Canada Soccer unveils new men’s jersey, to debut at upcoming World Cup qualifiers

The Canadian men will be wearing their new red jersey when they take on Aruba in World Cup qualifying play Saturday in Bradenton, Fla.

The women unveiled their new Nike gear in February at the SheBelieves Cup in Florida.

Canadian men’s coach John Herdman is looking forward to the new look as his team embarks on a crucial stretch of matches in CONCACAF.

“I’m really, really excited to see that,” he said Friday as his team, currently ranked 70th in the world, travelled to its new base in Sarasota, Fla., ahead of the match against No. 205 Aruba. “I think it’s an important period of time for these players. And to go and debut the new jersey is always a great feeling for players.

“I mean anything with a Maple Leaf on looks great, but definitely the new (Nike) Vaporknit shirts are a high-quality shirt and these guys will wear it with pride.”

While the Aruba match is officially an away game for Canada — held in Florida rather than Aruba due to the pandemic — Herdman’s side will be wearing its home red because Aruba plays in yellow. 

Canada Soccer has the new gear available at its online store and reported that Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Christine Sinclair jerseys were the early top-sellers, with veteran Atiba Hutchinson also getting plenty of interest.

The men will have three tops: the home red, away white and a third black jersey.

All three jerseys feature Nike’s Vaporknit 3 technology and a bespoke “Power Lines” font for numbering and name plates. Canada Soccer calls it a typeface “inspired by the Maple Leaf, built from the dynamic angles and lines of Canada’s iconic and beloved symbol.”

The font, owned by Canada Soccer, was designed in tandem with Toronto-based Silver Crystal Group. On the back, the jersey numbers have the Canada Soccer logo embedded. 

The new women’s home jersey draws on a “distinctive mix of red colours — Challenge Red, Sport Red and University Red — across a geometric design of maple leaves.” The women also have an away white jersey and have the same special font.

The Canada gear will also be available at select sports stores.

—

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2021

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press