Friday: So Much Soccer

Hey y'all, and welcome to another Friday post here at HJC.  As we're in the dregs of the Summer months, there's no real uniform news today.  We do, however, finally have all of the pages revealed for the Pairs Competition.  You can now find the entries for the teams of Burkus Circus and Noah B., William B. and Vaughn R., Dylan T. and JJ, and our very own Justin B. and Brendan P.  This competition uses a sliding scale for voting rather than the traditional one vote, so be sure to give it a rating at the bottom of each page.  

In voting news, we have the regular COTW vote for June 29- July 5, with polls closing Friday at noon EDT.  Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the HJC Open, with official announcements coming soon.  

 COTW June 29-July 5 vote (ends Friday @ noon EDT) 

 Jersey Nerds Podcast (new episode every Monday) 

 HJC Open (coming soon!) 

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Now on to today's concepts!

Ben S.- Winnipeg Jets

Our first concept of the day comes to us from our very own Ben S., with a design for the Winnipeg Jets.  I always lean towards more traditional design styles, so it's nice to see the Jets in a more classic look than their current set.  I really like the elimination of the lighter blue, which is absent from the logos, in favor of the red.  I like that the striping is consistent across the jerseys, but I'm not quite sure I'm sold on the white arms for the blue jersey.  The colored name plate on the white jersey is an interesting call, I wouldn't have thought of it, but it definitely helps bring in more blue.  The dark grey outline around the numbers doesn't really work for me, as it just blends into the blue and is ultimately rendered unnecessary.  While it's not as big of an issue on the breezers, it really bothers me that the sock striping is inconsistent with the rest of the set, and I don't like the idea of white socks with both jerseys.  Final verdict:  I like some of the ideas of this set, but others just fall flat for me.  7/10

Dylan T.- Toronto Maple Leafs

Next up is Dylan T. with a military tribute design for the Maple Leafs.  The idea of a military tribute makes sense for Toronto, who derive their moniker from a World War I regiment of the same name.  That being said, one of my biggest pet peeves in sports is military inspired uniforms that don't incorporate the team's identity, and this jersey seems like it falls into that category.  While this is a fine looking military appreciation jersey, it looks like it could be used for any other team by just slapping their logo on it.  At least incorporate some blue in, or recolor the Maple Leafs logo to match the color scheme.  Furthermore, the inclusion of the "Maple Leafs" text on the chest is entirely unnecessary, given that the name is already used in the logo, which is mere inches away.  Final verdict: a decent looking cookie cutter military appreciation jersey, but the Leafs have already done a better job of giving a nod to the armed forces while retaining their identity.  6/10

FC Macbeth- Wales

Our next concept is FC Macbeth's latest entry in his "Battle of the British Isles" series, this one for Wales.  FC does a great job of adapting the soccer jersey to a hockey template on the red jersey, and keeping the striping pattern consistent translates well onto the yellow jersey as well.  It's the same pattern, but gets a completely different look, which is a beautiful look that is surprisingly difficult to pull off.  The green yoke actually works really well with both jerseys, but having the Welsh flag overlap the piping on the back is a miscue.  Names and numbers look good, but I would move the TV numbers farther down on the yoke so that they're closer to the shoulders.  The main crest is a good logo choice, but you need to clean up the loose pixels around it.  Gear looks good, but the multitude of color on the helmets is unrealistic, helmets tend to be one solid color, and the wordmark only reading "WAL" confuses me.  Final verdict: a good looking design, but some execution errors hold it back.  8/10

Lucas D.- Minnesota United

Our final concept of the day is Lucas D.'s crossover design for Minnesota United of the MLS.  The chest stripe on the home is the obvious choice given the logo design, and I must say that it looks great.  The Kings have proven that grey can work as a dark hockey jersey, and I think this one can work just as well.  The away jersey, however, just doesn't hold up as well.  While I applaud not feeling the need to use a chest stripe on both sets, the lack of hem stripe leaves the white one looking just a little too bare.  Create a hem stripe to match the arms, it'll make a world of difference.  Final verdict: a good looking home, but the away is just too bare to do it for me.  7/10

That's all for me this week, see y'all next Friday!