We’ve been waiting for the 2022 USMNT World Cup jersey reveal since the U.S. qualified for Qatar 2022 back in March. We’ve seen a variety of supposed leaks and rumors of kits, and The18 even created our own concept uniforms. Yet we still wait for Nike to unveil the uniforms the USMNT will wear at its first World Cup appearance since 2014.
With so many leaks and rumors flying around, it’s hard to tell what to believe and what not to believe. For better or worse, Weston McKennie just hinted that the latest leak might be real — and it’s real bad.
The fine folks at USMNT Only posted two images of what they said were photos of the 2022 USMNT World Cup jersey home and away kits on Monday morning. McKennie then commented on the Instagram post, suggesting he knows they’re legit. (The Instagram post has since been deleted, but the identical tweet remains.)
2022 USMNT World Cup Jersey Leak?
A fan just DMd me these pictures of the 2022 USMNT World Cup kit. pic.twitter.com/u7nDwp6iXB
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) August 15, 2022
The white kit gives off major World Cup 2002 vibes.
The blue kit is either a bad approximation of the Hawaiian Islands or an ugly Rorschach test.
The replies on Twitter were not kind to the shirts, with few liking the designs, including former USMNT striker Herculez Gomez.
— herculez gomez (@herculezg) August 15, 2022
The only interesting aspect of either kit is the U.S. Soccer badge going in the middle of the shirt. The fact there is no Nike logo also makes one question the validity of the leak, though the Nike logo could be on the sleeve.
And yet, not long after the image was posted, Weston McKennie commented on the shirts writing “Tried to tell them” with a tearful emoji.
Players usually have inside knowledge on new kit drops because they’re involved in photoshoots to show off the jerseys once they’re unveiled, so it’s plausible McKennie is telling the truth here.
It’s also possible the blue kit is just a warmup, because it sure looks like a warmup jersey. And maybe (hopefully) McKennie is just messing with us.
As a reminder, here’s what last week’s supposedly leaked 2022 USMNT World Cup jerseys looked like.
seeing some final drafts of the #USMNT 2022 home and away World Cup jerseys… pic.twitter.com/toXAupsj1b
— USMNT UK (@USMNT_UK) May 5, 2022
Sadly, none of these kits look good. They are all objectively bad, bland and boring. If the USMNT is wearing any of these jerseys in Qatar, fans will be upset. Players, too — based on McKennie’s comments — will be upset.
What’s the opposite of look good, feel good, play good? Look shite, feel shite and play shite. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen in November.
