Argentina (Home 2019)

Before we tackle the smaller nations at this year’s Copa, there is one less giant that we need to look at first. After all, the last time a (proper) soccer tournament was played in Brazil they reached the final. We are talking of course about Argentina’s albiceleste.

Well, these days it is almost expected that we get a new Argentina (home) shirt ever year. It is also a testament on the crazy amount of tournaments South American teams had to play since (at least) 2013 (for Argentina 2014): Confed Cup 2013, World Cup 2014, Copa America 2015, Copa America Centenario 2016, World Cup 2018, Copa America 2019, Copa America 2020. What can I say it is a marathon. And the cynic in me would argue that having the next Copa in 2020 would allow L. Messi one more realistic chance to finally win a title with the national team and of course another jersey.

Considering all this, we are looking at another “transition” jersey. The last such jersey (for the Copa America in Chile) was a great one that would have deserved to be worn a lot longer. So what about the 2019 version:

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  Argentina 2019 Home Jersey

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  Argentina 2019 Home Jersey with full #7 Kun Aguero customization

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  Back of Home Jersey with 10 Messi customization

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  Women’s version of the 2019 Home Jersey

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  Argentina-Venezuela 1-3 (Madrid, Mar 22, 2019)

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  Japan-Argentina 0-0 (Paris, Jun 10, 2019)

Oh boy! Where should I start? Well, it may not hurt to start with the positive: This jersey is very much identifiable as an Argentina jersey despite all its flaws that I will describe below. So, it at least passes that minimum smell test.

However … this time Adidas went for the minimum amount of stripes on the jersey – the first time they have done so since 2011. Not bad per se, but having white as the base and this super light tone of blue makes this jersey feel a lot more like a plain white jersey rather than a proper Argentina jersey. It is a personal preference, but I do like the blue stripe in the center and think that it would have given this jersey a bit more personality if they had done so (and keep the sleeves as is to continue the stripe theme).

Then, there is the weird soundwave patter of the stripes. I know pixelated accents are the latest trend in Adidas jerseys, but here it does get a bit much – especially up close. And it is in total contrast to the very orderly three shoulder stripes. Those are probably the best feature here as they add a certain elegance to the shirt.

Now, if you thought we had covered all the not so nice to bad, you are right. So, let’s get to the worst: the tertiary color on this jersey is not black, but rather a steely dark blue! I understand somewhat the need to do new things, but this is definitely taking it a few steps too far. Going outside the traditional color palette is never a good idea and this blue tone adds a certain softness to the shirt, that the regular black just does not have! Even worse, the color is carried over to the pants! I would have understood it if they had their 2015 away jersey. Then you could mix and match pants. But the current away jersey is black (and will remain so during the Copa)! It just does not make sense from whatever angle you may look at it. I really hate this choice.

So, let’s finish on a slightly more positive note: the new font. I like its more traditional rounded look, although it gets at times quite close to the 2010 Adidas font that marred some of the best shirts in that tournament. Still, it is a vast improvement over the one used in Russia last year. Note especially how legible the names suddenly are!

Well, I do understand that in order to sell a new shirt (almost) every year, you need to get creative. And towards that end the soundwave pattern is not a bad idea. However, it may have looked better on thinner striping or if the colors were reversed as indicated above. In a way, Argentina’s stripes have seen quite some modifications as of late (i.e. 2014 and 2018). I just find the “loose” forms of these stripes a bit too much in contrast with the (wonderful) shoulder stripes. That the accent color in addition is totally off-kilter doesn’t make things better. To be honest, this is one of the first Argentina kits I have seen in a while – even worse than the last one!

My rating: 3/10 stars.

How would you rate this shirt?

South Korea (Home & Away 2018-19)

Well, so after going over all the teams missing so far there really is only one more I can cover and not feel too bad about. Fortunately, I also came up with a fun way to bridge the gap between now and the pre-World Cup friendlies that will (hopefully) allow me to finish what I started here, but the BIG wild card is definitely Iran. But lets get the Taeguk Warriors out of the way first. They do have an interesting set for this year’s World Cup.

The world’s eyes are on Korea these days and unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. And they surely are not looking that much on the national soccer. However, maybe that team can ease the mind of Korean’s of the thought of impending nuclear war – but I guess, I am too naive here. Enough of the doomsday stuff!

As I said previously, South Korea is surely the best Asian World Cup team in history and they achieved that with a super fit squad and a never-say-die attitude. Yes, they spoiled the 2002 World Cup for me, but I also have fond memories of the South Koreans: In 1994 they really pushed the defending champions Germany very hard and nearly managed a draw against a wilting German team in the heat of Dallas after being down 3-0. There is also a pattern similar to the United States: A good/decent World Cup is followed by a disastrous one: 1954 – disaster, 1986 – making every opponent work hard to beat them and managing a point, 1990 – disappointing with 0 points, 1994 – again exit at the group stage but earning two points and the aforementioned game against Germany, 1998 – not living up to the promise of ’94 by getting mauled by the Dutch, but spoiling the Belgians, 2002 – semi-final, nuff said, 2006 – failing to advance after forcing France into a draw, 2010 – qualifying from a very tight group, 2014 – total letdown. So, 2018 could be a good year if it wasn’t for the tough group the Taeguk warriors find themselves in. At least they will provide some color splash with their red jerseys in this actually quite colorful group:

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Another underwhelming jersey at this World Cup. Let me reiterate: plain jerseys can look very well if they use a classic template, but in a modern template going for a uni-colored jersey just looks underwhelming. But what makes this effort particularly underwhelming and monochromatic is the fact that the usually royal blue crest is now in a very dark blue (if not black) tone. Blue would have made this more interesting to look at, black looks boring. And it does not get much better that this jersey will be worn with black-ish pants. Black is NOT one of the national colors and it makes a decent color scheme into a boring one. The only spark are the white swoosh and the names and numbers in the Nike standard font. And the red taping on the back looks out of place here. At least it holds the red/blue yin-yang sign from the flag. The most interesting feature on here is also the least visible one. Speaking of invisible, the shoulders do not even feature the zig-zag pattern of other Nike jerseys making this one exceptionally plain.

I feel, I am repeating myself but this shirt is not terrible, but rather disappointing and boring. It clearly lacks the vibrancy of previous Korean shirts. They were never my biggest favorites, but always had something to them that I did like. I guess the last time they featured this rather boring color scheme was in 2002 and that’s why it was probably resurrected. Superstition does not make for a better rating with me!

My rating: 4/10 stars.

I hate myself ranting, so fortunately I can say good things about the away jersey:

This is what you do for not-so-classic soccer nation and a modern template: provide some subtle splash that gives us something to look at. This way, this otherwise very plain white jersey has a special something in form of an elongated version of the yin-yang symbol from the flag. It has a slight S-shape made up of quite few specks of different sizes. Generally, these are shorter at the center and wider at the sides but without making for a fade effect. If France would have used these, I would not have liked it that much (still better than the current version), but for the Koreans it is a great look. Yes, the swoosh and the tiger crest cold have been blue here as well, but it doesn’t bother me as much. Now, I have no real information on the numbers, but I assume they will also be in the Nike standard font applied in navy/black and the numbers on the front again below the swoosh. which may a bit interfere with the pattern on the front.

Overall, I really like this one and wish some pattern like this one could also have been used on the home jersey. Yes, it would not have looked as well, but better than what we have now. AND it would have made for a more consistent look, something almost all teams are lacking this year. Still, this one is a winner:

My rating: 8/10 stars.

Edit Jun 13, 2019: Well, as it turns out the Korean women’s national team will play in the same jerseys (just women’s cut) at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Here is how the home kit looks like:

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  Women’s version of the Korea home kit

How would you rate these shirts?