Ever since its momentous rebrand a decade ago, Sporting Kansas City has regularly featured some of the most distinguished and—in this author’s frank opinion—best looking jerseys in Major League Soccer.
With MLS Jersey Week kicking off today, there’s no better time to cast a fond look back at every kit during the Sporting Kansas City era.
Sporting Blue Primary Kit (2011-2012)
Alas, the birth of Sporting Blue. With a new club name and crest came a new primary color for Sporting Kansas City. Manager Peter Vermes’ men rocked these kits from 2011-2012 in conjunction with their ascension as a perennial title contender.
Dark Indigo Secondary Kit (2011-2012)
Just as Sporting Blue entered the fray, so, too, did Dark Indigo.
State Line Secondary Kit (2013)
The secondary kit received an upgrade in 2013 as Ivy Investments, the club's first jersey sponsor, adorned the chest. The State Line element was also present with a spread of Sporting Club marks along the left side.
State Line Primary Kit (2013-14)
Elevated by the arrival of the Ivy Investments logo, this smash hit showcased the team’s Sporting Blue and Dark Indigo colors through a trendy asymmetrical design that emphasized the state line brand element, which was introduced during the club’s rebrand in 2010. The state line represented the shared border between Kansas and Missouri, with Sporting Kansas City having strong ties to both sides of the state line.
Black Argyle Third Kit (2013-14)
This argyle beauty paid homage to Kansas City’s roots when the Wizards wore black in their first four seasons from 1996-1999. The design featured a signature argyle pattern across the front that alternated between the team’s Sporting Blue and Dark Indigo colors.
Horizontal Stripe Secondary Kit (2014-15)
This immensely popular secondary kit showcased the club’s Sporting Blue and dark indigo colors through a horizontally striped pattern on the jersey front, as well as the socks, which was indicative of the stripes in the Sporting Kansas City logo.
Windowpane Primary Kit (2015-16)
Complete with a Henley collar and a button, this Sporting Blue primary jersey featured a fashion-forward windowpane pattern that incorporated the club's state-line element. Paired with Dark Indigo shorts, Sporting had a light/dark/light color combination for the jersey, shorts and socks for the first time in club history.
White Argyle Third Kit (2015-17)
The monochromatic white and metallic silver jersey earned rave reviews from the start. The collared kit’s signature argyle pattern, an iconic element from the black third kit from 2013-2014, stretched across the chest while also featuring atop the back of the uniform and on the reverse side of the socks. The silver metallic color scheme further showcased the player names and numbers as well as the two MLS Cup championship stars above the Sporting crest.
Dark Indigo Stripe Secondary Kit (2016-17)
This fashion-forward secondary kit featured a dark indigo background with tonal blue, horizontal stripes, a Sporting Blue Henley collar, a metallic silver Ivy Investments wordmark and the classic adidas Three Stripes running along the sides of the jersey.
“No Other Club” Primary Kit (2017-18)
Like previous primary kits, this jersey retained a Sporting blue background while introducing a variety of new elements. At the forefront, this marked the first time Sporting had ever used a button-down collar. The white collar matched new white shorts, while the right sleeve featured the “No Other Club” wordmark in captain Matt Besler’s handwriting.
Black Metallic Secondary Kit (2018-19)
This sharp stunner was an evolution of Sporting’s previous black and white argyle kits, showcasing a high-end Reflex Black with metallic silver accents. The metallic silver Ivy Investments wordmark featured diamond pattern enhancements.
Diagonal Stripe Primary Kit (2019-20)
The current primary jersey combines Sporting’s customary colors with Raw Grey, the tonal accent color of the kit’s diagonal stripes. The uniform features a Sporting Blue background with a Dark Indigo collar, numbering, Ivy Investments wordmark, adidas Three Stripes and diagonal-striped jock tag. Grey shorts and Sporting Blue socks with SKC initials round out the full uniform.
Swiss Dot Secondary Kit (2020)
The current secondary kit is inspired by the iconic silver metal fins that make up the exterior of Children’s Mercy Park, grounded in traditional Dark Indigo and Sporting Blue colors with metallic silver adidas EQT stripes on the right shoulder. Additional metallic silver elements include the Sporting crest, adidas logo and Ivy Investment wordmark, with Sporting Blue Swiss Dots adorning the contemporary jersey.
