When EAFC24 inadvertently leaked a handful of upcoming NWSL kits, friends, I was concerned. Even prior, there were rumors that Nike – yes, the multi-billion dollar apparel conglomerate – would establish template-based designs for the entire league. Sadly we got templates for away shirts (though some teams did well with their color combinations), but thankfully we also got a fresh batch of primary shirts.

So naturally, me being the guy who cannot control himself, his checking account and/or credit card if need be around dope soccer shirts, had to rank them. No prizes for guessing which shirt came in last. You are correct, it’s the racist one.

dead last, obviously: utah royals

Don’t really care if this kit had been magically woven with regenerating $100 bills, that sponsor is a massive nope, nah, hell no, and what is wrong with you? I certainly don’t buy the benefit of the doubt argument or shoulder shrug of ‘it’s just a bank’, the phrase has been a well-understood and frequently present American ideology from the 1910s to Donald Trump.

‘America First’ was a policy of isolationism that gained popularity amid World War I, the rhetoric of which quickly made it popular with anti semites and white supremacists. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan adopted the slogan, and it reached political popularity again during the second world war, as it prioritized American nationalism over opposing Nazi Germany (GEE I WONDER WHY).

The bank was established in 1939 and had multiple names before landing on ‘America First Credit Union’, but that doesn’t mean they should be given a pass. In fact, the bank changed its name from Federal Employees Credit Union to America First Credit Union in 1984; an election year in which the Populist Party, founded by Willis Carto (a Holocaust denier) and also known as the America First party, eventually helped elect KKK leader David Duke.

White supremacist and former president Donald Trump resurrected the phrase for obvious reasons, but the history goes far beyond that. If he’s aware, the NWSL should be as well. The bank opting for this name and logo is at best egregious ignorance of American history, and at worst an intentional signal. Either way, it’s gross that the Utah Royals and the NWSL have allowed the phrase and imagery be featured prominently on its shirts, and worse that people who would be targets of the hateful ideology the phrase represents will have to wear them.

13) bay fc

The good news for Bay FC is that they don’t have a fascist sponsor, maybe not a great one given what we know about the healthcare system, but better than a white supremacist slogan. The bad news is that this is boring as hell.

The frustrating part is that there’s so much there to work with! The inaugural shield on the bottom of the shirt could and should be the crest at the top, and navy accents on the collar and sleeves could have helped create a classy shirt without a ton of design effort. They also could have gone for something other than a design that mimicked painting with river water. Even something as simple as stripes or hoops would have been a major improvement.

Also, this is very disappointing to me, specifically, because I have wanted Asisat Oshoala in the NWSL for years and absolutely want to buy her shirt, but ancestral common sense will not allow me to drop over $100 on a swaggerless white shirt.

12) kansas city current

Go girl give us nothing. Not you Lo & Nichelle, y’all are serving, but the shirt certainly isn’t.

Annoyingly, this shirt is essentially the exact same design as last year but with an extra splash of teal. Shoutout to extra splashes of teal, but we keep expecting more (and better) from Kansas City and they simply refuse in almost every department. Cool stadium tho I guess.

11) washington spirit

If you’re determined to introduce a new color that doesn’t really have a lot to do with the area, and will be part of a color combination reminiscent of another northeast city, you should be bolder than this. I know I’m not discussing away shirts but the one thing I thought they succeeded in was finding shades of yellow that were interesting and distinct.

Whether stitching, a collar, a side stripe or an outline, yellow should have been incorporated in the primary shirt in some way. It would have accomplished a lot, not only solidifying the new color scheme, but showing its versatility while giving this simple black and gray shirt some pop. I also hate lines that aren’t uniform and can’t help but think vertical lines or horizontal hoops would have been a cleaner look.

10) gotham fc

Ok so in real life this looks much better than the leaked version from EAFC24. Still, it’s not a great shirt. I love a sash, and making a sash out of negative space is kind of interesting, but there’s just not enough.

The marketing blabbery that went along with it mentioned skylines and representing the Hudson River that ‘unifies’ New Jersey and New York. Fine whatever, but why not give us an outline of both skylines? Or use them back-to-back to create the sash itself? We know a skylines can be done in NWSL kits, the Chicago Red Stars placed theirs on the back of their ‘Neighborhood Kit’ in 2020.

While this is slightly better than the leaked thumbnail, it’s still a letdown. And that’s a bit of an L since Yael cooked and Gotham signed lots of extremely popular players. Like, do you know how disinterested in a design I have to be to just hope for something better in 2025 so I can buy another Crystal Dunn shirt? Good lookin out financially I guess but I didn’t ask.

9) houston dash

It’s…fine? There’s nothing that really stands out as particularly good or particularly bad about this shirt. Dash have a huge advantage with their chosen shade of orange, and instead of complementing it or trying something bold they simply let it do the work. I get it, it’s not the worst idea, but that means the shirt can only ever be but so good – and this is proof.

8) portland thorns

Honestly I’m not all that impressed with the shirt but getting out of toxic relationships is difficult and last year’s Ed Hardy shirt had me concerned. This isn’t exactly a glow up, it’s a red shirt with thin triangles transposed that are – wait for it – thorns, yeah ok. The goldish trim is kind of interesting and a good contrast, but that’s about it.

The primary thing though is that the Thorns dumped their ex (in multiple ways), and now hopefully they can begin the process of finding the better version of themselves that they haven’t met yet. I’m rooting for you, I just won’t be wearing this shirt while doing so.

7) chicago red stars

The Chicago Red Stars probably have the most elite history of kits in the league. I wasn’t a big fan of the clip art train shirt, but it was distinct and a risk. They also had the aforementioned Neighborhood and Elevate kits that would absolutely hang in a hypothetical NWSL Shirt Hall of Fame, and last year’s Foundation kit was dope too.

That’s a lot of pressure, and given the ownership change and everything else I don’t think it’s a bad effort, but it lacks the iconic nature and elements of previous attempts. I’m already on record about not loving mismatched patterns, but for me this works better than the Washington Spirit’s primary shirt. Still, given the history this shirt isn’t vibey enough to not feel like a bit of a letdown.

6) north carolina courage

There was a lot more hype about this shirt than I expected. It’s a big enough swing, but I didn’t have the same reaction as others. Though it’s wacky and kinda fun, and incorporates vibrant shades of two most popular primary colors, it doesn’t quite hit for me. The pattern is wild but also looks like zubaz pants under a microscope, and ever since that thought entered my brain I can’t not see it. I am so sorry if I just afflicted you with this as well.

But I don’t hate it, and even appreciate the design elements being in multiple shades of blue, which adds depth and helps make it look complete. For what it is it’s truly well done, it’s just not a look I vibe with (even as I am rooting for Ashley Sanchez to snatch nine-hundred ankles in it).

5) angel city

[slowly clapping] sol rosa!
[standing on chair] Sol Rosa!!
[banging on table] SOL ROSA!!!

We want it, we demand it, there should be more of it. Black shirts are a bit of a cop out and are usually difficult to mess up. This certainly isn’t messed up, I just wish their extremely dope accent color, sol rosa, was used more. Imagine the palms outlined in thin lines of sol rosa? Or piping around the bottom, sleeves and/or collar in sol rosa? Imagine the base color wasn’t black but instead was (yep, you guessed it) sol rosa, and black and gray leaves were layered atop for depth?

Sure that might have resembled the away shirt of their inaugural season, but in response to any such complaint I would simply summit Mt. Everest, assemble an alpine horn at the edge of a cliff, make and patiently sip a hot cup of tea then bellow “AND?” into the valleys below.

4) orlando pride

Ok so when the EAFC24 leaks happened this was the lone shirt to give me any sort of hope. Among the templates and many weird designs, even in its tiny digitized thumbnail iteration, this shirt looked unique and interesting.

Although, I thought the design was going to be more abstract or paint blotches as opposed to just straight up oranges. A bit on the nose but it’s well done and I like the soft colors used throughout the shirt, especially the green, which is a necessary pop of contrast. It’s a fun concept that was well executed with a unique color palette. Plus, Marta seems happy and that’s important.

3) rahsing louisville

This was initially the first shirt that made me gasp, though unfortunately under false pretenses. At first glance I thought the green collar was part of the shirt and was about to break an elbow snatching my wallet from my pocket. Shoutout to whoever styled this shoot, they absolutely crushed it, but now it’s tough for me to not see what could have been.

This doesn’t mean the shirt’s not still a banger, it is. The shade of lavender is soft and incredible and the pattern is classic for a reason, making the shirt a lovely example of how good and simple combinations can elevate an entire design.

I just can’t shake that initial thought that we were getting a bold green collar for contrast, which would have taken this directly to the top spot.

2) san diego wavé

Wavé, thank you so much. Two years ago when you revealed that crest and those colors, then dropped basic ass basicery as your inaugural shirts, I was heartbroken. But this shirt makes up for it. The colors and the design are so distinct and so fun, it looks like an abstract watercolor painting of sunrises and sunsets – which is an extremely dope thing to pull off.

The color play even exists in the number and nameset too, with numbers in navy and names in hot pink (which might be a problem if the league is still keeping those potato cameras around). But the color variation from front to back gives this shirt a complete look and makes sure there’s no dull or uninteresting angle.

It’s a banger and if you see me in my #11 SHAW shirt just know I either woke up feeling myself or am trying to fake it til I make it so. This shirt is a mood lifter, and I will absolutely be using it as such.

1) seattle reign fc

This color combination speaks to my heart. It’s clean, it’s royal, it’s fit for the mf’n queen. The gold trim around the sleevels combined with gold name and numbers made me damn near faint. I wish the collar had carried the gold accent in some way, but still, this shirt is a perfect example of how clean design can translate into a stunning design.

None of this shirt’s design elements roundhouse kick you in the jaw, instead it’s just a neatly composed garment in a perfect color combination that made me throw money at my computer until I received an order confirmation email. I’m not sure how that worked but it did and I cannot wait to see this thing in person so I can shed a single joyous tear, then put it on and summon someone to feed me peeled grapes.