Yesterday, Umbro unveiled the new Manchester City away shirt for the FA Cup winning club’s 2011/2012 Premiership campaign. With a nod to past glory – the shirt takes cues from City’s triply victorious (League, FA, and European Cup Winners Cup) 1969/1970 season – the shirt is made of cutting edge stretch mesh. The black stripes are wider than the red, consistent with the ‘69 shirt, but the cut comes from Umbro’s contemporary approach to sports tailoring. They’ve made it so the stripes remain consistent during a goals up celebration.

View more images after the jump.

A bit of soccer news that might surprise a few of you. The New York Cosmos, famed for bringing Pele to the United States in the 1970s, has reformed. As part of the rebirth, Umbro has come on as official kit supplier and applied the same balance of fine tailoring and on-field performance we’ve seen in the latest England strips.

A bit about the New York Cosmos -

Under new passionate ownership, The New York Cosmos continues its tradition of greatness for the next generation and vows to maintain the same ethos that made The New York Cosmos the most celebrated soccer club in the history of the United States. During its existence from 1971-1985, The New York Cosmos won five national championships. Today, as part of its rebirth and with soccer legend and former Cosmos star Pelé as the Honorary President, The New York Cosmos will continue to inspire and develop the youth through academies, camps and clinics while also attracting world-class soccer players to participate in its soccer movement. The club’s ultimate vision is to be a part of Major League Soccer and to compete for the championship.

Relaunched in August 2010, The New York Cosmos is committed to helping improve the future of football with significant investment in grassroots and youth football, and providing elite coaching philosophies and training opportunities.

The New York Cosmos has launched two elite youth academies, Cosmos Academy East (in New York) and Cosmos Academy West (in Los Angeles) with former Major League Soccer stars Giovanni Savarese and Teddy Chronopoulos appointed as Academy Directors, respectively.  Both academies participate in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Furthermore, The New York Cosmos acquired the Copa NYC tournament, and beyond running it every year in New York, they will be looking to expand it both domestically and internationally in order to engage more local communities to participate in the global game’ at a grassroots level.

Check for the shirts this December at Soccer.com.

Take a detailed look at the New York Cosmos Kit by Umbro after the jump.

We wanted to keep this news until we knew how the boy’s would perform in the shirts. A hat trick by Defoe on Saturday has alleviated some fears… and our initial reluctance to share the new kit has dissolved.

Peter Saville follows Aitor Throup as shirt “tailor.” The famed Factory Records designer adds his twist to the shoulder – “Inspired by an increasingly diverse England, Saville has created a new fabric print on the shoulder panels of the new England home shirt that is a reflection of his vision of modern England.  Made up of different interpretations of the classic St George’s cross symbol, the pattern is displayed through the repetition of four different coloured crosses that are evocative of the basting stitches synonymous with bespoke tailoring. The traditional red cross is still present alongside blue and green ones, which are colours present in the official England team crest. These have been joined by a purple cross, a blend of all the three previous colours to accentuate diversity.  The conceptual change visually reflects modern England in a noticeable step forward from the current all white kit.”

The styling follows on traditional football shirt types, but adds a longer open neckline to provide additional movement across the chest.

More images of Saville’s Umbro England Home Kit 2010/2011 after the jump.

Sure the World Cup has come and gone (for some in the USA) but the truth is the sport lives on week after week around the world.  Going back through the archives we have found a few items we forgot to cover during the madness, including these one off balls from UMBRO for London’s Present shop. The black and white with the one off red panel gives them a distinct look. Throw in the UMBRO quality and they’re onto something useable on the field. (aod)

More looks at the Umbro For Present Footballs after the click.

In 1966 Bobby Moore hoisted the World Cup to a jubulant crowd at Wembley Stadium. That day, he wore red, but in the quarterfinals, the England Squad had been dressed in full white. Aitor Throup built the new England kit from this look, the heritage of UMBRO, and the notion of fusing traditional tailoring with a forward thinking of the athletes needs.

“I wasn’t inspired by a specific kit as such, but by the constructional details of specific features, such as the tailored collar on the early football kits.”

Today, as England takes on Slovakia in a friendly at the new Wembley, Capelo’s men will march to to the field in Throup’s creation. Fashion meets performance, and most importantly works to restore pride in the Three Lions shirt. Throup’s quest was to form a kit that players and fans alike viewed positively–something that related to strong traditions of manufacture and footballing glory.

“It’s about using the idea of style as a tangible performance enhancer. Something they can put on and feel smart, feel confident.”

In a time where the football shirt, with frequently changing sponsorships, has become largely ephemeral, UMBRO produces a shirt with potential as a new heritage item. A shirt that can be passed down through the generations. An item that can be worn without concern of looking out-of-date while hopefully improving the chances of winning a penalty shootout.

Enjoy our look at the new kit and check soon for our full interview with Aitor Throup.

More views of the New UMBRO England National Team Jersey after the jump.