Kit is 13% Lighter and Inspired By One Of Soccer's Biggest Upsets In History
BEAVERTON, Ore., Apr 29, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --NIKE Inc, (NYSE:NKE)
today unveiled the new United States Men's National Soccer Team home kit
which draws inspiration from the team's most famous victory over
England and is the most environmentally-friendly,
technologically-advanced kit in our history.
In 1950, the U.S. Men's National Team caused one of soccer's biggest upsets beating a heavily favored English team 1-0.
The new home jersey is white with an obsidian blue round-neck collar
and a tonal grey sash across the front, which echoes the design of the
U.S. Men's National Team kit wore to defeat England sixty years ago. The
jersey's back neck features a graphic that reads 'USA', while
inside is a graphic of a coiled rattlesnake. Symbolically placed above
the heart on the back of U.S. Soccer Federation's crest inside the
jersey is a coiled rattlesnake accompanied by the defiant and inspiring
message 'DTOM', which stands for 'Don't Tread On Me.' This phrase has
been used for more than two centuries in the United States, first by the
colonies as a warning against the occupying English, and then featured
on the Gadsen flag at the formation of the US Navy. In recent years both
the US Marines and the U.S. Men's National Team have used it as a
patriotic rallying call.
The numbers on the back of the jersey are inspired by the famously
bold and recognizable numerals used throughout collegiate and
professional sports in the USA.
For the first time ever the jersey is made entirely from recycled
polyester, and each top is directly produced from up to eight plastic
water bottles. In addition, the kits have also been designed to enhance
players' performance by keeping them drier, cooler and more comfortable.
Improved Nike Dri-FIT fabric is 13% lighter than previous Nike kits and
helps to quickly evaporate moisture and keep players dry, while the
innovative ventilation zones along each side of the jersey and below the
waistband on the shorts significantly increases air penetration to keep
players cool.
The home shorts are white rather than the usual blue to give the kit
an overall bolder and cleaner appearance and features a varsity red
stripe along each side. On the back of the waistband is a graphic
containing a series of red, white and blue stars. The home socks are
white with 'USA' on the back of each calf and an obsidian blue ergonomic
band emphasizes the calf and leg muscles.
The new away jersey retains the same distinctive details as the home
version, but is obsidian blue with a red modern round-neck collar, and a
white sash with red trim across the front, which echoes the design of
the jersey the USMNT, wore to defeat England in 1950.
The home jersey will be available May 1st at Niketown stores, http://www.nike.com and soccer specialty stores everywhere.
About Nike
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Cole Haan,
which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags,
accessories and coats; Converse Inc., which designs, markets and
distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley
International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports
and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro Ltd., a
leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand. For more
information, visit http://www.nikebiz.com.
For more information, including multi-media materials, please visit: http://www.nikemedia.com
SOURCE: NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc.
New York Media Relations, 212-367-4447