It’s a little upsetting that girls are so quick to pass up a well made women’s cleat simply because it’s in the women’s section of the store. I will say that a lot of women’s cleats are worth passing up because it also seems there just isn’t proper time spent constructing the boots, not to mention the weird colors they believe all girls want to wear. The Women’s CTR360 Maestri FG is one of those rare women’s shoe finds that I think every girl should stop and take a look at. I give Nike a lot of credit; it’s a shoe tailored to a woman’s foot and is a high quality shoe built to maximize ball control. 
Look
This boot strays away from the classic shoes such as the Tiempo, but this is not an over the top cleat that blinds you when you look at it. Nike has integrated their innovative features to double as design aspects of the shoe also. I actually like the teal accents throughout the shoe. It’s a neutral color that doesn’t scream “I’m a girl, so I have to have a pastel color on my shoe.” In all honestly, if I were just walking past the shoe aisle I would have never pegged this as a women’s soccer shoe. This is finally a cleat that allows you to be an individual on the field in a women’s cleat without having to go with the typical color choices.
Physical Attributes
The Maestri is a cleat that was designed to specifically help a player’s first touch and ball control. They have added a handful of innovative features to help improve the players game. First off, Nike has made a revolutionary Kanga-lite synthetic leather. This provides the player with extra comfort, a better fit to help increase performance, and is great in all conditions. Whether you’re trying to keep your foot cool on hot turf or from weighing you down during a rainy game, these cleats will always help you perform at your best ability. On the front of the foot Nike has added dampening pads that are there to help you with the first touch of the ball. I really noticed that I had a little more touch compared to my normal touch. Most importantly, my touch was more consistent. On the inner arch of the foot, there is a receiving pad that helps receive the ball and also helps you give a better pass by giving you a better grip on the ball. Lastly the gradually off-centered lacing is engineered to create a bigger surface area on the foot to control and play the ball.
Critique
I really liked this cleat, and as I mentioned earlier, I think it’s one of the first cleats that was given the attention and quality other women’s cleats aren’t. I was worried the ball control features were going to be a little bit of a gimmick, but I was wrong. The different surfaces on various parts of the shoe only helped not only my ball control a little but also made my touch more consistent as I was playing around in them. They were also super comfortable and not too heavy. I didn’t have to search for my size. What I normally wear in shoes is what I fit in, so it was nice not having to try on a bunch of different sizes to find the right one. I would recommend this cleat to any girl soccer player who is looking for a quality shoe built for our foot.
Overview
A quality soccer shoe like this that is awesome will be in the upper price range of about $180.00. This may be high priced for a women’s cleat, but the quality and wear you will get out of this cleat will not let you down. If you really want to take your game to the next level, you will love the extra ball control you’ll get out of this cleat. Don’t pass up this awesome cleat because of its label; you’ll be missing out!
Written by: Kendra, girls soccer guru, SoccerProse.com
p.s. GIRLS RULE!
