When it comes to soccer jerseys, I can perhaps be unfairly critical. I like what I like, and in a time when new jerseys cost at least $100 if not closer to $150, I have to be seriously impressed by something in order to shell out that much money. While I’ve liked most of the jerseys that Orlando City and the Orlando Pride have put out over the years, I’ve never liked one enough to spend my own money to buy one, although I did receive a Heart and Sol jersey as a birthday present several years ago. The one exception has been the Sea Cow prematch top that the club put out in 2023, which I bought instantly and would have happily forked over one of my kidneys to acquire (as any sane person would).

I might very well be adding a new jersey to the closet soon though, because the Orlando Pride absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Unity Kit that they released on Thursday. I’m now going to shut up for a second and let you feast your eyes on this beauty.

That is just fantastic, and let’s talk about why. First of all, the base color is light purple, and while that isn’t traditionally in the Pride’s color palette as they favor a more royal purple shared by Orlando City, it is still purple. It’s also a light enough base color for the team to be able to use it as an away jersey without simply making the background color white. While I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with a white base, that’s pretty common with away jerseys and the light purple is a good way to do something different while still providing a good contrast between it and an opponent’s dark home jersey.

If you were missing the Pride’s more traditional color of purple, fear not! The decision to use it on the collar and sleeves is a great one, as it gives the jersey a really nice splash of contrast in a shirt that could otherwise risk being washed out by all of the pastel tones that are present. The same color is also present in the badge, name, numbers, sponsors, and jock tag, and pops very well because its used so sparingly.

When viewed from a distance, the collars and sleeves provide a good outline for the kit, while the eye gets a general sense of intermingled pastel tones as the ribbons blend into each other well, and while no one color is definable, it isn’t an assault on the eyes either.

Closer up though, the ribbons are far more vibrant and detailed, and you notice that rather than simply being uniform colors for each one, they’re actually made up of several different colors that blend together and intertwine, and the effect is pulled off really well. For me, its a shirt that be appreciated both further away, and right in front of your face, and that isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Suffice it to say, I’m a huge fan of how this thing looks. A lot of thought was clearly put into the design, and it was executed well. I want to talk about more than just the way it looks though.

We’re 10 years on from the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that took the lives of 49 people, and the Pride and overarching ownership have a new way of honoring the victims and remembering a period of time that was so difficult for the city. The rainbow seats at Inter&Co Stadium have served the same purpose since the ground was opened back in 2017, but the Pride will be using the new jersey to honor both the victims and the way in which the city came together after the tragedy, while also putting their money where their mouth is.

The team’s decision to donate $20,000 from sales of the jersey to The Center Orlando and its Orlando United Resiliency Services (OURS) program is a very good touch on what was already a well-thought out kit. The program’s purpose is to provide advocacy, education, and support for the Orlando area’s LGBTQ+ community, and as someone who believes sports teams should be active and positive pillars in the community where they play, I couldn’t be happier to see this. It’s a decision that the team was under no obligation to make, but in choosing to go the extra mile, it proved that the club is more than just empty words and gestures when it comes to issues that hit close to home.

In short, the Unity Kit checks all the boxes for me, including ones I didn’t even know I had. It looks great from a distance, has thoughtful and well-executed details when seen up close, and represents something important while also actively honoring and helping to provide resources for a marginalized community. To everyone who was involved with the concept and execution of this jersey, I salute you. Consider it a job very well done.

We’ve (almost) made it to the end of another week, with Orlando City’s final preseason match against the Colorado Rapids looming large Saturday night. The season opener will be here before you know it, and things will only speed up from there. For the final time this preseason, let’s take a look back at the week that was and talk about what I liked, and what I didn’t.

Likes

A New Signing

Orlando City announced the long-awaited signing of Brazilian center back Iago on Saturday, making him the third and presumably final MLS U22 Initiative arrival of the off-season. While he’s only 20 years old, he’s likely to be one of the two starting center backs on opening day alongside David Brekalo, so him getting a couple weeks of preseason to get settled in is vital. It of course would have been ideal for him to have even more time, but transfer dealings with Brazilian clubs rarely seem to be straightforward affairs, and two weeks is better than none at all. Crucially, Iago played over 5,000 minutes for Flamengo’s senior and U-20 sides, so he’s no stranger to the professional game, and hopefully that helps him to hit the ground running as a Lion.

A New Kit

Continuing the trend of shiny new things, the Lions unveiled their new away kit on Tuesday. It’s a gold jersey with purple shorts that’s been dubbed the ‘Sunken Treasure’ kit, and it’s the club’s first jersey to heavily use the team’s secondary color of gold. All things considered, I quite like the new threads. As with a lot of jerseys these days, the finer details like the Lion in the background of the front and the two patches, won’t be visible unless you’re up close to it. That being said, those details look pretty nice in the close-up shots of the jersey that the club provided, and when viewed from a distance, the shirt is striking. I also like the decision to go with purple shorts, as I think going with gold all the way would be a bit too much.

Dislikes

All Quiet on the Rumor Front

Things have gone a little quiet when it comes to transfer rumors regarding Orlando City. The club still has a Designated Player slot that it intends to use on an attacker, but we haven’t seen any hints as far as who the brass might be looking at. It’s not necessarily a reason to panic, as the team has made it a habit to be methodical in the transfer window and hasn’t been afraid to take its time pursuing players it thinks will be the right fit, rather than rushing business and potentially making an unwise signing as a result. All the same, it’s always nice to hear that a specific name is being pursued, particularly when OCSC still has a DP slot burning a hole in its proverbial pocket in addition to some areas of the field that need to be strengthened with additional depth. I trust the business to get done and done well, but I’m also not going to pretend I wouldn’t love a juicy signing rumor or two right about now.

With a little luck, next week will bring a couple of positive transfer rumors and three points to start the season off on a strong note. Vamos Orlando!

Just like that, the third week of Orlando City’s preseason preparations is almost in the books. As we’ve done at the end of each of the two previous weeks, let’s take a look back at some things I liked and some things I didn’t from this past week.

Likes

A New Signing Rumor

Technically this happened last Friday, but it was after my previous preseason story had already published, so we run with it this week. Tom Bogert has reported that Orlando is close to signing center back Dusan Stojinovic from Jagiellonia Białystok in the Polish first division.

If signed, Stojinovic would become the second Slovenian on the team alongside David Brekalo and would also help to reinforce a position of need for the Lions. Bogert’s blurb is also notable for mentioning that the team is still working on signing Brazilian center back Iago, but he profiles as more of a younger piece that won’t be expected to start right away, while Stojinovic’s experience seems to point to him being in serious contention for a starting spot.

Glimpses of Goals

A drawback of this preseason that I spoke about a couple weeks ago was the lack of preseason friendlies that are open to the public. That means that while I wouldn’t ordinarily take any extra notice when it comes to footage of a preseason goal, I dissected this one a fair amount.

The clip came from a tilt against Forge FC down in Cancun that hadn’t been previously announced on the team’s preseason schedule, and there’s plenty to like here. Ivan Angulo shows some quick feet and makes the right decision in the final third with an accurate ball into the box, which Duncan McGuire dummies and Marco Pasalic slots home. You can only glean so much from a preseason game, but it’s nice to see a goal being scored from open play, and frankly it’s just nice to see the Lions in action. Perhaps it says something that I’m this happy to see video of a goal from a closed-door preseason friendly, but I’m choosing to look on the bright side and be happy that we get to see it to begin with.

Dislikes

Alex Freeman’s Farewell

The news that Orlando City fans have dreaded for months has now come to pass, as it was announced on Thursday afternoon that the Lions have sold Alex Freeman to Villarreal. The writing has been growing clearer on the wall for awhile now, with reports that the fullback didn’t want to sign a new contract, and that OCSC’s last remaining MLS U22 Initiative slot would be used elsewhere. It was hard not to hold out hope that he’d stay until at least the summer window, but he joins the Spanish side immediately. I, like presumably the majority of Orlando fans, am thrilled for the player, but hate it for the team. The Lions are now extremely thin at right back following the earlier exits of Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. The upside is that the reported initial fee of $4 million gives the Lions plenty of cash to play with when it comes to signing not just a replacement right back, but strengthening other areas of the team as well. Regardless, it sucks to have gotten only one year of an excellent player that is by all accounts, just as pleasant a person off the field. I wish him all the best, but I can’t say I’m happy to have him go.

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, everyone. Stay warm with the cold(er) weather that’s due to come through this weekend, and I’ll see you back here next Friday. Vamos Orlando!