Welcome dear readers to this year’s annual MLS Training Top Rankings where we debate and critique the league wide training kits. Fashion is an important part of the sport and because MLS teams only introduce one new kit person due to the lazy hard working folks at Adidas they make up for it by releasing a handful of these every season. Here are the 2023 Rankings and 2022 Rankings to familiarize yourself with past iterations both of this ranking and previous Training Tops.
2024 One Planet Pre-Match Top
In a divergence from past Training Tops MLS divided these into three different color schemes. The Austin FC version is pictured above by dreamboat Brad Stuver. Austin definitely got the best of three. Not just the Verde but the vibrant color pattern is much better than the blue or beige patterns that are more muted and blend together. It does lose points because the design feature is only the front, which is weird because as a training top it doesn’t need the back clear for a player name/number.
2024 Hispanic Heritage Pre-Match Top
A theme of the next two kits is a foray into metallic or iridescent coloring, which can be cool and this geometric patter is a really strong look that draws the eye and attention.
Unfortunately, a theme of training tops through the history of these rankings is the answer to a simple question: What does this have to do with the topic? In what way does this relate to Hispanic heritage?
2024 Pride Pre-Match Top
This has been a controversial kit here at The Compound. There’s been a three side group chat battle in between “perfect” “meh” and “awful.” Personally, this author thinks it looks like an impressionist painting done in tree camo or like the designer accidentally left oil on another liquid and decided to just use it. Shoutout for Adidas using an LGBTQ+ designer, but it still feels like a miss.
2024 Childhood Cancer Pre-Match Top
Let me start by stating a strong opinion: Fuck Cancer. It’s bad and we should do everything in our power to fight it and help those fighting it.
These designs always feature a lot of yellow because that’s color of fighting childhood cancer. Yellow, according to color theory, is associated with warmth, optimism, and happiness. It can be used to create a positive and uplifting mood in communications related to social impact. The actual design, as is typical of these kits, is good. It has a sense of finger painting that is evocative of children and childhood. Unfortunately it feels weird for this Austin FC team to wear a kit that says “GOALS” when they didn’t meet their goal of making the playoffs.
FINAL RANKINGS
2024 One Planet Pre-Match Top
2024 Kick Childhood Cancer Pre-Match Top
2024 Hispanic Heritage Pre-Match Top
2024 Pride Pre-Match Top