CONCACAF Gold Cup- Groups A, B, C

Yes, I know this post comes way too late to really give a preview of the uniforms of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, hosted jointly by the USA and Canada, but maybe it will provide a look at a secondary uniform for a team that had only worn one kit up to this point.




The top team in Group A should be pretty self-explanatory. USA, the 34th ranked team in the world, highest in CONCACAF, and 5-time and defending Gold Cup champions, as well as the co-hosts, are easily the favorite to win this tournament. The Yanks' uniforms are simple ones from Nike: the same primary white kit as the one worn at last year's World Cup (which was worn in both of their games in this tournament so far), and a secondary blue jersey which is new for 2015. (Murica.)

The best chance for the USA to get knocked off of the top of the group comes courtesy of Panama, the 62nd-ranked team in the FIFA rankings. Panama were in the finals in 2013, falling to the United States by a score of 1-0 for their second finals loss. In this tournament, Los Canaleros will be wearing New Balance kits, with white and red options.

The underdog of Group A is Haiti, who sit at 79th in the world, even after being as high as 38 two years ago. Les Grenadiers have never made it past the quarterfinals, a trend they look to break this year. For Haiti, they will have two kit options from Joma this tournament: a primary blue outfit and a secondary red jersey option.

The lowest-ranked team in Group A is, somewhat surprisingly, Honduras, who enter 80th in the world. Los Catrachos qualified for the World Cup last year (although they did finish 31st out of 32 teams), but how far they have fallen is still a surprise, as they were the 12th and last team to qualify for this tournament. Honduras were runners-up in the first-ever Gold Cup, and have made the semifinals three tournaments running, but the odds are still against them to continue that run. At this Gold Cup, Honduras will have two kit options from Joma: a primary blue look as well as a secondary white getup.



Opening up Group B would be the co-hosts, Canada. The Canucks are the lowest-ranked team in the group, at 103rd, but did win the Gold Cup in 2000. This year, Canada has two new jerseys from Umbro: a secondary white kit and a primary red jersey. (Canada.)

If you are looking for a favorite in Group B the best bet would be Costa Rica. Los Ticos made a miracle run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, are ranked 41st in the world, and have appeared in all but one Gold Cup, including finishing as runners-up in 2002. This year marks Costa Rica's first year under New Balance, and they have new kits to go with it, in primary red and secondary white options.

The next-best team in Group B is easily Jamaica, who enter 76th in the world after winning the Caribbean Cup to earn qualification to this tournament. The Reggae Boyz's best finish in the Gold Cup came in 1993, when they placed third. Fresh off of a group-stage elimination in the Copa America, Jamaica do have new jerseys this year from Romai, in primary yellow and secondary green options.

The final team in Group B is El Salvador, who enter ranked 88th in the world. La Selecta have made the Gold Cup quarterfinals four times, including the last two tournaments, but never farther. El Salvador are the only team in this Gold Cup with Mitre jerseys, which feature a primary blue and secondary white options.



The unanimous favorites in Group C are Mexico, the six-time Gold Cup champions. El Tri made the knockout stages of the World Cup last year, and are entering the Gold Cup just weeks after appearing in the Copa America. They are looking for revenge this year after falling to Panama in the semifinals of the 2013 Gold Cup. This year's adidas jerseys for Mexico have caused a lot of controversy, in a sense, as there are only two options: a primary black and secondary white option, which noticeably does not include a green jersey, a staple of Mexican soccer for generations. The jersey issue notwithstanding, Mexico are still one of the top four favorites to win the Gold Cup.

Surprisingly to some, the team with the best odds to defeat Mexico in the group would be Trinidad and Tobago, who enter the Gold Cup ranked 64th in the world and making their 9th Gold Cup appearance, although their highest finish has been third place (in 2000), The Soca Warriors will be wearing Joma kits at this tournament, including a primary red and secondary white options.

In contrast to the other two teams in the group, the next two are the two worst-ranked teams in the tournament. Cuba enters 104th in the world, and their time in this tournament so far has been marred by two players defecting from the country and, before the team's opening game, six players and the head coach had their flight delayed and missed the game. The Leones del Caribe did make the quarterfinals in 2013, but the problems they have had so far don't seem to allow that again. Cuba will be outfitted by Joma at this tournament, wearing two kits: white and blue.

The worst team in Group C, and in all of the Gold Cup, would be Guatemala. Los Chapines are ranked 105th in the world and have never finished higher than 4th at a Gold Cup. At this Gold Cup, Guatemala will have two Umbro uniforms: a primary white and secondary blue option.


Yes, I know how late this was. Yes, I know it serves virtually no point now. But I had to get this off my back at some point. I'm still trying to figure out what I will be doing next, but a post about that should come sometime before August 15. Peace.

Women's World Cup- Groups E and F

With under an hour until kickoff of matches in Group F today, I realize that this post is cutting it quite close to being "before kickoff for each group"; however, in my mind it still hits that requirement. Without further ado, the uniforms for both groups E and F:


The top team in Group E is Brazil, who sit 7th in the world at the start of the World Cup and have one of the best players in the world, Marta, on the field for A Seleção. The interesting thing about Brazil's Nike jerseys is that the women's team has never won a World Cup, their best finish being runners-up in 2007, but both the primary yellow and secondary blue display the five stars won by the men's national team.

Korea Republic, or South Korea as they are more widely known, come into the WWC 18th in the world, making only their second World Cup appearance and first since 2003. The Taegeuk Nangja, even with their inexperience, are still one of the favorites to advance from the group. They will be wearing Nike jerseys as well, with a primary red and secondary white option.

The only kit so far confirmed by Spain, who sit 14th in the world heading into their first World Cup, is a basic red jersey from adidas. As far as I could find, no other kits have been anounced by La Roja; it is likely, however, that they will emulate the men's national team and wear a secondary black jersey (without the World Cup champions patch or star over the crest), and possibly a white third jersey similar to the one worn by the men in 2014.

For Costa Rica, the underdogs of Group E, their hopes look slim heading into the World Cup, but they could still pull off a miracle run like the men's team did in 2014. Costa Rica comes in 37th in the world, the lowest-ranked team from CONCACAF to make the tournament, but will have new New Balance kits in red and white, featuring a giant collar on the white jersey.


The unquestioned top team in Group F is France, who sit 3rd in the world and are one of the favorites to run the table and win the World Cup title. Les Bleues finished fourth in 2011, and have one of the easier groups to escape. France's jerseys for 2015 will be produced by Nike, with primary blue and secondary white options for at least three group stage games.

France's hold on the top of the group isn't secure yet, however, thanks to 6th ranked England. The Three Lionesses are at their highest ranking ever, and appeared in the quarterfinals of Germany 2011. This year, from Nike, England have confirmed a primary white jersey. It seems likely that England will also have available a secondary red jersey similar to the one pictured, just without the championship star, but the availability of that jersey is still in question.

In contrast to those two teams, the other two in Group F pale in comparison. Colombia enter 28th in the world, and although Las Cafeteras are at their highest ranking ever, their odds of advancing seem slim. The Colombia kits mirror the ones worn by the men's team last year, in primary yellow and secondary blue options from adidas.

The final team at this World Cup is Mexico, who enter 25th in the world out of CONCACAF. Unlike the men's jerseys for Mexico, which had virtually no red or green, the national colors. the adidas jerseys for El Tricolor are those two colors, with a primary green and secondary red jersey available to wear.

Under 30 minutes to go with the posting of this rundown, but it is complete. Barely. The uniform rundowns for CONCACAF's 2015 Gold Cup will be coming next, but that tournament doesn't start until July. Enjoy some great soccer until then.

Group D- Women's World Cup

With the FIFA Women's World Cup kicking off tomorrow, I will definitely not finish a uniform rundown for all six groups before the first match kicks off; however, I should finish each successive group before its first match kicks off. With that having been said, here are the uniforms of Group D:



The top team in Group D is the United States of America, who currently sit 2nd in the world, were runners-up at the 2011 World Cup, and lie just a border away from hosts Canada. The Yanks are one of the favorites to win the tournament in 2015, which would place a third star above the crest. However American it might feel to root for the USA this year, the primary kits from Nike are anything but, with no red or blue anywhere, only black and neon yellow. The all-blue secondary kit, although still not incredible, is much better by comparison.

Continuing the idea that Group D is the group of death, Sweden comes in 5th in the world, led by former American coach Pia Sundhage. Sweden, just like the USA, has appeared in all seven World Cups, but has never finished higher than third (although that did come in 2011). Sweden's adidas jerseys for this World Cup are unique in that they were designed with the help of two Swedish designers.

Group D continues with a third team in the top ten in the world, as Australia sits 10th in the world coming into the World Cup. The Matildas will be wearing blue secondary kits from Nike with the same design as the men's secondary kits, but the yellow primary will be of a design more classic to the Australia women.

The outlier team of Group D is Nigeria, who sit 33rd in the world, although they are the top team in CAF and the defending continental champions. They are heavy underdogs to advance out of the group for just the second time in the country's history, although they have appeared in all seven Women's World Cups. Nigeria will be wearing one of these three Nike kits as their primary jersey at this world cup, although I couldn't find any resource that showed the results in English or a secondary jersey.


For the record, in Group D, USA-USA-USA! Murica.

Group C- WWC, Copa America

The final warm-up matches have been played, and the teams have arrived in Canada for the Women's World Cup, and although that might not be the case for the Copa America, the wait is still almost unbearable until we next get to see a major tournament. Continuing with uniform rundowns, today we have Group C for both tournaments.

Japan are the best team in Group C by far: they are the defending champions, winning the World Cup as hosts in 2011, and currently sitting 4th in the world, putting them fifteen spots above the next-best team in the group. The Japanese women will be wearing virtually the same kits as the men did last year in the World Cup, but with one tweak, courtesy of adidas: the secondary kit will have pink numbers, names, and shorts piping on the volt yellow kit, compared to blue for the men. The primary blue kit will be the same as what the men wore last year.

The favorites to advance out of the group behind Japan would have to be Switzerland, who sit 19th in the world heading into this tournament. La Nati will be appearing in the World Cup for the first time, and will face stiff competition, yet are still one of the favorites to advance out of the group. Their Puma kits are unique in that the national crest is on the right side of the jerseys and the flag placed over the heart, on both the primary red and secondary white kits.

The worst team in the group is Cameroon, sitting at 53rd in the world and one of the lowest-ranked teams to get into the World Cup. Cameroon will be appearing in their first-ever world cup, just like Switzerland, but have nowhere near the pedigree of the Swiss. Cameroon will be wearing simpler Puma  primary jerseys than the men's team wore at their World Cup, a green jersey without sublimations. However, the secondary yellow kit will be, by all indications, the same as what was worn by the men.

The final team in Group C is Ecuador, who will mark the third team in the group to be appearing in their first World Cup in national history. La Tricolor will be wearing the exact same kits as the men this year, just cut differently, for both the primary and secondary yellow and blue kits from Marathon, a supplier based in Ecuador.

The top team in Group C, the final group of the Copa America, is Colombia. Brazil should have hosted this tournament, but swapped with Chile, and then had their reputation nearly destroyed by the final two matches of the World Cup. Colombia comes in fresh and with a ballooning reputation for style and speed. Ranked 4th in the world, Colombia come in as the second favorite to win the tournament, behind only Argentina. Los Cafeteros have only won one Copa America, back in 2001, but could add another trophy this time around. Colombia will wear the traditional yellow primary shirt and a blue secondary jersey from adidas, although the blue is dark enough to look black from some angles.

With five World Cup-winning stars above their crest, Brazil would seem like a natural choice as the top team in Group C. However, the disappointments at the World Cup and a new manager have Brazil sitting 5th in the world and not even the favorites to automatically move on from their group. However, they still claim the title of best-dressed team, as the primary yellow kit from Nike is a timeless classic and the secondary blue jersey isn't bad by itself. Even the never-before-worn olive green third kit can be appreciated, although for a country like Brazil it does look more like a training shirt than something to be worn at the Copa America.

Peru hardly have to travel south to get to this tournament, but that might be the only edge they have in this group. Sitting 63rd in the world, the odds are stacked against both Peru and groupmates Venezuela to advance to the knockout stages. This year's Umbro kits for Peru stay nearly the same as 2014, with the primary white kit and secondary red strip keeping the traditional look for another year.

The final team in Group C, and in this uniform rundown, Venezuela are the lowest-ranked team in the group, at 69th in the world. Sadly, they are another team to fall victim to the volt/neon yellow craze sweeping sports, as the Venezuelans will be wearing a classic primary kit in maroon, but an eyeball-burning all-volt secondary strip. For the eyes of viewers, it might be a good thing that the chances of Venezuela advancing in the tournament are very low.

Because of the limited amount of time remaining until the Women's World Cup starts, it appears that I won't complete all six groups before the tournament kicks off June 6; however, I should have all of the rundowns done before games in each successive group start; for Group D, that would be June 8. The Copa America only has three groups however, so I have finished that and will be moving on to the uniforms of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which begins July 7, once the uniforms of the Women's World Cup are done. For now, though, I will be trying to get through all of the women's uniforms for the final three groups as quickly as possible.

Peace.

Group B- WWC, Copa America

As the clock continues to kick to kickoff, with only nine days to kickoff of the Women's World Cup in Canada and fourteen days to the Copa America in Chile, the rundown of the uniforms for the teams in both of these tournaments continues, today with Group B of both tournaments.



At the top of Group B on the women's side sits Germany, the number 1 team in the world and one of the favorites to win this World Cup, along with France, the USA, and defending champions Japan. The Germans, two-time champions, wear a traditional primary kit, all-white with red and black accents, in the style the men's team won the World Cup in last year; their secondary kit, however, is much different from the one worn by the men: solid red with only black accents. No white appears on the secondary adidas jersey.

Côte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast in English, are the lowest-ranked team to have qualified for Canada 2015, at 67th in the world. The Ivorians are another one of the teams to have not changed their kits for this season, sticking with the all-orange from Puma for the primary kit and monochrome green for the secondary. Although the kits pictured were worn by the men's team, the only difference for the women is the cut of the jersey itself. One thing to take note of is that there is still a possibility of a third kit being introduced by Ivory Coast, likely in white, to allow for a "light" colored option.

Although the biggest controversy leading up to the World Cup came over some matches being played on turf, in Europe some heads were turned towards the Norway national team, who currently sit 11th in the world. When the first kits for the country from Nike were seen on pitch for the first time, the women's team didn't have the female-cut kits, instead wearing "gender-neutral" jerseys. After some uproar, Nike said that they would provide new kits, but not before the world cup. Therefore, by default, the Norweigans will be the worst-dressed team at this tournament BY FAR. Ouch.

The final team in Group B on the women's side is Thailand, who will be making their World Cup debut this spring and summer. The women, who currently sit 29th in the world, will be sporting new jerseys from Grand Sport, a Thai manufacturer, in primary red and secondary blue options. As with Ivory Coast, there is the possibility of FIFA forcing Thailand to introduce a third kit, most likely in white, to provide a "light" option.




The best team in Group B of the 2015 Copa America is easily Argentina, the 14-time continental champions. Los Albicelestes, who finished runners-up at the last World Cup and currently sit 2nd in the world, are the favorites to take the title this year in Chile. adidas has done another stellar job with the Argentina uniforms, going classic blue-and-white stripes on the primary kit and a full-navy blue look for the secondary kit.

Yet another team in the Puma skintight uniforms, Uruguay help contribute to making Group B the "Group of Death" at this Copa America. The defending champions, currently 8th in the world, had a disappointing showing at the World Cup, but look to bounce back this year. Obviously, karma does not play a major role at Uruguay, as La Celeste will be wearing the same kits for the second year running, sky blue on the primary and all-white for the secondary kit.

On the bottom half of Group B, the future does not look bright in this tournament for either of the bottom two teams. Paraguay sit 81st in the world, next-to-last in CONMEBOL. Although their tournament hopes might not be sharp, their adidas kits are: Paraguay will wear red and white stripes on the primary kit and go with a solid grey secondary kit that includes sublimated light grey hoops down the front.

The final team in Group B is the second of two CONCACAF teams, Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz changed kit manufacturers from 2014 to 2015, going now with Romai Sportswear, a UAE-based manufacturer. The kits were revealed earlier in the year to very little fanfare, showing that the 74th-ranked Jamaicans will be wearing two non-white kits this year, green as the primary and yellow as the secondary kit.

With the Women's World Cup starting in just nine days, it becomes crunc time to finish uniform rundowns. Group C in both tournaments might be up tomorrow, Saturday at the latest. Yes, this will be the quickest I have posted two posts yet, but get used to it. Three major international tournamens this summer requires it.

Group A- WWC, Copa America

Although this is a bit late, the rundown of the uniforms for both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Copa America are here, starting in Group A for both competitions. Firstly, the uniforms of the teams in Group A of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup:

The top team in Group A is the host, Canada. The Canadien women, currently ranked 8th in the world, are making just their fifth appearance at a world cup, this time not having to qualify by virtue of being the host nation. Canada unveiled new primary and secondary kits for 2015, although they don't stray much from previous Canada kits. The primary red kit and secondary white kit both do not stray much from previous jerseys, although the sublimation applied to the white jersey by Umbro is certainly unique in the footballing world.

The second-best team in Group A is the 12th ranked Leeuwinnen, or Lionesses, of the Netherlands, who have qualified for their first ever world cup. The Holland women are sticking with the same primary kit they wore in qualifying for the World Cup, the all-orange ensemble, but have changed their secondary kit to a white jersey that virtually mirrors the primary. This white kit from Nike replaces the blue design worn by the team in qualifying for the World Cup.

The final two teams in Group A are currently ranked 16th and 17th in the world, China PR and New Zealand, respectively. China PR, or the Forceful Roses as they are known in their home country, are in their first year as a Nike team after more than 30 years with adidas. For their first year with a new supplier, China PR will be wearing two heavily templated designs, all red for the primary kit and an all-white secondary. Both jerseys are based off of generic Nike templates, unlike last year's adidas design, which featured a custom-designed look featuring dragon scales on the front of the kit.

The Football Ferns of New Zealand are appearing in their fourth World Cup, but enter as the underdogs of Group A. This position as underdog is reinforced in that New Zealand has never won a World Cup match in nine tries and has only scored five goals in their WWC history. The Football Ferns will be wearing the plainest kits of the group, all white for their primary kit and all black for the secondary from Nike.


Kicking off the 44th Copa America will be the hosts, Chile, who hold the title of being the best team in Group A at 16th in the world. Although things could change between now and the first match for Chile, it appears that they will be wearing the same kits worn at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the skintight red primaries and white secondary kits from Puma.

One of two guest teams to the tournament, along with Jamaica, Mexico are one of the favorites to advance out of group play, although their adidas jerseys do them no favors. For the first time in national team history, Mexico, who enter 22nd in the world, are not wearing a green kit. To add to the misery, there is no real green on either the primary black or secondary white kits, instead featuring a neon shade of green that might best be described as lime green, not the national color.

Topping the list of "major teams with tiny uniform suppliers" is Ecuador, who sits 34th in the world, but still gets jerseys from Marathon, a company based in Ecuador. The national team kits haven't changed much in the last 15 years, with the same basic design sticking around on the primary yellow and secondary blue jerseys. Just like Chile, it appears that Ecuador will be sticking with the uniforms they wore at last summer's World Cup through 2015 as well.

The final team in Group A of this Copa America is currently the worst team in CONMEBOL, Bolivia, who currently sit 92nd in the world. The Bolivian team made a major jump before this tournament, which many in the country see as a starting point towards international viability, and Bolivia reinforced that idea by getting new uniforms for the first time in three years They join Ecuador as the only two national teams sponsored by Marathon, but will stick with the basic primary green and secondary white jerseys.


Now that school is winding down, the soccer season jumps into full swing, so I should be coming out with more posts on a regular basis, most likely once or twice a week, covering the uniforms of all of the teams in the Women's World Cup, Copa America, and the Gold Cup. If my next post isn't up tomorrow, it will be by next Sunday. Hopefully.

NEW POST SCHEDULE

It seems that college baseball and softball just don't have the coverage of other sports such as basketball, so I will be abandoning the idea of making the next set of posts on them. Instead, with the large amount of international soccer being played this summer (FIFA Women's World Cup, Copa America, Gold Cup), I will instead be turning my attention to the national teams playing in these tournaments. The WWC will be starting on June 6, so I will try to cover the uniforms being worn by the 24 teams in the tournament in the days before it starts, going group by group. I will be doing the same for both the CONMEBOL Copa America and its 12 teams, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 12 teams participating there. Hopefully, I should have up the uniform rundown for Group A of the Women's World Cup done by Friday at the latest, and the other five groups done by the June 6 kickoff date. Hopefully.