The NYCFC Kit Bracket - Home Quarterfinal #1

The Play-in game is now officially wrapped up and the people have spoken: “Hypnokit” has taken down “Concrete Jungle” in what ended up being a close contest with unbelievable participation. A MASSIVE thank you to the 100+ users that voted in this first round, which gave us a really solid level of data to work with.

So, welcome to the “big dance”, Hypnokit, and apologies for incorrectly naming you the “circles kit” in my previous poll - I should’ve known you had a better name than that…

The NYCFC Kit Bracket

But today, we turn our attention to the ‘Home Kit’ side of the bracket, where we’ll see a matchup between two of our sky-blue staples: #2 seed “Racing Stripe” vs. #3 seed “Inaugural Season Home”.

QUARTER-FINAL: 'Racing Stripe' vs 'Inaugural Season Home'

This is a heavyweight matchup in my eyes for sure, and I can see it going either way. In the Inaugural Season Home Kit of 2015/16, we are looking at a genuine piece of NYCFC history - it’s the first kit the club has ever worn! Legends of the game like David Villa, Frank Lampard, and Andrea Pirlo have all sported the plain powder-blue top, and many of our fan’s fondest memories of our club’s founding will recall this exact kit.

But, are we fond of the kit itself, or just the memories that came while wearing it? Some may call the kit a bit bland, boring, or basic. Or even worse: a Manchester City kit!

This is where I believe its competitor may have the edge. In the other corner, we have the unique “Racing Stripe” kit donned by NYCFC in home matches from 2019 through 2020.

This is a kit that breaks the mold as us far as our home kits go, and is the first home kit to feature any bold design elements whatsoever by way of patterns, accents etc. And it was a prominent one at that, opting for asymmetric and orange-accented piping down the left breast. It also went for the V-neck style as seen in its predecessor of the 2017/18 home kit. Which, depending on who you ask, could make or break the kit.

But, was the design too bold? And, did the lack of star power and on-field success in this particular shirt leave fans wanting more? We’ll see how the voting turns out in this classic matchup of nostalgia and comfort vs. variety and valor.