they do about as frequently as Bobby Zamora scores, their new away shirt is featured too. A few oddities are thrown in for fun.

Note: Should the mood strike, shirts can be purchased at the respective team shops.

Head to the jump for more.

Swedish deisgner, Klas Ernflo, clearly knows how to take an “iconic” object and give it a bit of a facelift to make it more ornamental. His use of fabric textiles against the silhouette of a soccer/football turns the staple of sporting goods into a new canvas to attack. Check the tweed lines footballs. They would happy complement the office decor any day. (db via sc)