Atlanta United today unveiled its primary kit for the club’s upcoming 2017 expansion season at The Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta in front of a capacity crowd. The event ultimately broke a record for kit sales by an MLS expansion club.
“We are thrilled to finally be able to share this moment with our fans and unveil our inaugural kit,” said Atlanta United President Darren Eales. “As always our supporters showed extraordinary energy and passion at tonight’s event, and their response to the kit has been fantastic. The design elements of the kit align with the mission of the club, to deliver passion, inspiration, and world-class soccer to Atlanta. We ultimately arrived on a look that is iconic, bold and timeless.”
The event was hosted by MLSsoccer.com’s Susannah Collins and was streamed on Facebook Live. Representing Atlanta United alongside Eales was owner Arthur Blank, head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, technical director Carlos Bocanegra and players Chris McCann, Hector ‘Tito’ Villalba and Andrew Carleton.
McCann, Villalba and Carleton debuted the kits, emerging from a sea of rolling fog igniting the crowd who were showered in falling confetti. The unveiling culminated a dynamic 90-minute event that included a media panel featuring WSB’s Zach Klein and Atlanta Eats and WABE’s Mara Davis, interviews with Atlanta United players and remarks from Martino, Blank, Eales and Jack Salzwedel, CEO of kit sponsor American Family Insurance.
“This was one of the most amazing experiences in my professional football career,” McCann said. “When I decided to sign with the club, I was eagerly anticipating taking part in something special, but I never quite envisioned tonight’s event. I’m honored to play a significant role in the unveil of the club’s first-ever kit.”
The design of the kit focuses on a traditional, iconic soccer look and celebrates the brand identity established in the club’s logo. The kit features Atlanta United’s core colors: black (a symbol of strength and power), victory red (a reflection of pride and passion) and gold (representing excellence).
The five vertical stripes, two victory red and three black, represent Atlanta United’s brand pillars: Unity, Excellence, Community, Determination, and Innovation. The enhanced crest showcases high contrast gold and intricate detail of the team’s logo and is only featured on the authentic kit. It serves as a reminder for players to be bold, a hallmark of the club.
The primary kit is a v-neck, which allows for maximum movement and comfort during play, and is made with the adidas AdiZero jersey technology, making it the lightest soccer kit on the market.
The back of the jersey is solid victory red paying tribute to Atlanta’s unwavering perseverance. The vent holes, seen close-up, feature the adidas Engineered Climagrid technology and are positioned anatomically for maximum ventilation and movement. The back neck features the Atlanta United Inaugural 2017 logo. Player names and numbers are gold.
Completing the kit, the shorts are black accented with metallic gold stripes, also featuring the high contrast team logo, and the socks are black accented with a gold Atlanta United wordmark across the front.
“Our goal was to have a kit that was differentiated from the league and a unique look that Atlanta can own,” said Atlanta United Vice President of Business Operations Ann Rodriguez. “The final product really captures our core identity, and it is a high-quality, performance kit that will enable our players to perform.”
Beginning Tuesday night, fans are able purchase the kit online at www.atlutd.com/kit or by visiting the team’s official store in Atlantic Station. The team will release a secondary kit in early 2017.
