logo
Spilled milk? Bird poop? Sperm? Minnesota United's new jersey gets plenty of feedback

Spilled milk? Bird poop? Sperm? Minnesota United's new jersey gets plenty of feedback

Yahoo14-02-2025
Minnesota United, which in recent years has released some of the best-looking jerseys in the nation, have caused a bit of a stir – or should we say, a spill – with its latest design.
The Loons released its new "Convergence" kit on Friday ahead of the kick off of the 2025 MLS regular season next Saturday.
The new addition to their jersey rotation takes the place of their popular "Northern Lights Kit," which featured a base white jersey with a mixture of colors emulating the northern lights over the top half.
The new "Convergence" jersey features a "dappled duotone that resembles the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers."
The club's previous two jerseys, the "Northern Lights" released in 2023 and the "Starry Night" released in 2024, were well received by fans.
The newest jersey has been met with a much more mixed reaction, with the gushing waters down the center of the jersey being likened to vomit, spilled milk, bird poop and, yes, spermatozoa.
Users on BlueSky were a little more harsh with their critiques, with the presumably extremely virile user @loggiberra.bsky.social saying, "Looks like jizz fellas."
Another user said it looked like "someone spilled milk on the jersey." Others, such as @littlebitbetter.bsky.social, were a bit more fair with their analysis, saying: "Is ok. Hard because the last two were just sooooo good."
Soccer media outlet Six One Five Soccer ranked all 32 new MLS jerseys this year, with Minnesota United's new effort coming in at No. 18.
"This isn't my favorite Minnesota United kit from recent years, but their color scheme is fantastic and they always try something out of the box. Points for not sticking with something generic," wrote Ben Wright in his rankings.
ESPN placed the Loons new jersey at No. 12 in their MLS jersey power rankings.
"The Loons are working with a great set of fundamentals. They have a great color combination, plenty of Minnesota imagery at their disposal and one of the best crests in all of MLS, so it's a little disappointing when their kit is anything but a smash hit. This isn't that, but it is still a nice effort," wrote Ryan Rosenblatt.
"The blue looks good as ever with the black and the collar is a nice touch, even if it'd be better to have it go all the way around to the bottom of the neck. It'd be nice if MNUFC found a way to incorporate a smidge of red somewhere, as a nod to the red eye of the loon in their crest, which is one of the best details anywhere in the league."
Minnesota United begin their 2025 season Saturday, February 22 at LAFC. Kick off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Was MLS Right To Suspend Lionel Messi For Missing The All-Star Game?
Was MLS Right To Suspend Lionel Messi For Missing The All-Star Game?

Forbes

time19 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Was MLS Right To Suspend Lionel Messi For Missing The All-Star Game?

HARRISON, NEW JERSEY - JULY 19: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami looks on during the second half ... More against the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium on July 19, 2025 in Harrison, New Jersey. (Photo by) Lionel Messi caused a stir in Major League Soccer this week when he failed to appear for the league's annual All-Star game and was suspended for Inter Miami's next league game as a result. Messi and his Inter Miami teammate Jordi Alba were absent for the event, having originally been selected for the MLS All-Star team for a game to face off against counterparts from Mexico's Liga MX. In a press conference on Friday, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said the decision for Messi and Alba not to play in the All-Star exhibition match was made by the club. This forced MLS to enforce its rule that any All-Star player who fails to participate in the game 'without prior approval from the league' will be suspended for their team's next match. A statement from MLS, released on Friday evening, read: 'Inter Miami CF's Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi will be unavailable for the club's match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26, due to their absence at this week's Major League Soccer All-Star Game. 'Per league rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club's next match.' The press conference from Jorge Mas came shortly after, and further stoked the fires of this debate around the All-Star game and Messi's involvement, or lack of. Was Messi Right To Miss The All-Star Game? All-Star games are an American sporting tradition, but sometimes, in soccer, which brings sporting cultures from around the world to US shores, there is confusion around what the game is actually for, who it benefits, and if it is necessary. This is especially the case now that the number of games players are being asked to play is regularly increasing due to participating in domestic football, international football, and the introduction of new, expanded tournaments like FIFA's Club World Cup and the Leagues Cup in MLS and Liga MX. Messi and Miami naturally prioritised the Club World Cup at that time, and MLS will have wanted him to, as the league hoped for a good showing on the international stage. Inter Miami delivered this by reaching the Club World Cup knockout stages. The Club World Cup is a tournament unlike any other, so you could argue there should be a place for such a diverse, competitive global soccer festival in the calendar. When it comes the the All-Star game, and indeed the Leagues Cup, they can feel like unnecessary additional games in the middle of the season. Inter Miami have now prioritised an MLS regular season game, and everything that comes with that, over an All-Star exhibition. What if Messi played in the All-Star game and got injured? That wouldn't have been good for the league either. Ultimately, you can understand why Inter Miami decided Messi and Alba should skip the game, but you can also understand why others in MLS will question why Miami at times appears to view itself and its players as above the rest of the league. But maybe it is also making some important points. CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 16: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF and teammate Jordi Alba #18 enter the ... More pitch for the second half during the MLS match between FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami CF at TQL Stadium on July 16, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by) Should MLS Have Suspended Messi? This is an easier one to answer. If the rule is in place, then it should be applied. If anything, it was surprising that the decision to suspend Messi and Alba for the game against FC Cincinnati was made so late, which suggests there might have been some doubt that it would be applied, but eventually the right decision was made. Messi is an obvious star of the league and of the sport in the United States, but shouldn't be above it. You can argue whether the rule should exist in the first place, but if it is there, it should be applied. Messi has already been given special treatment by the league in that he has not been made as accessible to the media as other players are, but it is important that the league treat Messi the same way they would any other player in the interests of consistency and fairness. What Will It Mean For The Supporters' Shield Inter Miami's game against FC Cincinnati is an important game in the race for the 2025 Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the team that finishes top of the overall MLS standings at the end of the regular season. Cincinnati currently sits top of the standings, and was helped by a recent 3-0 home victory against an Inter Miami team that did feature Messi when the teams met just over a week ago. Inter Miami is playing catch-up following the Club World Cup and has several games in hand, and the schedule threw up an immediate chance to get revenge. Cincinnati's own star player, Evander, who did attend the All-Star event, was the standout player in that previous game and scored two of the goals in the 3-0 win. He'll be present, and Messi won't, which means their stars' no-show at the All-Star match puts Inter Miami at a disadvantage in this important regular-season game. Messi's absence from the All-Star game has certainly caused a stir and brought attention that the league might not otherwise have had at this time. Whether this kind of attention around something fairly trivial and very specific to US sports culture is good or bad for the MLS is up for debate. It could be said that Messi and Miami made the right decision for him to miss the All-Star game, and the league made the right decision to suspend him as a result, but now that all of this has played out, maybe the whole idea of a mid-season All-Star game needs to be revisited.

How to watch Inter Miami take on first-place FC Cincinnati without suspended Messi
How to watch Inter Miami take on first-place FC Cincinnati without suspended Messi

New York Times

time3 hours ago

  • New York Times

How to watch Inter Miami take on first-place FC Cincinnati without suspended Messi

On July 16, FC Cincinnati did what no one else had managed in over a month: hold Lionel Messi scoreless and shut out Inter Miami. The 3-0 result ended Miami's six-match unbeaten streak in league play and brought a halt to Messi's unprecedented run of five consecutive multi-goal MLS performances. The rematch arrives quickly, and this time, Miami won't have Messi and Jordi Alba in the lineup. MLS suspended both stars for skipping the All-Star Game on Wednesday. Here's how you can catch their club take on FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. Advertisement Live coverage is also available on Apple TV+ via MLS Season Pass. Even in the loss earlier this month, Messi remained active in the attacking third. But Cincinnati, organized and composed, never lost its shape. Gerardo Valenzuela scored once early and All-Star midfielder Evander found the back of the net twice after halftime, while Roman Celentano notched his seventh clean sheet of the season. Cincinnati remains firmly in the hunt for the Supporters' Shield. The club's 48 points are the most league-wide, but fellow Eastern Conference foes Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union aren't far behind. Miami is still in playoff position and has scored more goals (49) than any other team in MLS, but consistency has eluded them against top-tier opponents. Cincinnati won the first round convincingly. Especially without Messi, Miami will need a sharper answer. Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Teenage Hadebe and Lionel Messi:)

Suspending Messi Is The Right Call, But Jorge Mas Has A Point
Suspending Messi Is The Right Call, But Jorge Mas Has A Point

Forbes

time3 hours ago

  • Forbes

Suspending Messi Is The Right Call, But Jorge Mas Has A Point

From left, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas, forward Lionel Messi and director of MARCA Juan Ignacio ... More Gallardo are photographed alongside the MARCA America Award during a ceremony at Chase Stadium on Oct. 17, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In the end, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber had no choice but to suspend Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba for their next MLS match after neither failed to show up for the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, in accordance with a longstanding league rule meant to prevent gratuitous no-shows. You can argue the event is silly and has outlived its usefulness. And you can certainly understand why Messi and Alba didn't want to play in it given the 33 competitive fixtures Miami has already played. But it's one thing to help a glamour team skirt around the edges of overly complicated league roster rules on a technicality, as is the case in Miami's signing of Rodrigo De Paul that also became official on Friday. It's another to let that team steamroll one of the simplest editcs on the books while others begrudgingly went along. Vancouver, which has played one more competitive fixture than Miami, sent both of its players who earned their All-Star privilege. Fellow FIFA Club World Cup participants LAFC and Seattle sent theirs as well. And while Messi playing every minute of Miami's last 16 matches was a good reason for him to be worn out, it also made it impossible to claim the kind of injury hardship that would've provided a credible reason to miss out. Messi might be 'extremely upset,' as Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said during an impromptu press conference on Friday. But that would be nothing compared to the hell that might've been unleashed within other clubs had Garber acquiesced. All-Star Game, But No All-Star Break Even so, during an exercise that was probably meant mostly to appease his superstar's feelings amid still-ongoing contract extension negotiations, Mas did make one very valid point: If MLS really wants its stars to treat the event seriously – or at least as seriously as, say America's best baseball or basketball players – then it needs to treat scheduling just as seriously. 'There are six MLS games this evening, less than 48 hours after an All-Star Game,' Mas said, as reported by Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport. 'That's not right. That's not right to the players.' In Major League Baseball, a sport where the standard is to play a game nearly every day, the All-Star Game comes in the middle of a four-day break. In the National Basketball Association, in which the norm is to play three or four games a week, the All-Star festivities come while the league is otherwise dark for an entire week. In MLS, where the standard is 1-2 games a week, the game only four days after most teams had already played three games in eight days, with another game to follow Friday or Saturday before steamrolling into 2025 Leagues Cup action. This is a symptom of a more general issue with the MLS schedule: That the number of competitive matches keep increasing, while either the league or its club owners continue to resist playing more games in colder weather, perhaps because of concerns over ticket sales that are definitely stronger during summer months. The true problem with the MLS schedule is not how many games it requires, but the fact that every guaranteed match for non-playoff teams comes between the end of February and the middle of October. An All-Star Winter Is Coming? The good news is that it appears MLS is nearing a calendar flip to a fall-to-spring model that will mirror European leagues. Even with a lengthy winter break, it's a change that should ease some scheduling headaches. And MLS should think about ways it can creatively eat some of those winter months with competitive fixtures that avoid the league's coldest climates. The Leagues Cup could be used for this purpose, were it staged sometime between December and February in warmer Southern U.S. locales exclusively. Perhaps that's also when the MLS All-Star Game could live and breathe with sufficient time devoted to festivities without compromising competitive fixtures. Or MLS could follow pro football's example. The National Football League's Pro Bowl was always staged after most of the season was completed. And now it exists as a skills competition only, a format MLS could easily mimmick to bring together it stars without forcing them into more risky 11-on-11 competition. The league could also choose to nix its All-Star festivities entirely and probably not upset very many people, given that such events are losing relevance in other 'more American' sports. Both the NBA and NHL have attempted numerous different formats to try and invigorate their events, with limited success. The NFL appears happy to let its Pro Bowl festivities take a back seat to Super Bowl hype. Whatever the decision, the worst outcome would be keeping the status quo, where the event is neither treated like a priority nor eliminated. It's the main reason why we're still talking about this whole saga in the first place.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store