The U.S. women’s national team is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a new set of kits from Nike, and they are not just another set of threads. These are some of the USWNT’s boldest uniforms yet.
The primary white kit isn’t, well, white. It’s a denim-inspired blue star design that may remind some fans of the men’s kits from the 1994 World Cup, but they don’t have the same cheesiness of those shirts. The USWNT’s effort is much more modern and composed, which is tough to pull off with such an adventurous idea, but these absolutely do.
The navy and blue trim around the neck and sleeves helps keep the kit composed, and it ties in the crest and Nike badge, so everything fits. It’s a really smart piece of design and makes for a terrific jersey befitting a 40th anniversary.
And, despite being a bombastic and patriotic kit that channels the American flag, the primary isn’t the audacious shirt in the set.
The secondary kit is a real swing from the USWNT and Nike, as they go with an obsidian (you’re forgiven if you call it black) shirt with thin red and blue stripes that looks absolutely gorgeous.
The stripes are perfectly spaced, making this unmistakably an obsidian jersey with the red and blue simply serving as accents, but they are phenomenal accents. They make it clearly an American shirt without hitting you over the head with Americana the way the primary uniform does.
The trim goes a long way to bringing this kit together as well, with the red along the neck and sleeves making the whole thing look coherent and thought out. It also gives the shirt shape and asserts red as the dominant trim color, making the blue feel like the last finishing touch to round things out.
The obsidian shirt is going to be an instant classic and one you’re going to see people wearing a decade from now. Anything black, or near-black, is a must have because of how easily it slides into anyone’s wardrobe, and this shirt will do that, becoming an option for fans at the match, in the bar or for a night out.
Individually, these are two excellent kits and would stand among the best U.S. shirts in ages, but they are even better together.
The primary shirt screams America and international soccer, while the secondary kit looks like it came off the street at 1 a.m. and just so happens to fit on the pitch. The stars harken back 31 years and the obsidian is from the future.
They’re kits that play off each other, representing two very different aesthetics, but they are also working together. From the trims and Nike swooshes, which use the same red, to the texture of the fabric that gives both kits a necessary depth, the two don’t feel like they are coming from two different places. Even the tag uses a throwback design with the federation’s modern motto — “One nation, one team” — bridging the gap between the two kits.
Two shirts, with opposite designs that come from very different eras, could easily clash, but these don’t. There is a clear throughline.
If there was one criticism, it’s that the primary 40th anniversary kit for the USWNT is going to draw comparisons to a men’s jersey because of how iconic the 1994 outfit was, but men hardly have a claim to stars in the country of stars and stripes.
In all, this is a phenomenal set of kits and they should fly off the shelves. It’s too bad that these won’t be worn at a major tournament, and instead will fill the slew of friendlies the USWNT plays in the run up to the 2027 World Cup beginning with the May 31 tilt against China, but who are we to complain about great kits?
