Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ATLANTA) — The final score of the U.S. men’s national team game on Saturday, a 5-2 defeat to Belgium, wasn’t the only thing everyone was talking about.
You couldn’t tell which team was which on the pitch because of similar jersey colors between the two sides. It made following the game a challenge – whether you were watching at home on TV, in the press box, or just walking around the 300-level of the stadium and hearing fans talking about it at halftime.
Following the match at the home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United, the USA’s forward Christian Pulisic explained the oddity of the jersey combination.
[Read More: 4 Takeaways From USA’s Loss to Belgium]
“It was very difficult,” the USA star said to the group of reporters in the mixed zone after the match, no longer donning the jersey but instead dressed back in the team’s pregame gear.
Pulisic also noted the game’s jersey issue was “not an excuse at all, because both teams deal with that. But that was a bit strange.”
The USA wore its new Nike-designed red-and-white home “Stripes” kit that is supposed to look like a waving American flag. Belgium wore their newly released World Cup away jersey, which is a pink-and-light-blue tribute (designed by adidas) that was inspired by Belgian artist René Magritte the country’s surrealist movement.
Photos of the jerseys look different enough, but in person it caused issues.
A clash of styles, both in fashion and performance. (Getty)
It was even more frustrating for the players. Pulisic, who plays for Italian club AC Milan, said he and his USA teammates had no idea before kickoff that there would be a problem.
“We took off [our warmup shirts] and then saw it,” Pulisic explained. “Everyone was a bit shocked.”
Having comparable colored jerseys on the field can impact decision-making and the ability to react quickly.
“It’s difficult, it’s difficult,” Pulisic added. “A lot of times, you get the ball, you look up, like, you can’t really lock in on someone, and you can only base it on the color of the shirt. That’s how it works. When it’s very similar, it’s difficult.”
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Weston McKennie, the star Juventus midfielder who scored the USA’s first goal on Saturday, also agreed about the clash of colors when answering questions in the mix zone.
“It was definitely a little bit difficult whenever you do a quick glance to tell which was which,” McKennie said to reporters. “It was almost a 50-50 thing, so you definitely had to maybe take a little more time on the ball before you make a decision or play one touch to a player.
“But obviously we’re not looking for any excuses at all.”
Beautiful designs, but one could see why this combo could get confusing (Getty).
A U.S. Soccer spokesperson told us after the player availability that there’s a process that starts well in advance of the game to avoid this kind of situation. In this case, as the home team, the U.S. chose which uniform it was going to wear and asked Belgium to wear its away one. Photos of the jerseys were sent to the referee, which was followed by a match coordination meeting.
That allowed everybody to see what the jerseys looked like, and then the referee checked the locker room before the game for an inspection to ensure everything was good to go.
Would this have been a more pleasing uniform combination? (Getty)
Once it became apparent that the colors were too close during Saturday’s match, the question was asked if Belgium could switch to their signature home red jerseys.
But the team’s equipment, which included alternate jerseys, had already been sent to Chicago for Belgium’s next match vs. Mexico at Soldier Field on Tuesday.
If they had their other jerseys, would Belgium have switched?
“It certainly would have been an option,” the U.S. Soccer spokesperson explained when asked about the jersey in the mixed zone.
The USA faces Portugal on Tuesday in its final match before the World Cup roster is announced on May 26. If the USA dons its home kit again and asks Portugal to wear its away one – a white jersey with a frosty-looking blue and green wave on the front – that could create a similar visual clash.
Which jersey should Portugal, the USA’s next opponent, wear on Tuesday? (Getty)
