To kick off Major League Soccer’s historic 25th Season Celebration, the League and adidas made history tonight by unveiling the complete collection of 2020 performance kits at the celebrity-packed event, FORWARD25, ahead of Fashion Week in New York City.
MLS put the spotlight on its star-studded, multi-cultural fan base by featuring celebrity fans as the jersey models for each club. Professional Gamer NINJA revealed the New York Red Bulls jersey, Houston Texans All-Pro wide receiver DEANDRE HOPKINS wore Houston Dynamo’s, and actor and director COLIN HANKS represented Los Angeles Football Club, while OVO Sound duo MAJID JORDAN revealed Toronto FC’s new jersey.
In addition to celebrities, MLS Greats including ALEXI LALAS (New England Revolution), JACK JEWSBURY (Portland Timbers), JAIME MORENO (D.C. United), MARVELL WYNNE (San Jose Earthquakes) and MIKE MAGEE (Chicago Fire) were present at the event to unveil their former club’s 2020 kit. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rapids and FC Cincinnati enlisted help from their local communities to reveal their jerseys, including Scotty Stephens, a forward for the Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified Soccer Team, and 11-year-old Arlando Griffin from the West End Cincinnati community where the team is building a stadium.
The 2020 jerseys feature the iconic 3-stripe adidas EQT (equipment) designs, which first debuted in the 1990s when MLS was formed and have been bought back for the all-new, 26-team collection.
Unique elements for each club are infused throughout the jersey designs. For example, for the two new clubs joining this year, Inter Miami CF will feature embossed black herons throughout the jersey, while Nashville SC’s jersey showcases vibrant colors to highlight the new beat of Music City. Although each club has customized and unique elements reflecting their rich history, the League and adidas are united under the three-stripe design for the landmark 25th season.
adidas and MLS also unveiled the official MLS name and number jersey font for 2020. A dynamic, energetic and bold graphic typeface, the font introduces a layering tri-line effect. The font was designed in collaboration with MLS by Rick Banks, lead designer and typographer of Face37, an award-winning graphic design studio based in Manchester, England.
Adding to the event festivities, Captain Morgan hosted guests over the age of 21 in the Captain’s Corner – an interactive lounge that celebrated soccer culture and nostalgia of the 90s with imagery and archival footage from the early years of the League and provided a digital Polaroid experience for guests. Delicious cocktails featuring Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Captain Morgan White Rum were served at the Captain Morgan bar, where guests were among the first to preview the new limited-edition Captain Morgan MLS bottles hitting shelves just in time for the new season.
In partnership with EA SPORTS FIFA, the adidas jerseys will be revealed virtually across EA SPORTS FIFA channels following the real-world unveil. Fans can also represent their favorite MLS team currently playable in FIFA 20 and use the jerseys across various game modes, including Kick-Off, Career Mode, and more ahead of the start of the season. Stay tuned for more details on @EASPORTSFIFA channels.
On Twitter, the use of hashtag #FORWARD25 will unlock a custom emoji featuring a jersey with “25” across the front. The emoji will officially activate on Feb. 5.
The FORWARD25 jersey reveal is part of MLS’ year-long 25th Season Celebration, which celebrates the League’s past while expanding on the foundation it has built over an extensive period of explosive growth. The Celebration features unique experiences, marquee events, robust content, innovative programming and the special commemorative design integrated throughout league and partner initiatives, including the 2020 MLS jerseys.
