2016 USA National Team Kits

The summer of 2016 will be a big one for both the Men's and Women's USA National teams. The USMNT will be playing in and hosting the 100th anniversary of the Copa America, and the USWNT are defending their Olympic gold title this summer in Rio. To usher in this next chapter in their journey, Nike has unveiled brand new kits featuring a new, modernized crest for US Soccer.

The 2016 USA Home jersey features a classic white colorway with blue striped sleeves, while the new Away kit takes an opposite approach with a sharp black jersey and patriotic red and blue sleeves. Special design details are featured throughout the jerseys like the "1 Nation. 1 Team." motto that is knitted into the inner sleeve cuffs. 

The new 2016 kits are available in the Soccer Shop in men's, women's, and youth sizes.

USMNT: Disappointing Result in CONCACAF Gold Cup But Looking Ahead

Playing in the third place game was not where the US Men's National Team players and coaches envisioned themselves at the start of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. After strong performances against Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Panama in the group stage, and a thumping 6-0 defeat of Cuba in the quarterfinals, the USMNT seemed poised to defeat Jamaica in the Semifinals. Unfortunately, a shaky first half saw the US conceding two goals and looking inconsistent on both ends of the field. Midfielder Michael Bradley was able to rally the team at the start of the second half with an early goal, but the US was unable to level the score at the end of regulation, ending their mission of keeping the Gold Cup in the USA.

The third place match proved to be another disappointing result for the USMNT, losing to Panama 2-3 in PKs. The US trailed Panama in the first half by a goal, but Deandre Yedlin and Clint Dempsey combined to even the score at 1-1 during the second half. Clint Dempsey was awarded the Golden Ball award at the end of the tournament, having scored the most goals throughout. Brad Guzan was awarded the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, having only allowed 5 goals during the tournament. 

Even with the undesirable finish in the Gold Cup, the USMNT has important matches to prepare for in the coming months including a playoff against rivals Mexico to determine who will represent CONCACAF in the 2017 Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup is an important warm-up for the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia. The US also enters the fourth round of regional qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in the later months of 2015.

The USMNT plays close to home at Foxborough Stadium on September 8th in a friendly against Brazil. Tickets go on sale July 31st.

#DosACero: USMNT Secures Sixth Consecutive Win Against Mexico

The U.S. Men’s National Team had an exciting 2-0 win over Mexico at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday. The Mexico-USA game is always promised to be a thriller due to the long standing rivalry between the neighboring nations. U.S. defender and Texas native, Omar Gonzalez, spoke about his excitement to play at home and contribute to the effort against Mexico:

“This rivalry is very important, you never want to lose to your neighbor. In the past, these games have been awesome to watch and they’ve been really tough games and important games. I’m Mexican-American and that has a lot to do with it as well. There’s just a lot of history in these games and they’re always exciting to be a part of.”

Continued Success Against Mexico
A sell-out crowd of 64,369 looked on as Jordan Morris and Juan Agudelo scored the only goals of the game. This was Morris’s first starting game and first international goal of his National Team career. Within minutes after subbing in for Morris,  Agudelo brought down a long ball by Michael Bradley and sent the ball into the goal between Mexico's Goalkeeper, Cirilo Saucedo, and the left post. The U.S. has yet to lose to Mexico in six games, and have yet to lose on home soil in 21 games.

Up Next: On June 5th the USMNT will face the Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena. The game will be available to watch on ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMás, and UDN at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Image and video courtesy of  U.S. Soccer.

MNT Fights Hard Against Switzerland: Game Ends in Draw

On Tuesday, March 31st, the U.S. Men's National Team battled No.12 ranked Switzerland in an international friendly held in Zurich. The game ended in a 1-1 draw; an improvement from the MNT's tough recent losses. The U.S. started strong in the first half. In the 45th minute, Brek Shea sent the ball into the top right corner after the U.S. was set up for a free kick, marking his second goal of the year. In the 80th minute, Swiss midfielder Valentin Stocker poked a shot from four yards away, ending the game with a tie.

Firsts for Many Players
Goalkeeper William Yarbrough made his international debut playing in the second half for Nick Rimando. Yarbrough plays for Club León in Mexico, but recently joined the USMNT training camp in preparation for this game. Jordan Morris, the replacement for forward Aaron Johannsson, entered the game in the 89th minute. Jozy Altidore received his first red card with the MNT after protesting a call made by the head referee.

Up Next for the MNT
The USMNT will face rivals Mexico on April 15 at 7:30 CT at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Images & video courtesy of US Soccer.