Nike Releases New US Soccer Home Kits, Mister Cartoon Comes to Town

By Ben Schuman Stoler in Arts & Entertainment on May 5, 2010 6:40PM

Last week, for the unveiling of the new home kits the US Men’s National Team will wear in South Africa in June, Nike stayed with their hyperlocal approach by organizing a special set of release events just for Chicago. We already told you about their pop-up store collaboration with St. Alfred on Milwaukee Ave., but last weekend, Nike went all out: they reopened the Noel State Bank on the northwest point of the Damen-Milwaukee-North six corners, displayed the new Mercurial Vapor Superfly II cleats along with new jerseys for the US and other Nike teams, and LA artist Mister Cartoon was on hand to help set up his original US gear that will replace Cody Hudson’s at the pop-up store. (Full disclaimer: We were among the people in Chicago who received the home jersey last week.)

The central question here is, “So what?” What are the larger implications of Nike taking such an active interest in Chicago and, especially, soccer in Chicago? Organizer Cindy Hamilton said, "We are home to two professional teams and there is a large base of committed fans of the sport who will be looking for uniquely Chicago experiences and offerings heading into the World Cup."

Well, that, and also to sell stuff.

But seriously, it does feel good to have a direct, tailored-for-Chicago access to our boys in the World Cup. The pop-up store, besides carrying the gear, will be a hub for World Cup watch parties in June. For those of us who can’t afford to get to South Africa (or who didn’t win a ticket lottery, or who, you know, have to work), wearing the replicas and watching the games might be the closest we get. And besides supporting your country, that’s what owning USA gear is about. It’s about being part of a community and representing something bigger than yourself. The new home kits are inspired by the jerseys we wore in the biggest game in US soccer history: our 1-0 victory over England in 1950. We play England again in this World Cup (June 12, 1:30 PM), so really, these jerseys are also about beating England.

As far as design, most people we've talked to prefer the blue away kits with the red stripe to the white home kit with the gray stripe. The jerseys are made partly from recycled plastic bottles, which is a nice environmental touch. Probably the best part, and following a jersey trend of the last few years, is that unless you’re as skinny as DeMarcus Beasley, you’ll find they fit a bit thin. That's a good thing. It means they fit more like t-shirts than football jerseys, which means they're easier to wear around and represent represent!