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Hello, all!
I found out there’s a show called Cakealikes in which people have to make cakes that look like real people, and I do not approve of this program.
Ramble of the Day
The NWSL came back last week, and with a new season came a number of new kits. Not all of the ten NWSL teams dropped new looks, but a number of them did and many of them are worth talking about. None of them are a true ten out of ten, but there was clearly some effort put into a number of these kits and I’d like to thank the powers that be for that.
I’d also like to rank them. (I’d also like to warn you that I have a feeling this ranking might be a little controversial.)
1. Racing Louisville (home)
Four members of our first-ever lineup made their @NWSL debuts last night!
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) April 11, 2021
⚫ @___emilyfox
⚫ @emina_ekic10
⚫ @OlofssonFreja
⚫ @nealymartin pic.twitter.com/QGa4SKJ3Rc
There are critiques to be made about this kit, the chief one being that this is a home kit that does not have lavender, which is the color of the club’s crest. Another is that it has dark purple butterflies on it, and you can barely see them. This, though, popped on my tv screen and gets all the credit in the world for originality. It’s most certainly the most memorable of the bunch, too.
2. NJ/NY Gotham FC (home)
Colossal/Black ‘21 https://t.co/tSxerjKVLM pic.twitter.com/KwoF2wbDWZ
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 8, 2021
We’ve seen this before, but this is one of those instances where the simplicity works nicely. The colors coordinate well, and the design gets points for having a sponsor that does not kill the aesthetic.
3. NJ/NY Gotham FC (away)
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This is where I stop loving the kits. It was definitely a better choice on Gotham’s part to make the black the home kits, because the very light blue does not pop well on white. That said, it more than clears the bar of inoffensive.
4. Houston Dash (away)
The ✨ are big and bright... pic.twitter.com/lvwRbw6H0F
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) April 5, 2021
This, too, is not offensive. It’s inspired by the fact that the Johnson Space Center is in Houston, but I can’t say the little stars do anything for me.
5. Orlando Pride (home)
The @ORLPride took a giant leap for their 2021 primary kit. They also literally sent it into space. Here's the story of the design and what it means about the team's #NWSL ambitions.
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) March 31, 2021
At @TheAthletic: https://t.co/YEj1PMRgKB pic.twitter.com/Jm4GieQ4tj
The Orlando Pride also went with a unique kit, and it’s another space themed one. I did give them points for originality, but ... I don’t think I like any of the elements. The proportions of the gradient are at least much better than the Tottenham kit of 2018-19, but I don’t care for it. I also don’t care for the stars at the top, or the design that helps the transition from black to purple. It isn’t for me.
6. North Carolina Courage (home)
@naomiosaka
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) February 11, 2021
| https://t.co/5Ej46oAKy7 pic.twitter.com/By8W1gieAV
It does not stand out in any way. It’s just a kit.
7. Racing Louisville white (away)
The white away kit patterns a traditional fleur de lis symbol in our primary color, lavender, for a timeless look we're ready to take on the road. pic.twitter.com/f0mda5kxFP
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) April 8, 2021
Again, poor implementation of lavender. This looks like a training top, and no one gets points for making a training top a kit.
8. North Carolina Courage white
70'- Battling into the final 20 minutes #NCCvWAS 3-2 pic.twitter.com/RK8eUWSQnZ
— NC Courage (@TheNCCourage) April 10, 2021
I always appreciate a kit that isn’t boring, but I think ... whatever is happening on the lower half of the jersey (which you can see in better detail here) feels like a low effort design. Some of that design barely even registers in the sunlight. There’s a lot of room for improvement here.
tl;dr: There are enough new NWSL kits to rank them, and a number of them are pretty interesting.
Stay informed, read this: Alex Ritman on UK Muslim Film, a new charity with the aim of eliminating Muslim stereotyping in film for The Hollywood Reporter
Links of the Day
The Premier League and Scottish FA will delay matches to avoid conflict with the funeral of Prince Philip.
Everton’s Jean-Philippe Gbamin picked up a knee injury in training.
A longer read: John Muller on whether or not long shots provide useful goalscoring opportunities for FiveThirtyEight