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I’ve never really noticed Manchester City much until they spent a purported 6.3 bajillion dollars this past season on the likes of players such as Carlos Tevez. No big deal. It stands to reason, then, that the squad would require jerseys fitting for Champion hopefuls. Umbro delivered.
With this year’s Manchester City jersey, I really think Umbro nailed it. It’s classic and reserved in design, yet it still has that edge that looks like the jersey of a contender. The powder blue color of the home jersey is great, and I think that the polyester/spandex fabric is perfect for the color. It isn’t shiny or dull—in fact, it looks pretty natural. Oh, it’s super comfortable, too. It feels like the kind of shirt you’d wear to lounge around on a Sunday, so I can imagine how comfortable it is to play in. The collar/shoulder/sleeve design of this home jersey is also well done. The collar has a little style so that it looks like it dips inside the shirt when it comes around the front of the neck. It has a look that the shoulder, torso and collar fabric are all pieced together in a smooth puzzle. As for the shoulders and sleeve, I like the fact that Umbro kept it super simple with a little homage to jersey style from 20 or so years ago. The ends of the sleeves sport a stitched, thick white cuff to mix it up a little. The sleeves are also set apart from the torso as a kind of overlay, stitched on top of the torso. As for the torso, all I can say is what I’ve been saying. It’s sleek, classic and simple.
The Man City crest is stitched into the left chest and the Umbro logo is stitched into the right. I’m lovin’ the Etihad Airways logo on the front as well. It doesn’t stick out like a sore them and present itself as the reason for the soccer jersey; instead, the logo works with the jersey to send a message that is power, especially with that font. Yowza. Aside from the logos and crests, I like the simplicity in the vertical lines in the fabric. They’re unimposing, but still noticeable. The side of the abdomen carries on the same idea as the sleeves, sans white cuff.
Overall, there isn’t a thing I dislike about the jersey. Sure, there are things that I could have disliked had they been executed wrong, but Umbro did a superb job. Kudos to the company! A jersey will run you the standard $79.99, but, for a jersey of this quality and style, I think it’s worth every penny. I have to wonder how many United fans saw this City jersey and thought, “Man, that’s slick. Too bad I can’t pick one up!”
Written by: Kris Dyer, columnist, soccerprose.com
