NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 5, 2020) – To kick off Major League Soccer’s historic 25th Season Celebration, the League and adidas made history tonight by unveiling the complete collection of 2020 performance kits at the celebrity-packed event, FORWARD25, ahead of Fashion Week in New York City.
MLS put the spotlight on its star-studded, multi-cultural fan base by featuring celebrity fans as the jersey models for each club. Professional Gamer NINJA revealed the New York Red Bulls jersey, Houston Texans All-Pro wide receiver DEANDRE HOPKINS wore Houston Dynamo’s, and actor and director COLIN HANKS represented Los Angeles Football Club, while OVO Sound duo MAJID JORDAN revealed Toronto FC’s new jersey.
In addition to celebrities, MLS Greats including ALEXI LALAS (New England Revolution), JACK JEWSBURY (Portland Timbers), JAIME MORENO (D.C. United), MARVELL WYNNE (San Jose Earthquakes) and MIKE MAGEE (Chicago Fire) were present at the event to unveil their former club’s 2020 kit. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rapids and FC Cincinnati enlisted help from their local communities to reveal their jerseys, including Scotty Stephens, a forward for the Colorado Rapids Special Olympics Unified Soccer Team, and 11-year-old Arlando Griffin from the West End Cincinnati community where the team is building a stadium.
The 2020 jerseys feature the iconic 3-stripe adidas EQT (equipment) designs, which first debuted in the 1990s when MLS was formed and have been bought back for the all-new, 26-team collection.
Unique elements for each club are infused throughout the jersey designs. For example, for the two new clubs joining this year, Inter Miami CF will feature embossed black herons throughout the jersey, while Nashville SC’s jersey showcases vibrant colors to highlight the new beat of Music City. Although each club has customized and unique elements reflecting their rich history, the League and adidas are united under the three-stripe design for the landmark 25th season.
adidas and MLS also unveiled the official MLS name and number jersey font for 2020. A dynamic, energetic and bold graphic typeface, the font introduces a layering tri-line effect. The font was designed in collaboration with MLS by Rick Banks, lead designer and typographer of Face37, an award-winning graphic design studio based in Manchester, England.
Adding to the event festivities, Captain Morgan hosted guests over the age of 21 in the Captain’s Corner – an interactive lounge that celebrated soccer culture and nostalgia of the 90s with imagery and archival footage from the early years of the League and provided a digital Polaroid experience for guests. Delicious cocktails featuring Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Captain Morgan White Rum were served at the Captain Morgan bar, where guests were among the first to preview the new limited-edition Captain Morgan MLS bottles hitting shelves just in time for the new season.
In partnership with EA SPORTS FIFA, the adidas jerseys will be revealed virtually across EA SPORTS FIFA channels following the real-world unveil. Fans can also represent their favorite MLS team currently playable in FIFA 20 and use the jerseys across various game modes, including Kick-Off, Career Mode, and more ahead of the start of the season. Stay tuned for more details on @EASPORTSFIFA channels.
On Twitter, the use of hashtag #FORWARD25 will unlock a custom emoji featuring a jersey with “25” across the front. The emoji will officially activate on Feb. 5.
The FORWARD25 jersey reveal is part of MLS’ year-long 25th Season Celebration, which celebrates the League’s past while expanding on the foundation it has built over an extensive period of explosive growth. The Celebration features unique experiences, marquee events, robust content, innovative programming and the special commemorative design integrated throughout league and partner initiatives, including the 2020 MLS jerseys. To purchase the new jerseys, visit MLSstore.com or adidas.com.
Below is a full list of celebrities, MLS Greats and MLS fans who participated in FORWARD25. Media assets, including b-roll, soundbytes and photos, will be available via the link below and will be updated with new content throughout the evening:
CLICK HERE: MEDIA ASSETS
CLUB REVEAL DESCRIPTOR
Atlanta United - Trinidad James Gold - Gang Records recording artist
Chicago Fire - Mike Magee - MLS Great
Colorado Rapids - Scott Stephens - Special Olympics Colorado
Columbus Crew SC - Katie Witham - Fox Sports broadcaster
D.C. United - Jaime Moreno - MLS Great
FC Cincinnati - Arlando Griffin - Representing youth soccer and the West End community
FC Dallas - Dude Perfect - Team of trick shot guys and one of the most subscribed YouTubers and most viewed channels
Houston Dynamo - DeAndre Hopkins - Houston Texans All-Pro wide receiver
LA Galaxy - Murs - LA Rapper
LAFC - Colin Hanks - Actor and director
Inter Miami CF - Axel Perez & Fernando Sanchez - Inter Miami CF Academy players
Minnesota United - Justin Sutherland & Bullseye Celebrity chef; official mascot of Target
Montreal Impact - Cozy Model
Nashville SC - Lindsay Ell - Country music singer, songwriter and guitarist
New England Revolution - Alexi Lalas - MLS Great
NYCFC - Natalie Negrotti - TV personality
New York Red Bulls - Ninja - Professional Gamer
Orlando City SC - Scooter Magruder - American YouTube personality
Philadelphia Union - Boston Scott - Philadelphia Eagles running back
Portland Timbers - Jack Jewsbury - MLS Great
Real Salt Lake - Marshall Miller - Stuntman
San Jose Earthquakes - Marvell Wynne - MLS Great
Seattle Sounders FC - Nestra Singer - songwriter
Sporting Kansas City - Taylor Wells - Model
Toronto FC - Majid Jordan - OVO Sound’s Canadian R&B duo
Vancouver Whitecaps - Jacob Tremblay - Canadian actor
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About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer – celebrating its 25th Season in 2020 – features 26 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, in addition to future expansion teams in Austin, St. Louis, Sacramento and Charlotte. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About adidas
adidas is a global leader in the sporting goods industry with the core brands adidas and Reebok. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the company employs around 57,000 people across the globe and generated sales of just under € 22 billion in 2
