The last time we saw Russia in the World Cup was in 2002 at the tandem South Korean/Japanese hosted contest. They put on a less than stellar performance with a record of 1-0-2, and then proceeded to miss the next two World Cups, with 2010 being a particularly heartbreaking affair due to a qualifying playoff loss against Slovenia. If this woeful trend continues, we won’t be seeing the Russians in Brazil 2014, but we will definitely see them in 2018, when the World Cup is played on Russian soil. For this reason as well as aesthetic appeal, I’ve plucked the Russian Away soccer jersey off the shop’s rack and opened my word processor, ready to talk about this unique jersey.
The basic pieces of the jersey are designed more or less the same way as the 2010 line up of Adidas jerseys. All the basic components, the shoulders, abdomen, collar, etc, are assembled in the same manner as the current Bayern Munich Home jersey or the AC Milan Home jersey, but their expression is unique to each team, which is especially true for this year’s Russia Away jersey. The shoulders, for example, are a maroon background with a gold 3-stripe Adidas design overlaid, which then gives way to a plain white sleeve. The chest of the jersey has a subtle difference from other Adidas jerseys, which I think was a good move by the designers. Normally, the company logo is directly horizontal to the team crest, but Adidas changed this. Instead, the upper chest has the Adidas logo stitched into a plain white mesh that doesn’t call attention to itself and provides a touch of simplicity. The middle of the chest, then, begins the trio of somewhat ornate embossed horizontal bands that rise out of the white jersey.
Overlaying the first of these bands is the Russian team crest, which may be one of the larger crests out there. Perhaps this is why Adidas chose to change the location of their own logo? Anyway, as I said, there are three horizontal bands separated by two equally wide bands of plain white. These three bands provide a lot of elegance to a jersey, and they have a kind of controlled chaos to them. Whoever conceived these designs deserves a lot of praise. The other aspect of the jersey which controls the chaos of the horizontal designs is the abdomen of the jersey. They’re simply plain and white with a gold border, which really adds flavor to the rest of the jersey. On one side of the abdomen, there is the rubber Adidas button, while on the other side is a holographic Russian insignia. They’re both fairly small, but they provide a lot of balance for the jersey; they draw the eye down for a second, which keeps the jersey from feeling a little top heavy, design-wise. Overall, this jersey is balanced, eye-catching and well put together.
In light of the World Cup selection, I think Russian jerseys will be in demand for awhile, and as of now, they’re only $41.99 at soccerpro.com. That’s a steal for the quality of jersey—it’s 100% polyester and utilizes Adidas CLIMACOOL technology, which is standard. With the holidays coming around, this jersey would be a sweet, affordable pickup for anyone who has a person on their list who’s looking for this kind of present but doesn’t want to try and stuff a soccer ball in a stocking. Like I said, I expect these jerseys to rise in demand, so make sure you aren’t left out in the cold (zing)!
Written by: Kris Dyer, soccerprose.com
