Top 3 USMNT Jereys

This is a list of my top 3 favorite United States Men's National Team Jerseys in the past ten years or so.

3. 2010 Away White Jersey

This jersey was worn in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The USMNT made a nice run that year gave hope that the U.S. would become a top nation in soccer. As for how this jersey looks, it is very sleek. I was always a fan of all white uniforms, so this is definitely one of my favorites. The blue (home) version of this jersey had the same color stripe across the front, which made all the players look like beauty pageant contestants. The white one, however, looked pretty cool I think.

2. 2008 Home White Jersey

This jersey was not worn in a World Cup but is still one of my favorites. Perhaps one of  my favorite things about it is the fact that it looked different on TV than it did up close. On TV it looked like just a white jersey, if you looked close you could see the red stripes. Up close however, you get to see not only the red stripes but also the grey tint in every other thick stripe. It made it feel extra authentic to own one of these in my opinion.

1. 2004 Home White Jersey

This has always been my favorite jersey, regardless of whether it had a USMNT logo on it or not. Nike's Total 90 campaign was by far my favorite line of soccer equipment. The circle around the number gave the jersey identity. The circle let everyone know you were wearing Nike Soccer equipment, and was cool. This was when Nike began the evolution to modern soccer equipment.

Review: Puma Evospeed 1.4 sl

The Puma Evospeed 1.4 sl was the lightest cleat ever made when they came out and would still be the lightest if Puma hadn't kept messing around with how light cleats can get. Everything about this shoe is made for speed and nothing else.

The Upper
The upper material is basically the same material you rain jacket is made of...but thinner. As shown in the picture, you can pretty much see right through it. It is a one-piece upper without a single stitch mark. Put simply, it's like playing barefoot (or as close to that as you can get). Some player like a barefoot feel on the ball and the Puma Evospeed 1.4 sl offer just that. And when I say "just that," I literally mean the shoe does absolutely nothing else. It was built for pure speed.

The Sole
The stud plate (also a super light, thin, plastic material) has a cool looking stud on the inside of the heel. It's rounded for easier pivoting. To me, this doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose. I can't remember a time when I ever pivoted with my heel planted in the ground. Pivoting is more of a toe thing; and even if you pivot on your heel, the rest of the studs are in the ground as well, preventing you from pivoting.

The Verdict
These cleats come with a little sticker on the bottom that explains how Puma made a shoe that would barely last one training session (the exact words are above; I paraphrased). The materials are so lightweight that they will rip almost immediately. The pair I had separated from the sole plate a mere 30 minutes into my first session wearing them. That being said, I knew that was the case going in. I bought them because they are somewhat of a novelty shoe. And that is exactly what they are. They're just kind of cool to have and wear every once in a while because they are so different. A better alternative would be to buy the leather version. They are not quite as light, but still one of the lightest cleats out there and will last longer if you maintain the leather.

Bob Bradley: Will Swansea See Success?

This month, Bob Bradley was announced as the new manager at Swansea City A.F.C. He is the first American couch in the English Premier league. Will he flip the club and have success or will he flop?

Bob Bradley's professional coaching career:
- Assistant Coach to Bruce Arena at D.C. United 1996-1998
- Head Coach at Chicago Fire 2000-2002
- Head Coach NY Metro Stars 2002-2006
- Head Coach Chivas U.S.A 2006 season
- Head Coach Men's United States National Team 2006-2011
- Head Coach Egypt Men's National Team 2011-2014
- Head Coach Strabaek Fotbal Club 2014-2015
- Head Coach Le Havre F.C. 2015-2016
- Head Coach Swansea City A.F.C. 2016- Present

Bob Bradley has quite an impressive coaching history, regardless of his record. That being said, I think the most important job he had was the USMNT Coach for two World Cups. Although the U.S. Men did't have the best results in those two tournaments, they still showed well and showed the rest of the world that U.S. soccer is on the up-rise. I credit Bob Bradley with a lot of the wins that team had during those years. With Bradley's experience at the international level, I think he will be able to bring some intensity and even some creativity to Swansea.

Review: Adidas Messi 15.1 FG Solar Slime

The Adidas Messi 15.1 FG Solar Slime is part of the second color pack released in the Messi 15 series. It has an interesting design with the Messi "M" symbol (sort of) on the top of the toe. However, if you are like me, it is not about how they look mainly, but more how they feel. So, let's get down to it.

The Messi 15.1 is a very different shoe in the heel than it is in the toe. In the picture, you can see the heel cage-like webbing device. The only purpose this really serves is keeping the shoe tightly on your foot when tied. The laces are strung through that system, so it really keeps your heel locked down. It is definitely one of the better features on the shoe. As you move through the mid-foot, the material changes to a softer synthetic, similar to a thin leather. It is very soft right out of the box and feels nice on the ball. The Messi logo on top is a little sticky. I'm not sure if it is that way for a purpose, but it doesn't seem to serve a purpose after wearing them.

The stud configuration is a little odd. The stud plate doesn't cover the entire bottom of the shoe as seen in the picture. It also uses triangular shaped studs instead of round. This doesn't really make a huge difference, to me at least. The whole bottom is stiffer than I expected, but I think that was also due in part to the heel cage.

Overall, it is an okay pair of cleats. They definitely do not feel like a high end pair of cleats, from both the materials and the way they feel. I do like, however, the soft upper material across the toe box. For me, it is the highlight of the shoe.

Pogba and Ibra: Why do you need both?

Two of the biggest signings recently have been Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba at Manchester United. One has made an outstanding impact and the other has been less than sufficient (for lack of a better term). I am not a United fan myself, however I am surrounded by them everyday because for some reason, everyone I know is a United fan. Being a soccer fan in general though, it is hard to look away when a team signs two of the biggest names in soccer.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of my personal favorite players. The Swedish national is know for show-stopping goals and an absolute cannon of a shot. Since signing with United, he has taken on the role of the goal-scorer. In fact, he scored in his first appearance with United.

Paul Pogba is also a "high-light reel" type player. The French national is only 23 years old and somehow has us all convinced he is worth more than any other player in the world. He signed with United for 100 million Euros. Let that sink in for a minute. 290k Euros per week. This is all great and everything...except for the fact that he has not produced for his club since singing. Some would say it was a bad signing on United's end. If you ask me, I think they just have too many superstars playing on one team, which can cause a power struggle as well as a chemistry issue.

Credit to Manchester United for flashing the big bucks and going out and getting some of the best players in the world, but it all means nothing if you do not win games. I am not saying this was a bad decision, or that Pogba is not a good player. I am simply raising the point that United may have gotten a little greedy with their signings and did not think about what could go wrong from a team perspective. Let's hear what all the United fans out there have to say, leave your comments below!

Review: Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic FG

The Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic is the baby brother to the new Primeknit generation of Adidas cleats. They basically took the techfit collar off and changed the upper to a synthetic, less soft material. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a pair of these for an extremely low price, as they are definitely not my usual choice for cleats (based on material and colorway).

Upper
The upper, as I have mentioned, is a synthetic material. Adidas kept the web shape design as seen in the picture above. Honestly, it does not to much technology wise. The shoe is very stiff and rigid out of the box, but does loosen up over the first couple of training sessions. Adidas did add slots on the tongue that the laces go through all the way down the tongue. The Ace 15.1 model had problems with the tongue sliding to the side, so this is a nice addition and it actually does make a difference. The material on the upper has a very "unnatural synthetic" feel to it. Some players like that, especially because it is lighter. However, it feels very odd until you break them in well.

Fit
As I said before, they feel odd out of the box, but they do break in well. They will not mold to your foot as well as a leather cleat would, but comfortable nonetheless. They are definitely a more wide fitting shoe. The Ace 16.1 is still tight through the mid-foot, as it should be, but really opens up in the toe box. If you like cleats that will let you wiggle your toes, but not be too big size wise, these are for you. They fit almost like a running shoe which is actually very comfortable, especially by the time you get 80th or 85th minute of a game.

Overall, it is a pretty average cleat. If you like synthetic cleats, but are not a fan cleats like the Nike Mercurial Series that are very tight and narrow, Then I would recommend testing out a pair of the Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic FG.