MLS Teams Showing Off Redesigned Jerseys

Crew Get Sponsor, But Those Shirts Are Really Ugly

Real Salt Lake's New Kits Embrace Subtle Change, Like They Usually Do

PHOTO: Galaxy's New Jerseys Are, Well, Different

Chicago Fire Announce Shirt Sponsorship With Quaker, Reveal New Shirts

The Chicago Fire didn't just unveil their new shirts for the 2012 season on Tuesday, they also officially unveiled their new sponsor. Quaker will be emblazoned across the Fire's chest this season, a deal that is worth $1.3-$1.5 million annually, according to a report in Chicago Business. The Fire had gone without a sponsor in 2011 after Best Buy halted their relationship with the team.

Quaker's sponsorship, which will include the image of the "Quaker Oats guy", gives MLS shirt sponsors for all but four teams. The Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City -- coincidentally all teams that were among the league's original 10 franchises -- are the only teams without shirt sponsors.

The shirts themselves aren't bad either. The primary shirt will be red with a dark blue stripe across the chest where the sponsorship will go. It will include a collar, continuing a recent MLS trend. The secondary shirts are dark blue with light blue pinstripes.

Timbers Go Retro With New 3rd Kit

The Portland Timbers today unveiled their new retro 3rd jersey and I for one am a fan, though as is typical with all jersey releases, opinions vary. While the white jersey is often attacked as simple and boring by some fans, there's nothing wrong with a clean look, though this jersey is likely to appeal to a more hardcore and/or old school type fan.

All of the authentic jerseys are made from 100% recycled materials and are manufactured in Portland. Only 2,012 kits will be available for purchase by fans as part of a limited edition run that comes as part of a numbered box set with an exclusive Timbers scarf. Replicas will be available in early 2012 if you're interested.

The Timbers will play in the new jerseys during select matches in the 2012 season which will be announced at a later point.

The jersey includes several elements which are described below:

New England Revolution Unveil New Jersey

The New England Revolution's jerseys have always been more "classic" than "bold" throughout their 16-year history. With Saturday's unveiling of their new jerseys, it appears it will be more of the same.

There's really nothing wrong with the redesigned shirts, but there's certainly nothing particularly interesting about them either. Say what you will about the other jerseys that have been unveiled so far, but most of them had something that was worth some kind of commentary.

The Montreal Impact definitely went the classic route, but at least their shirts have the fleur-de-lis designed into them. DC United and the Columbus Crew each added collars. Even the New York Red Bulls got rid of some of the more annoying elements of their shirt. 

The Revolution added a little more red and removed their collar. That's it. End of story. There's very little that differentiates these new kits from a generic one you could buy off the shelf. For a team that is in such bad need of a injection of life, it's a curious decision.

Chris Tierney shows off the new jersey (via nerevolution)

New York Red Bulls Debut New 2012 Home Jersey

The unveiling of new 2012 MLS jerseys continued today as we finally got a look at the new New York Red Bulls home shirt thanks to Once a Metro. As you can see below, while there are some changes, it really doesn't look too much different that the 2011 jersey. If anything, it looks like they removed some of the "bells and whistles" and have gone with a much simpler and plainer jersey...which isn't always a bad thing.

You can get a better look at the new jersey on the Red Bull's online store. Under MLS rules, New York will stick with their current blue away jersey and their yellow third jersey.

While I appreciate the simplification of the jersey, I do have one suggestion on how adidas could have improved this design even more. Check it out below, I believe this would be a HUGE seller for the Red Bulls and the league.

Who's with me?

Montreal Impact Unveil 2012 MLS Jerseys

The Montreal Impact have just presented their first ever MLS jersey at the Montreal Science Centre. Media, supporters and partners were all invited to the unveiling party, organised as a fashion show. This is an historic event for the expansion team hailing from the Francophone province of Quebec.

After unveiling official practice, warm-up and coaching staff gear, there was no surprise with the colours chosen as the Montreal Impact historical colours are a predominance of blue and a dash of white and black. Players showcasing the new jerseys included Zarek Valentin, Davy Arnaud, Nelson Rivas and Donovan Ricketts. Players were much less awkward than expected with an honorable mention to Donovan Ricketts and Evan Bush for looking cool and comfortable. Different local TV and sports celebrities participated in the ''fashion show'' something that really shows how serious the Montreal Impact is about showcasing its brand.

Pictures of the shirt via the official store of the Montreal Impact, where you can purchase the shirt.

The colour scheme follows the classical historical colours of the Montreal Impact since its beginnings. Both home and away jerseys come in a short sleeve and long sleeve version in a simple straight-forward adidas design. The home jersey is a classic blue colour and the away jersey is a pure white with patches of blue on the sleeves.

Notice the attention to detail  explained at the Montreal Impact's website, that includes

• an embossed cross made up of many small little fleur-de-lys across the front, 
• a strip of the colours colours of the Quebec flag around the collar
• Two silver stripes descending the length of the jersey representing the rivers around the island of Montreal and the club’s new motto, “Tous pour gagner” near the collar on the back of the jersey

We expected the BMO sponsor in the middle being the leading sponsor for all three Canadian teams with its red logo in the middle of the jersey.

Thanks to a lot of the media and fans using social media to share this historical moment with everyone else and kudos to the Montreal Impact for streaming the event live. Unfortunately, I have to add that I am utterly disappointed by mainstream media (TV sports station RDS and TVA Sports), which did not give great coverage to this big step for the new MLS franchise.

Columbus Crew, DC United Unveil 2012 Jerseys, Continue Collared Trend

United and Crew become the latest MLS team to unveil new jerseys with collars.

Sounders Reveal New 3rd Kit, Continue To Troll MLS