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.

USWNT Bids a Heartfelt Farewell To Lauren Holiday, Shannon Boxx & Lori Chalupny

The USWNT completed a 2-game series against Brazil over the weekend as a part of their continuing Victory Tour from the 2015 World Cup Win. The series was bittersweet with new, talented players joining the squad and three of the team's most successful players finishing up their International careers. Shannon Boxx played her last game in Seattle, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Brazil. The match was Boxx's 195th cap, and she ends her career as a World Champion and a 3-time Olympic champion. 

The game on Sunday in Orlando proved more successful for the U.S., with Alex Morgan scoring early in the first half and newcomers Crystal Dunn and Stephanie McCaffrey sealing the win 3-1. This was the last match for Lauren Holiday and Lori Chalupny, who are both World Cup and Olympic champions with 133 and 106 caps respectively. Holiday reflected on her tremendous career before the game: 

Everyone’s goal on this team is to leave this game better than they found it. I think my generation of players has done that, and I’m incredibly proud how this team has handled all the ups and downs along the way, all the while being so dedicated to improving women’s sports overall. This will be the greatest job I’ll ever have and I’m absolutely honored to have been a part of this team and this tradition.

Strong Alone, World Champions Together: USWNT Wins Third Star

With a stunning 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 Women's World Cup Final, the U.S. Women's National Team was once again crowned World Champions. The game was far from boring, with the U.S. scoring the first four goals in 20 minutes. Carli Lloyd was the star of the game, scoring the fastest hat-trick in World Cup Final history, including an incredible goal from half-field. Lauren Holiday and Tobin Heath also found their way onto the score sheet. Lloyd received the Golden Ball and Silver Boot awards at the end of the game, and Hope Solo was also awarded the Golden Glove award. This victory marks the third World Cup championship for the Women's National Team, and a third star will be added above the crest along with the other two stars from 1991 and 1999. 

The black & gold "World Champions" t-shirts will be available in The Soccer Shop in women's and youth sizes toward the end of July.

USWNT and their Mothers Celebrate a 3-0 Win Over Ireland

The U.S. Women’s National team triumphed over the Republic of Ireland with a 3-0 win on Mother's Day. To make the victory even sweeter, the team was surprised by a visit from their mothers during the team dinner the night before, and had the privilege of walking out to the field together. This was the first game of the three-game Send-off Series heading to the 2015 FIFA World Cup.

Fox Sports Sends Mothers Out for a Mother's Day Surprise
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Fox Sports flew all of the players' mothers out for a surprise dinner. At the game each member of the team, including head coach Jill Ellis, entered the field hand-in-hand with their mothers, and all stood together for the National Anthem. The mothers then took to the stands among the 18,000 fans at Avaya Stadium in San Jose to watch the USWNT beat Ireland. For some of these players who are constantly traveling for their club teams, this was the first time in years that they were able to spend Mother's Day with their moms.

Wambach Changes the Forwards Recent Reputation
The USWNT forwards have struggled to find the back of the net in recent games. To turn the tide, Abby Wambach scored two of the three goals, one right after another,  a huge improvement for the front line. Christen Press assisted the first, and Carli Lloyd assisted the second with a ball to the far post that Wambach headed into the right corner. Defender Julie Johnston scored the third goal of the game, and the third goal of her international career.

Many Reasons to Celebrate for Rapinoe
As well as celebrating Mother’s Day, Megan Rapinoe celebrated her 100th cap with the national team. She started the game as the team captain, and was recognized beforehand for her accomplishment. Normally players receive a Rolex watch in celebration of their achievements, however, Rapinoe requested that the money be given to charity instead.

Coming Soon: The USWNT will play against Mexico at the StubHub Center in Carson, California for the second game of the Send-off Series. Set a reminder to catch the game on May 17 at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 or Univision Deportes. Hopefully, they follow in the steps of the USMNT who recently beat Mexico. 

Photos courtesy of U.S. Soccer.