Out of the roster of Premier League kits for the 2014/15 season, fans are bound to see a number of uniforms that look very similar to each other. Templates are the norm for teams not named Manchester United, Liverpool, or Manchester City. Some, like Southampton, are doing things a bit differently this year while other teams like Everton and Hull are partnering with new-look Umbro. As far as templated shirts go, Sunderland's is pretty good.
Using the same template that Nigeria wore for their away kits in the World Cup, the Black Cats will once again wear adidas kits and will sport red-and-white vertical stripes on a mostly red kit. The collar is a shallow V and is gold, matching the sleeve cuffs, and features black trim that matches the panels that run under the sleeves and down the sides of the shirt. The adidas stripes on the shoulders are white.
Three Black Cats try on the new 2014-15 #SAFC home kit for size... #hawaythelads #redandwhitearmy pic.twitter.com/BN7bnhjZtP
— Sunderland AFC (@SAFCofficial) July 11, 2014
The kit is completed by Sunderland's traditional black shorts, a long-standing feature of the club's kit. The shorts feature red trim and match the socks, which are also black and red.
Vito Mannone's new goalkeeper kit will be the same yellow and purple template as the one that Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero wore in the World Cup final against Germany.
Discussing the new home kit, John O'Shea said:
"Wherever you go in the city you see the red and white stripes, Its evident for all to see just how proud the fans are of their iconic kit and we as players share in that pride every time we pull on the shirt."