Throwback jerseys seem to be the trend for this year’s crop of soccer jerseys, which isn’t inherently appealing. Sometimes a team discarded a particular jersey twenty years ago because it was horrific, while other times the discarded jersey is just boring. Imagine if teams started wearing kits from the early 20th century, shudder. Luckily, the New York Cosmos don’t have to worry about this. The Umbro New York Cosmos Away Jersey is a nod to the days of Pelé, and, though very simple, the shirt is stylish in my book.
Tie your shoelaces tight, because we’re about to blow through the visual elements with speeds that cause lightning bolts to blush. The shirt is an emerald green, similar to Ireland. The collar is just like a regular shirt collar with a tiny V cut out of the center. White lines on either side of the neck wrap around the back of the neck and gently curve down over the collar bone, stopping at the sternum. It looks like the beginning of a baseball jersey. The sleeve cuffs: they’re white. The Cosmos team crest is on the left chest while the Umbro logo is stitched into the right. There you have it, folks. That’s it. The baseball jersey comment may be a little tough, but baseball is what comes to mind with that style. ANYWAY, the simplicity is effective with this color of green. It isn’t going to blow your mind, but it is going to keep your eye coming back again and again. For me, the clincher is the white sleeve cuffs. It completes the jersey and creates enough contrast against the rest of the shirt that you feel compelled to keep looking.
So the shirt is appealing to the eyes, but how does it feel? Well, it’s between a form fitting shirt and a regular shirt. It doesn’t hang from the ribs and shoulders, but it also doesn’t adhere to every curve. The material (80% polyester, 20% cotton) is a little on the thicker side compared to jerseys from Nike or Adidas, but I don’t suspect this will be a real issue. The mesh underarms allow for proper ventilation throughout the shirt, so you’ll stay relatively cool in this shirt. What I really love about the material is its elasticity. It’s able to stretch much farther than most jerseys, which is great for range of motion and the like with your arms. Sometimes the sleeves of jerseys can ride up on your shoulder when you raise your arm, but that won’t be the case with this shirt. You should be careful when washing and drying this shirt, though, as the material tends to give out sooner than other jerseys. It isn’t that the material is inherently weaker, but it requires a different kind of care from other shirts. In any case, the jersey is comfortable, soft and flexible. Make sure to take care of it through the laundry, and you’ll have the jersey for years to come.
The $79.99 price tag for one of these bad boys is the standard rate. With the game against Man U coming up, I’d suggest finding your way to one of these shirts quickly as they may go fast. I’m sure there will be a sea of red at Old Trafford, so why not stick out in the green shirt? At the very least, it’ll look like Christmas!
Written by: Kris Dyer, contributing editor, soccerprose.com
