The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season is fast approaching. With that comes the long-awaited time of the year: kit drops. With two expansion sides, new champions, and team anniversaries, the expectations for kits are high.
"This historic uniform refresh with Nike exemplifies our continued commitment to raising the bar and elevating the NWSL brand with vibrant kits that symbolize the powerful connection between the clubs, players, fans, and our communities,” said NWSL Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Julie Haddon. “We are excited to build upon this energetic moment as we approach our 2024 season kickoff.”
Some big changes were made during the off-season in regards to away shirt colors, white shorts, and the room for design potential. For the first time, all 14 teams will receive not only new home primary kits but also secondary kits that showcase the identity of each team.
“A major update this season: Nike has removed white shorts from the entire 2024 uniform lineup, responding to NWSL players who cited them as a distraction on the pitch,” said Nike in their media release for the kits. “The match-day kits also feature Nike Dri-FIT ADV technology, which provides reinforcement, mobility, and breathability where it’s needed most.”
Given the high expectations of the kits, WSX wanted to try our hand at ranking the kits based on what we liked, didn’t like, thought worked, and what fell short. Here are our rankings:
Tier A: Well done, no notes
San Diego Wave -- “Del Sol” Primary and “Poderosa” Secondary
Not much has to be said about this one. The “Del Sol” kit perfectly combines all of the Wave’s colors, as well as the beach theme that they always lean into. The color combination is what we have all been waiting to see from this team. Add in the “Poderosa” pink secondary kit and it all ties together. The pink is vibrant, matching the primary kit. Simply put this was done perfectly.
Orlando Pride -- “Citrus” Primary and “Phoenix” Secondary
The Pride decided to be bold this season and it paid off. Their “Citrus” home kit is unique and integrates colors that we have never seen from them before. Plus the tie to the culture of the state and Central Florida’s citrus industry is very easy to get behind. Their away “Phoenix” kit is the typical Orlando Pride purple but as ambitious as the Citrus Kit is, the simplicity is perfect.
Seattle Reign FC -- “Reflection” Primary and “Summit” Secondary
It’s simple but it is good simple. Going back to their roots of Seattle Reign FC this season, the “Reflection” kit pays tribute to the past and present. The solid navy blue with the gold crest and accents is stunning and truly screams “Reign.” The white “Summit” kit is the perfect contrast to the dark “Reflection” kit while tying in the color in the crest. Simple but elegant from the Reign.
Houston Dash -- “10th-anniversary” Primary and “Space City Blue” Secondary
For the Dash’s 10th year in the league, they had the chance to do something major. That’s exactly what their primary kit does. It’s an ode to H-Town in the most classic way with the orange they’re known for, as well as a subtle reference to space that is meant to symbolize their “out of this world” performances. Staying in touch with the space city theme, the iconic space blue returns after being the color of their secondary kit during their inaugural season. These kits scream Houston and do it well. You can always count on the Dash to hold it down in the kit department.
Racing Louisville -- The “Winner’s Circle” Primary and “Gradient” Secondary
This kit is Louisville. The “Winner’s Circle” kit makes its debut in the 150th year of the Kentucky Derby and is inspired by traditional jockey silks. This traditional pattern has a direct connection to the city and its culture and you can’t go wrong with that. Not only that, the lavender diamonds with the mint overlay contrasted with the white are stunning and pull together all the main colors for Racing. This is Racing’s first kit with lavender as the primary color and they have knocked it out of the park. The Gradient secondary brings back the dark purple that we have seen Lousiville wear in past seasons and it is definitely one of the better-executed ombré kits this year.
Tier B: It’s good
Chicago Red Stars -- Patterned Primary and Solid Blue Secondary
The Red Stars tend to not miss on their kits, having the iconic Momentum kit in 2021 and the Elevated kit in 2019. This year’s are not as strong as those two but they are still well crafted. The pattern is a little busy on their primary kit but the simplicity of the crest is something new for the Red Stars and the change fits. The contrast of the solid kit for the secondary with the patterns in the primary was a good choice but more red in a kit for the Chicago Red Stars would’ve been nice to see.
North Carolina Courage -- Triangle Primary and Pink Ombré Secondary
The Courage’s use of triangles on their primary kit was bold and worked. The nod to the Triangle region, connecting Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, was well done and a kit that connects to the community is always a good kit. The blues are very pretty and very North Carolina. As for the pink ombré secondary kit, it is nice but the pink feels out of place. Understandably, pink is the easiest color to do an ombré with red for, but it feels a little wonky for Courage Country.
Washington Spirit -- “Blackout” Primary and “Spotlight” Secondary
The biggest question mark here is the yellow but it’s not an absolute miss because the yellow is different and unique. Correctly named the “Spotlight” kit, the secondary kit is certainly unlike any other past Spirit kit and it’s a good breath of fresh air. The primary “Blackout” kit is inspired by the architecture in Washington D.C. and is very well executed. The grey and black provide the perfect contrast for the bright yellow of the secondary kit.
Tier C: You are halfway there
Angel City FC -- “Moonlight” Primary and “Sol” Secondary
You cannot deny that Angel City has a beautiful color scheme going on, but it feels too similar. The “Moonlight” kit is supposed to represent the wing from the crest atop an asphalt-like background but it looks more like a leaf than a wing. It is very similar to their “Daylight” kit from 2022 and while their name is Angel City, they do represent and play in Los Angeles and there are so many more things that they could pull from. The “Sol” kit is a beautiful pink and it’s hard to hate.
Utah Royals -- “The Ascent” Primary and “Mountain Heir” Secondary
The idea of “The Ascent” is incredible. The execution? Not as much. The yellow is enjoyable to look at and the mountains are there but they aren’t there enough. More emphasis on the mountains, and possibly a contrasting color to help them stand out, and Utah would move a tier or two up in the rankings. The contrast of the yellow and blue is simply gorgeous and how they were able to work in the blue on the sleeves of “The Ascent” was well done. The “Mountain Heir” jersey is another ombré kit but the dark blue cannot be complained about. One of the better gradient kits from Nike.
KC Current -- Red Primary and Teal Ombré Secondary
Kansas City, you do the same thing every year with your primary kit. It’s always a nod to the three rivers with the Heartland Red. It works but it is getting old. Something more creative for your first season in the new stadium would’ve been nice to see. The teal ombré in the secondary kit is gorgeous though which is why they ended up here and not a tier lower.
Tier D: Oh dear
Portland Thorns -- “Forever” Primary and “Reflection” Secondary
Portland, what happened here? Can’t even find the vision with this one. The “Forever” kit is very bright and the yellow feels very out of place for the team. Not to mention, the socks look like chips and salsa. The “Reflection” kit isn’t much better as again, what is with the color palette? What happened to green and white and black and red? This blue does not scream Portland; the ombré does not work for the two colors. The plus is they are different and not boring.
Gotham FC -- Black Primary and White Secondary
Now this one feels like a giant miss on the mark. For the last two seasons, Gotham has had essentially the same jersey just inverted with a blue stripe instead of the new black stripe. There is so much potential to lean into the New Jersey/New York energy and this is just not it. Coming off a championship win, it would have been nice to see Gotham come out with something new and unique. But, it fell flat. At least the gold star above the crest looks nice.
Bay FC -- White Ombré Primary and Dark Grey Secondary
Not a great start to their inaugural season for Bay FC. These were incredibly underwhelming. There is so much more that they could have done with them to connect them to the area that they represent, such as including cable cars or the Golden Gate Bridge, but alas, plain kits it is. The white ombré has foggy vibes which seems to be the trend so far for Bay. The red used in the crest of the secondary kit would have been nice to see utilized more so throughout the kit itself but at least, there’s some color. All in all, disappointing.
The NWSL season kicks off on Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. EST with the reimagined Challenge Cup presented by CarMax featuring 2023 NWSL Champion Gotham FC hosting 2023 Shield Winners San Diego Wave at Red Bull Arena.
The regular season will then kick off on Saturday, March 16th with a slate of matches all over the country. Kansas City Current will host the Portland Thorns at their brand-new CPKC Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff on ABC. Four other games will follow as the 12th season of the NWSL begins.
Comments