As a new decade begins, MLSSoccer.com's J. Sam Jones has been reflecting back on the last decade of the league and wrote recently about the best 11 kits of the decade.
Philadelphia Union's 2013 third kit cracked the list, as the club paid homage to the original Bethlehem Steel FC who blazed a fiery trail across America. During their run from 1907-1930, the squad from the Lehigh Valley were five-time winners of the U.S. Open Cup (1915, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1926) and not to mention probably the most popular team in Open Cup history.
"There’s a disease in design critique right now that causes people to see boring things and say “clean.” This an example of simplistic and direct actually being clean without being mind-numbing," Jones writes. "Philly’s retro throwback to Pennsylvania soccer integrated their excellent crest into a stunning design scheme that even got the sponsor to make noticeable changes for the sake of the cause. It’s a classic."
