Columbus Crew SC unveiled their 2016 adidas “For Columbus” away kit in a special event featuring Mayor of Columbus Andrew J. Ginther, several team executives and select Black & Gold players at Columbus City Hall on Wednesday.
The Black & Gold’s 2016 kit portfolio (available at the World Soccer Shopand KitbagMLS stores) includes the all-new For Columbus kit as well as the returning Crew SC Black kit, unveiled ahead of the 2015 campaign. In addition, Crew SC maintains the use of its 2015 Crew SC Gold kit to be worn for a limited number of matches.
Inspired by the Columbus City Flag, the For Columbus kit creates a powerful and bold connection between the Club and the City, further embracing Crew SC’s mission to be Authentically Columbus. The color scheme of the jersey mirrors those used in the City Flag, which is featured on the jock tag at the lower left of the shirt.
Seventeen stars in the neck tape are representative of Ohio being the 17th state admitted to the Union and harken to the 17 stars utilized in the Columbus City Seal, with 16 adorning the top of the circle and the 17th in the center of the Seal beneath the eagle. Additionally, the Seal is placed inside the jersey behind the badge, facing the heart.
Other jersey features include a prominent golden tone in the center, symbolic of Crew SC’s heritage, the Columbus Crew SC wordmark on the back-neck inset and a textured/raised ink Crew SC badge. The black of the shirt is all white and will feature black player names and numbers in Major League Soccer’s official kit font.
Columbus’ 2016 kits are manufactured by adidas and feature adiZero technology, the lightest soccer jersey made. Fitted for the players, the jerseys utilize heat transfer for badging, eliminating stitching for player comfort. The fully engineered back panels on the jersey are designed to help players regulate their temperature during the game so that they can perform at their best.