Major League Soccer 2016
The 21st MLS season kicks off on 6 March and runs through until the play-off final in the first week of December. Following on from last year's changes, 2016 will be a season for consolidation and there are no changes in the format or membership. Plans have, however, been announced for future expansion to twenty-four teams. Teams from Atlanta and Minnesota will join MLS next year. In 2018 a new team from Los Angeles will join the competition. The much publicised Miami franchise fronted by David Beckham has been struggling to get municipal approval for the location of a new stadium: two sites were rejected by local authorities but a tentative agreement has now been made with the city mayor's office to redevelop the site of the former Orange Bowl. No date has yet been announced for Miami to start playing in MLS. In the longer term, the Board of Governors have commited to further expansion to 28 teams but no timetable has yet been established.
All of the strips intoduced this year feature the new Adidas style in which the iconic three stripes have been moved to the side of the body. Expansion teams and those that have rebranded are permitted to introduce new strips as they wish, otherwise franchises must retain each kit for two years.
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The signature white chest band that went missing in 2012 is back along with a new sponsor while dark blue continues as an accent colour to make a very smart outfit. Naturally the existing change strips has been updated with the new sponsor's logo.
Colorado had a poor 2015, finishing last in the Western Conference. The new first strip was revealed on March 10 and is more or less the same as last year but with the latest Adidas styling on the shirt.
The launch of the new Columbus second strip provoked a veritable Twitter storm of derision. The intention was to incorporate the colours of the city flag into the strip and market it under the "For Columbus" strap line but the decision to wear bright blue shorts (a minor element in the flag) makes the whole thing look ludicrous. Last season's black change strip now serves as first choice, robbing the team of their distinctive look.
The new first strip is, as usual, all-black but now has red trim instead of white. The team made it as far as the Eastern Conference semi-finals last year. A redesigned crest appears on the first kit.
My prediction about the new Dallas first kit was, of course, entirely wrong. Rather than matching the design of the change strip, the new shirt features two-tone hoops offset with fine white stripes.
Houston have kept their 2015 first choice strip and introduced a dramatic new alternative.
Galaxy had a very modest 2015 season and were knocked out in the first round of the play-offs. Their new first strip introduces a very attractive two-colour sash. The change strip is unchanged apart from the restyled sponsor's logo type and a single gold star to represent their five MLS Cup wins.
Montreal have reinstated striped shirts last seen on the 2013 third kit, reflecting the motif on their crest. A nice touch is the jock tag, now with an English rose, Scottish thistle, and Irish shamrock along with the French fleur-de-lys.
The Revs new first shirt is supposed to remind us of the uniforms worn in the War of Independence. Frankly this is a bit of a stretch: the vertical stripes look smart enough without trying to evoke yet another spurious historical connection.
Although NYC failed to reach the play-offs, they attracted an average of 29,000 fans to their home games, making the newcomers the third best supported side in MLS. Their eye-catching new second strip is meant to reflect the energy and dynamism of New York City.
There is not much that is different with the Red Bulls' new change strip (although the shorts and shorts have not been confirmed). The Adidas three-stripe trim has been moved to the side of the body in common with all of Adidas' new releases. The Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield on goal difference last year and in any other league would have been the champions.
Purple sleeves have been added to Orlando's change strip as well as the latest style of Adidas trim. Although the kit is relatively plain it looks very smart.
Philadelphia reached the final of the US Open Cup last year but lost out to Columbus Crew in a penalty shoot-out. They have updated their first strip to the latest Adidas design. The jock tag on the shirt is the rattlesnake adopted by the Continental Marines during the Revolutionary War along with the motto, "Don't Tread On Me."
Portland won the MLS Cup last year, their first major honour, beating Columbus 2-1 in the play-off final. Their first strip has been updated with a star above the crest and a modified sponsor's logo. A brand new and very striking alternative has been introduced in the usual rose red and black colours. Dark green shorts are available for the first kit and red for the second when colours clash with opponents.
Salt Lake's supporters will want to forget their team's 2015 campaign when they finished next to last in the Western Conference. Supporters are disappointed that blue shorts have not been reinstated in the new Adidas design.
For the first time in five years San Jose have secured a shirt sponsorship deal. The change strip is new.
The Sounders' home attendances averaged over 44,000 making them the best supported team in MLS by a considerable margin. They reached the Western Conference semi-finals but were beaten by Dallas on penalties. Their new first kit is in the new Adidas template with sublimated vertical stripes made up of stylised "'S's". The third kit has a flecked pattern printed into the shirt fabric.
Kansas hold the US Open Cup after beating Philadelphia on penalties. It is time for a new change strip and Adidas have supplied a navy set with tonal blue bands across the chest.
Toronto made it to the first round of the play-offs where they were beaten by their Canadian rivals, Montreal. Their new change strip is a tribute to Toronto Metros-Croatia who won the NASL championship 40 years ago.
The graded front on the new Vancouver change shirt is meant to evoke the misty horizons over the Pacific and is marketed with the strap line "Sea to Sky." There is a subtle pattern sublimated into the fabric to represent ripples on the surface of the ocean and the reflections of the North Shore Mountains. Outstanding.