There is an art to a good kit. And it's tough to get right these days. There was a time in which football shirts used to be the kind of thing just worn by kids or Dads who had a few too many pints. Now, they're full-on bonafide fashion statements. It's a fair bet that our GOAL writers have a few jerseys for teams they don't even remotely care about - they just look cool.
And that's the point. Football jerseys are now wearable, ubiquitous around the world, and instantly recognizable.
This is all subjective, of course, but MLS, in recent years, has done a mixed job of meeting the criteria. There are some obvious issues. First, all MLS kits are made by the same company, Adidas, and tend to rely on similar templates. Second, the Apple TV logo can be tricky to mix into a design. And third, there isn't much of a concept of heritage design to fall back on - which many European and South American clubs execute rather well. Piece it all together, and it can be a challenge to make a winning MLS kit.
But that doesn't mean there haven't been some belters over the years. The originals from the mid-1990s have aged wonderfully, while the Galaxy, Timbers and D.C. United have produced some lovely shirts across the last 30 years. And this season is no different. LAFC, Columbus, Real Salt Lake and Seattle have all delivered some absolute stunners. Of course, there are a few stinkers, too - but that's just part of the fun.
GOAL US writers take a look at all of them in an MLS kit edition of... The Rondo.
