USWNT Plays Women’s World Cup in Team Wear Akin to Nurse Uniforms

Sport is a passion a lot of people share. Me, aside from the players and the sport itself, I have always been interested in the team wear, sportswear, sports apparel and other sports gear.

More often I have blogged about Rafael Nadal’s sports wear sponsored by Nike and the kits of my fave mens soccer team. Every now and then I write about the outrageous sports outfit of tennis siblings Serena and Venus Williams. But I haven’t been blogging much about women in sports or the women’s team until today.

What got me reading on the article I saw was the title itself saying that the U.S. play Women’s World Cup in kit resembling nurse’s uniform. My love for sports and team wear combined with the recent win of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) over North Korea made me one to take a closer look.

When the new uniform for the USWNT was unveiled by Nike and the U.S. Soccer Federation sometime in April there was hullabaloo from critics. They said it looked like nurse uniforms and probably the ugliest soccer jersey ever seen.

Popular soccer blogger Jennifer Doyle in From a Left Wing summed up what the critics felt in:

A USWNT shirt can always be distinguished from the USMNT shirt by the two stars that the women's shirt prominently displays over the USSF badge - one star for each World Cup trophy they've won (1991, 1999). That difference is not enough for Nike and the USSF. They want you to know, for sure, that this is a not a man's shirt. So the FIFA #1 ranked women's team will go to the Germany in a nurse's uniform.

This is quite simply the ugliest women's football jersey I have ever seen. Its central problem is the line someone has drawn down middle of the shirt - a purely decorous gesture meant to create the impression that the USSF would like its women to play in an open necked blouse.

And it does look like a nurse uniforms at that…I like it though but not as a soccer kit.

Nike and the US Soccer Federation defended the design of the team wear saying:

The kits were designed to keep players drier, cooler and more comfortable, allowing them to maintain an optimum body temperature and perform at their best. The kit is designed specifically for the female athlete, to enhance the range of motion and create a uniquely feminine silhouette. Capped sleeves and a high neckline with v-neck piping were added to create a striking aesthetic.

Improved Nike DRI-FIT fabric, now 15 percent lighter than previous Nike kit fabrications, also helps keep players dry by drawing sweat to the outside of the garment where it evaporates. Ventilation zones have been strategically placed in those areas that are physiologically the most important for cooling. Each side and back of the jersey features enhanced breathability increasing air flow by up to seven percent compared to previous kits.

The away kit features a black bodice and red piping inspired by the beautiful but deadly Black Widow spider.

The home kit design is white with black piping and the goalkeeper kit will be worn in night purple, wolf grey and vibrant yellow.

And for those who don’t like design or feel that these team wear is more divisive than unifying (well, instead of football as a sport, it seems that this kit inspires fans to cheer on football for women or football for men), the only consolation is that these “jerseys are Nike’s most environmentally-friendly and technologically-advanced uniform yet. Each kit is made entirely from recycled polyester, produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles per jersey.”

And though I have always believed team wear plays a role in the game, USWNT has shown that it cannot deter a win as they won over North Korea on Tuesday. And the FIFA World Ranking No 1 remains to be a medal favorite.

2011 Golden Foot Nominees

The Golden Foot award is an international award given to active football players of at least 29 years of age, who stands out for their athletic achievements (both as individuals and team players) and for their personality. This award can only be won once.

The international prize is given every year to the game’s greatest in the Principality of Monaco under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II and promoted by World Champions Club and the Tourism Office of Monaco.

Ten nominees are chosen by a panel of international journalists based on the criteria that they are at least 29 years of age and still playing. The 10 names this year have been chosen by the Golden Foot jury, composed of 58 journalists representing sports media all over the world.

In a ceremony headlined by last year's winner Francesco Totti, the AS Roma captain, the following candidates were announced as nominees for the 2011 Golden Foot:

David Beckham (LA Galaxy, England)

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy)

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain)

Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast)

Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan, Cameroon)

Ryan Giggs (Manchester United, Wales)

Carles Puyol (Barcelona, Spain)

Raúl González Blanco (Real Madrid, Spain)

Xavi Hernández (Barcelona, Spain)

Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan, Argentina).

Winner is selected by an online poll at goldenfoot.com where anyone can vote. Football fans have the chance to vote for the player they deem is worthy of the award until October 7. The award ceremony will be hosted on October 10 in Monte Carlo.

I, of course, have casted my vote already for my favorite Raul Gonzalez Blanco. He has been a nomine several times already but the nearest he got for the award was in 2009 where he was in 2^nd place to winner Ronaldinho. My voting for Raul is not simply a matter of favorites but at age 34 (he turns 34 today June 27, 2011) he is something else to behold. After 16 years playing loyally for Real Madrid, he left the whites to wear the Schalke 04 team wear and gave it his all.

For me he has always been playing good but I guess Real Madrid’s coaches and managers no longer saw his value after getting the much-expensive young players. Though the new Real Madrid coach Mourinho wanted him to continue with the team but Raul no longer wanted to spend another season being the 3^rd or 4^th choice striker when he knew he can still deliver a good performance in another place. The world saw a recharged Raul when he played with Schalke 04 and the Germans fell in love with El Angel del Madrid. He has always been a favorite with fans and that certainly continued in Germany and more so when on May 21, 2011, his first year with the Royal Blues, they were able to lift the DFB Cup when they won over MSV Duisburg in Berlin. That is the reason why I think he deserves the 2011 Golden Foot award.

To see his profile and vote for him, click here.

PS. Happy 34th birthday, Raul!

Brazil Legend Ronaldo Set to Retire Today

Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, simply known as Ronaldo, is set to retire today, Feb 14th, 2011.

In the late 1990s and early 2000, he was one of the most prolific scorers in the world. He has helped his country to win twice the World Cup trophies and remains to be the tournament’s all-time top scorer with fifteen goals. He won his first Ballon d’Or at only 21 years old and again 5 years later. He has won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times (1996, 1997, and 2002) and remains to be one of only 2 football player to have achieved that, the other one being Zinedine Zidane. After 18 years of wearing a professional soccer sports wear, he will finally take it off. His retirement ends 18 years of stellar performance in a sport where he is considered by experts to be one of the greatest players.

Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported:

"I can't take any more, I wanted to continue, but I can't do it any more. I think of an action, but I can't do it the way I want to. It's time. It's the body that's hurting me. The head wants to go on, but the body can't take any more."

In 2010, Ronaldo already announced that he will be retiring in 2011 but many claims it might have been pushed forward because of the succession of injuries and the early disappointing elimination of Corinthians from Latin America’s most prestigious competition, Copa Libertadores. Fans and supporters of Corinthians blame the players, especially Ronaldo, and the violence made him consider putting an end to his career earlier than the end of the year as planned.

Ronaldo may have been out of shape these days add to the fact that most of players these days are getting younger and younger but he certainly wore his teams’ sports wear proudly. And made the team proud he was wearing their soccer home and away team uniforms. His spectacular career as a striker spans 18 years in great football clubs which includes PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid and AC Milan, with the last 2 years spent with the Corinthians.

My List Of The Ugliest Sports Uniforms Ever

A friend of mine sent me a link, he thought it was funny and he knew that anything about sports is something I love to blog about…this one took the words out of my mouth. I mean who would in her right mind wear such an atrocious knows that anything about sports is something I love to blog about. jersey. Here’s what I am talking about…see for yourself and let me know that I am wrong in my observation. Atrocious, dreadful, appalling, hideous…what other adjectives do you want me to say? I wonder what was on the mind of Guazzini when he approved this new shirt - one of the official game jerseys- of Paris pro rugby club, Stade Français.

On the other hand, team owner Guazzini has been in pursuit to find younger, affluent new enthusiasts and have also courted the large gay-community in Paris. Indeed he has even made major changes such as embracing pink as an official team color, have orchids as one of its symbols, and marketing a team calendar with all the players in the nude as models. I would have to say that he was actually effective in gaining more fans, not only gays but also women and heterosexual backers too. But this latest jersey, dubbed “the Crowd”, worth $102 is indubitably the worst marketing strategy he has made.

But Guazzini is not alone in making this maistake. There are so many out there that could be the ugliest sports uniforms ever in the history of mankind. Well, some may disagree with my choices, I can only say we all have our own opinions, and these uniforms, IMHO, are the most appalling uniforms ever worn by a professional sports team. It honestly makes me wonder how the players really felt when they were wearing it. So here it is, my list of the ugliest sports uniforms ever:


Houston Astros, 1975 – 1993

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team located in Houston, Texas. In the 1975 season, they introduced the new-look uniforms for Astros with multi-shade stripes of orange, red and yellow in front and back with a large dark bluestar over the stripes. The same stripes run down the pant legs. Although the critics criticized it, the public though loved it and it and versions of it even started to appear at the high school and little leagye leve. I can understand how the colors look very bright, enough to be appreciated by kids, but I have to disagree because I really don’t like it, most especially not on a baseball team. And the team certainly did not win championships during the years they were wearing this team wear.

Pittsburgh Pirates, 1976 – 1986

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a major league baseball (MLB) team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Aside from the color, the cap with stripes make quite a look that’s not suited for a baseball team but more for the circus or a band or drum corps. It’s no wonder that the Pirates had a hard time winning any game while wearing this sports uniform; they were even regarded as the worst baseball team during the mid ‘80s.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976-1995

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often shortened to Bucs) are a professional American Football team based in Tampa, Florida. Tangerine on a team doesn’t do much for fan support or respect. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well on their journey to the championships because since they wore that sports uniform in 1976 they started losing big, losing their first 26 games and suffered 14 consecutive losing seasons. It was only in 1996 when the new owner Malcolm Glazer jettisoned the new uniforms to oblivion and hired a new coach when they started picking up again.

John Daly

John Daly is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour who had bouts with his weight as well as other misdemeanors. He had a lap-band surgery in 2009 which limits the amount of food intake and so he said he is down to less than 200lbs since the surgery. Also at that time when he was with the European Tour he started wearing the Loudmouth Golf Apparel which he now officially endorses. I think maybe he liked the so loud colors and designs. Whew!

Vancouver Canucks, 1978 – 1984

The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. What I consider a very bad taste of team wear consisted of a huge yellow, red-orange, and black striped V coming down from the shoulders. The V suggested “victory” according to designers though it never gave the team that. What it actually gave was several criticisms for being one of the most unpopular in NHL history. Just like other teams with hideous sports uniforms, the Canucks was a mediocre player having only one significant playoff which was in the post-season of 1982.

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Chicago, Illinois. White Sox have always been noted for uniform innovations that have really been the best such as putting players’ last names on the back of the jerseys. But when they came out in 1976 for a doubleheader against Kansas City Royals wearing a new team uniform, it was something unmatched. The new uniforms featured collars and were designed to be worn out, not tucked in, and worse they were wearing shorts. Not only were they critiqued for that but it really is not practical to wear shorts at play because it is not conducive to sliding, which is a way of life for baseball. After a lot of teasing from the rest of the league, the Sox changed their team wear.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. When the Broncos first appeared for a game, their original uniforms were criticized by the public. Imagine wearing white and mustard yellow jerseys with vertically striped socks on brown pants with satin sheen and a brown helmet. Two years later the Broncos got rid of their ugly uniform and in celebration they held a public bonfire to burn the striped socks. In 2009, they wore this set of throwback uniforms again in honor of their 50th anniversary season as one of the eight original American Football League team.

The trend that I realized while writing about these ugly uniforms is that unwittingly how horrendous their uniforms look affected how the team played. Yes, how great one play is determined by how hard they trained for it. But, we all know that when we feel good and look good we also perform better. And maybe that is how these players felt when they were wearing these revolting uniforms.

What do you think? Share me your point of view by leaving a comment. Thanks and have fun reading one of my lighter blogs.

Good News and Bad News for Schalke 04

Real Murcia left-back Sergio Escudero joins the Royal Blues on a four year contract. He started his career at Betis Valladolid but was signed up by Real Murcia in the summer of 2008. He is one of the most sought after or most targeted by European clubs to sign-up being one of the upcoming Spain under-21 international.

As he wears the number three shirt for the Royal Blues team wear, he looks forward to playing in the Bundesliga and to playing the first match in front of adoring fans. He saw how great fan support is for Schalke. He wants to be in the first team and will be training hard for that. When asked why he chose Schalke over other clubs interested in signing him up, this is what he had to say:

Sergio Escudero in his new team wear

“The chance to win things and the way the club is run. The very first time I spoke to Felix Magath I got the feeling he was desperate to sign me. That impressed me greatly and gave me a good feeling right from the outset.”

On the other hand, Brazilian right-back Rafinha has transferred from Schalke to Serie A club Genoa after 5 years playing with the Royal Blues.

And for the really bad news:

Even after seeing the much improved playing of Schalke, it was not enough to win over Bayern Munich in the relaunched DFL Super Cup on Saturday. Although they got into a good start, Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose scored in the final 15 minutes. And though Magath really wanted the win and theSuper Cup trophy he could only say:

“But it was Bayern who got the goals. Ultimately they deserved to win on account of their first-half performance."

I feel really about Schalke losing to Bayern but I still love Schalke. Needless to say, congrats to Bayern and may the best team wins, next time. I may also do a write up about Thomas Müller next time....he is going good.

Football 101: FC Schalke 04

FC Schalke 04

Full name Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V.
Nickname(s) Die Königsblauen (The Royal Blues)
Die Knappen (The Miners)
Founded 4 May 1904
Ground Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
(Capacity: 61,673)
President Josef Schnusenberg
Manager Felix Magath
League Bundesliga
2009–10 Bundesliga, 2nd

FC Schalke 04 Team Wear

FC Schalke 04 2010-2011 Current Squad

	No.	Position		Player
1		GK		Manuel Neuer
3		DF		Sergio Escudero
4		DF		Benedikt Höwedes
6		DF		Tim Hoogland
7		FW		Raúl
8		MF		Hao Junmin
9		FW		Edu
10		MF		Ivan Rakitić
11		MF		Alexander Baumjohann
12		MF		Peer Kluge
13		MF		Lukas Schmitz
14		DF		Kyriakos Papadopoulos
17		FW		Jefferson Farfán
19		FW		Mario Gavranović
20		MF		Vasileios Pliatsikas
21		DF		Christoph Metzelder
22		DF		Atsuto Uchida
23		MF		Jermaine Jones
24		DF		Christian Pander
26		FW		Erik Jendrišek
28		MF		Christoph Moritz
29		FW		Bogdan Müller
30		MF		Levan Kenia
31		FW		David Loheider
32		DF		Joël Matip
33		GK		Mathias Schober
34		FW		Besart Ibraimi
36		GK		Lars Unnerstall
38		FW		Marvin Pourie
39		DF		Marvin Pachan
40		MF		Predrag Stevanović

POSITIONS
GK - Goalkeeper
DF - Defender
FW - Forward
MF - Midfielder

FC Schalke 04 Squad

1 Manuel Neuer	Goalkeeper		11 Alexander Baumjohann	Midfielder
33 Matthias Schober	Goalkeeper		12 Peer Kluge	Midfielder
36 Lars Unnerstall	Goalkeeper		13 Lukas Schmitz	Midfielder
2 Hans Sarpei	Defender		18 Jurado	Midfielder
2 Heiko Westermann	Defender		19 Mario Gavranovic	Midfielder
3 Sergio Escudero	Defender		20 Vassilis Pliatsikas	Midfielder
4 Benedikt Höwedes	Defender		23 Jermaine Jones	Midfielder
5 Nicolas Plestan	Defender		27 Ciprian Deac	Midfielder
6 Tim Hoogland	Defender		28 Christoph Moritz	Midfielder
14 Kyriakos Papadopoulos	Defender		30 Lewan Kenia	Midfielder
21 Christoph Metzelder	Defender		7 Raúl	Striker
22 Atsuto Uchida	Defender		9 Edu	Striker
24 Christian Pander	Defender		17 Jefferson Agustin Farfán	Striker
32 Joel Matip	Defender		25 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar	Striker
8 Hao Junmin	Midfielder		26 Erik Jendrisek	Striker
10 Ivan Rakitic	Midfielder		- Felix Magath	Manager/Coach

Source: Goal.com

Raul Says Adios to Real Madrid

Raul bids goodbye to Real Madrid after 16 incredible years, 323 goals and 550 league games or 744 official games. He has spent most of his football career playing for Real Madrid until 25th of July 2010 when he decided to sign a two-year contract with German Bundesliga club Schalke 04. After 16 years, he will change his team wear from whites to royal blue. He is a legend and a tough act to follow because he really was the soul of Real Madrid. His exit marks the end of an era, the Raul Madrid era.
His records in numbers say it all:

• 16 years - and 15 full seasons - with Real Madrid's senior side
• 17 years and four months... The youngest ever player to debut for Real Madrid's first team
• 228 League goals...third highest all-time goalscorer in La Liga
• 323 Competitive goals...Real Madrid's all-time top scorer
• 66 Champions League goals... all-time top scorer in the competition. He's also the first player to hit the 50-goal mark 68 goals in all UEFA club competition... joint all-time top scorer
• 550 appearances in La Liga... a Real Madrid record and the second highest in the league's history
• 132 Champions League appearances... second highest in the competition's history
• 16 major titles including three times UEFA Champions League title plus six times the Spanish championship
• Finishing his career as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer

UEFA Champions League
1997/1998, 1999/2000, 2001/2002

Spanish championship
1994/1995, 1996/1997, 2000/2001, 2002/2003, 2006/2007, 2007/2008

Club World Cup
1998, 2002

European Super Cup
2002

Spanish Super Cup
1997, 2001, 2003, 2008

He is a legend and a tough act to follow. Yes, there will be newer players, even better players as there is now. But what Raul is can’t simply be replaced by a good player. As Cyrus C Malek of Goal.com wrote:

Every team have their talisman - the player who symbolizes the principles and values of his club, the man who embodies his club’s spirit, the leader who wears the captain’s armband and heads his team not just by way of words, but also by example.

For Real Madrid, that man is Raul Gonzalez Blanco.

Here are some of what his former teammates had to say about Raul:

Iker Casillas : "Raul is a symbol of Real Madrid. A great captain is defined by ups and downs, knowing how to always make the best of any situation. Raul is an example of professionalism and he helped me grow as a player and person. The incredible histories of clubs are written by great footballers, and Raul is one of them."


Cristiano Ronaldo: "Playing by Raul's side has been an honour. I always dreamed of doing so as a kid. It was an honour to share the same dressing room and I wish him all the best."


Xabi Alonso: "Raul represents the values of Real Madrid. He is a symbol and a part of this club's history. It isn't easy to play for Real Madrid for 15 years, but he did because is a magnificent player."


Kaka: "Raul is an amazing player and an important member of this club. Raul will forever be a part of Madridismo and his departure is a sad day for fans and team-mates."


Pepe: "The 16 years that he played here speak volumes about his talent. He holds a special place in my heart because he always followed my progress when I was injured. He got off from the bench and accompanied me to the dressing room, which was an incredible gesture that I will never forget. He is a huge piece of Real Madrid's history."

Schalke on the other hand is honored with his presence because as the Scalke boss said “Raul is one of the world's best players. The fans have something to look forward to. Raul is one of that rare breed of footballers who put their own interests behind those of the team. And you don’t get that very often these days.”

And so we wish him luck on his new journey with Schalke 04. He will wear a new color, Royal Blues, and a new team uniform but still with his traditional number 7, he is still El Siete.