CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati unveiled its first-ever Major League Soccer jerseys, which are presented by Mercy Health, tonight in a special ceremony at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. While the team’s primary blue and orange kit was showcased at the event, the team revealed its secondary, away jersey via social media prior to the event’s start.
The jerseys are now available for purchase via an exclusive pre-sale at the FC Cincinnati Shop (43 East Fourth Street, Cincinnati), as well as at MLSStore.com. The jerseys are available in men’s ($85), women’s ($85) and youth ($65) sizes, and are expected to be fulfilled the week of Feb. 25 through the point of purchase.
In tandem with Adidas, the official on-field supplier for MLS, FC Cincinnati designed the team’s inaugural MLS kits in record time after the team’s May invitation to join MLS in time for the 2019 season.
The kits were concepted and designed in just two months – in June and July – to be ready for presentation and league approval at the 2018 MLS All-Star Game in Atlanta. The normal MLS kit design process takes 18-20 months prior to its scheduled release.
“We want to thank MLS and Adidas for working so closely with us to create a really sharp inaugural primary jersey in record time,” FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said. “It’s a dynamic design that really shows the upward and unlimited potential of soccer in Cincinnati. It has a lot of movement and brings the eye up, demonstrating our quick rise to MLS. We believe this is a fantastic entry for us into the league and we look forward to our players – and fans – wearing it with pride this year.”
THE PRIMARY KIT
The 2019 FC Cincinnati primary jersey features a royal blue base, which is distinctively accented with vibrant orange throughout.
Based on a Mi Adidas template, the inaugural FCC kit has short diagonal orange accent lines of varying widths that form virtual vertical stripes on the front.
Mercy Health, the club’s kit sponsor, is featured prominently in white across the chest – overlaid on top of the stripe design.
The team’s crest is emblazoned over the player’s heart, and features special metallic thread for the inaugural season. A special jock tag on the left front hem features “2019 Inaugural Season” with the 0 in 2019 replaced with the club’s crest.
The neck and arms feature white and orange fabric to form a double-layer edge. Adidas’ trademarked “Three Stripes” are featured in orange on the jersey shoulders. MLS logos – in the same orange and blue metallic thread as the crest – are positioned on each arm.
The shorts are a lightweight royal blue material with Adidas’ “Three Stripes” featured on the outside seams of both legs. The club crest is positioned on the right leg’s hem.
The kit is completed with royal blue knee-high socks, which feature three orange stripes on the top cuff.
THE SECONDARY JERSEY
The 2019 FC Cincinnati secondary jersey is a simple and powerful pure white design with monotone, textured horizontal stripes of varying thickness. The Adidas “Three Stripes” are in white on the shoulders, and Mercy Health’s logo is showcased in black on the front chest. The neckline and cuff fabric are also white.
The same metallic-threaded FC Cincinnati logo as is on the primary jersey also appears on the left chest of the secondary kit, and the MLS logos in blue and orange appear on both sleeves.
A white jock tag with the same design as the primary jersey also appears on the lower left hem.
FC Cincinnati’s debut MLS game will be at Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, March 2, at CenturyLink Field. The Orange and Blue will make their home debut as an MLS team at Nippert Stadium on Sunday, March 17, when the team hosts MLS Cup finalist Portland Timbers at 5 p.m. in a game that will be televised nationally on FS1. Season tickets, mini plans and individual-game tickets are on sale at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-5425 (KICK).
For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati.
