Orlando City to Wear Alternate Kits at New York City FC for Earth Day

Major League Soccer announced today that Orlando City will be one of four teams sporting special Earth Day jerseys this Sunday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. The Lions, along with opponents NYCFC, will be wearing kits created with upcycled marine plastic that was collected by Parley Ocean Plastic near the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders will also wear special kits Sunday.

It will be the first time since joining MLS that Orlando City has worn a third kit.

Part of the MLS Greener Goals initiative, the league has partnered with official kit sponsor Adidas and Parley to create these special jerseys. New York-based Parley for the Oceans seeks to engage consumer mindsets through culture by raising awareness for the fragility of ocean ecosystems through collaborative projects. 

According to a landmark study published in the journal Science in 2015 there are over eight million metric tons of plastic in our oceans and that total is only rising. 

Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch said in a statement, “Every second breath we take is generated by the oceans. And still, we are at war with the sea. Now is the time to negotiate peace with our life support and to invent our way out of this mess. Soccer can lead the way. It shows what we can achieve with the right balance of creativity, collaboration and technology."

Whether by design or incidental, all four clubs represent cities that are closely identified by their relationship with the ocean and coastline. The one-time jerseys will read “For the Oceans” along the back of the neck. 

No word yet on if the kits will be made available for purchase or auction after the game.