[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/FC_Seoul_adidas_2010_Home_and_Away_Kits_Jerseys]FC Seoul is a football club based in Seoul, South Korea. It is currently owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group. The club is usually considered a powerhouse in the K-League.
FC Seoul released its new adidas jerseys for 2010 season this week. FC Seoul players will wear these new kits in the upcoming K-league season. However, because of their 5th place finish in the 2009 K-League, FC Seoul did not qualify for the 2010 AFC Champions League.
The adidas shirt designs in use here are new to most. Expect to see more of it as more teams using adidas gear launch their 2010 kits.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Soccer_Babes_Mexican_Soccer_Cheerleaders_Week_3_Part_2]This is Part Two of our extremely popular weekly look at the weekend's Mexican Primera cheerleaders. We ran into more images of the Mexican Torneo Bicentenario 2010 cheerleaders (or porristas) this week, so we're bringing some bonus coverage to the masses.
Check this space every Monday for more of these chicas.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Review_Puma_v1_10_Soccer_Boots]Over the past week we’ve been testing the Puma v1.10 Firm Ground soccer boot. English Premier League fans may have seen this flashy boot being worn by Chelsea FC’s Nicolas Anelka in his goal scoring exploits for the Blues this season.
Here’s a brief description of the boot from Puma:
PUMA's v1.10 football boot incorporates the most advanced technology available to date. The second generation of the Uni-construction provides a better touch of the ball by having an updated, softer toe area. Further, the laces are covered in order to provide a clean kicking area, and the lightweight upper materials combine textiles with a soft, highly-abrasion resistant, lightweight micro-fiber that translates into a significantly better ball touch. At the same time, the carbon fiber plate in the outsole reduces the stud pressure and increases reactivity, while keeping the weight of the product down.
The Test
Our soccer league is in its winter off-season right now so our test consisted of the following:
One break-in session in which we ran some dribbling and shooting drills and practiced skills moves
One pickup game
One club scrimmage session
Note: The fields that we’re playing on these days are not in the best of conditions because of recent wet, wintery weather.
Aesthetics
We tested the Blazing Yellow/Black/Chili Pepper Puma v1.10 pictured above. While the v1.10 comes in several colorways from red to black, this is the v1.10’s brightest colorway and definitely catches the eye. It was definitely a hit when the boot made the rounds at Football Fashion and when we showed up on the pitch with it. One female Football Fashion contributor who’s somewhat of a celebrity at local L.A. Fitness’ where she teaches spin and dance classes immediately wanted to know if Puma makes trainers that she can wear to the gym in this colorway.
Regardless of the colors used, the Puma v1.10 looks great. From the smooth front with an underlying textured finish to the webbed Puma logo on the outside to the large Puma cat on the inner foot area, the v1.10 is a soccer work of art. The design team responsible for the boot did an excellent job in making the v1.10 soccer eye candy. As you might expect, it pained us to take them out onto our muddy fields.
The Fit
Upon first trying on the Puma v1.10, the first thing that struck us was its light weight. At only 8.2 oz, the v1.10 rivals performance running shoes. Given that most normal soccer shoes weigh anywhere from 10 – 13 oz., the light weight of the v1.10 can possibly make a difference in the fatigue encountered by a typical soccer player running anywhere from 5 to 10 km over a 90 minute game.
The fit of the Puma v1.10 was glove-like, true to size and extremely comfortable. Coupled with its great stability, at times you forget that you’re wearing cleated shoe. This is definitely welcome given that cleated shoes can be extremely uncomfortable at times. Within 45 minutes of knocking a ball around with the v1.10, we felt that they were ready for match action.
In-Game Performance
Puma stresses the v1.10’s light weight as one of its statement features. It is a speedster’s shoe that best serves players in attacking roles such as wingers, wingbacks and strikers. Thus we wore the v1.10s whilst playing in a right-sided attacking midfielder position for our test period to fully appreciate its main attributes.
After taking about 10 minutes to get used to using the news shoes in a game situation, we felt quite at ease in them. We felt as if light weight of the shoe made it easier to move on and off the ball. Whether psychological or because of the fit of the shoe, skills moves seemed to require a little less effort. Our break-in session with the boots probably aided with this.
Touch
In terms of touch, the Puma v1.10 performed splendidly. You may wonder how easy it will be to trap a fast-moving ball and kill its momentum with an ultralight shoe that may not have the padding of heavier shoes. No worries with the v1.10. We suspect that this may be because of what appears to be padding in the instep and the unique somewhat flattened forefoot area of the boot. The latter also works excellently for chipped shots, long crosses and lofted passes. It’s almost as if the wedge created between the foot and ball when executing these moves is improved.
Shooting
As with any new soccer boot it does take a bit of practice to get the feel of shooting in the v1.10s. However, providing you’ve got some skill in the art, once you get used to these them, the Puma v1.10’s covered lace area, light weight and smooth forefoot can combine for deadly shooting. The ball-hugging feel provided when executing volleys and half-volleys is absolutely superb. The end result are shots that were often more accurate when compared to those made with a standard boot.
Stability
We regard stability to one of the most important features of any soccer shoe. The Puma v1.10 did not let us down in this area. Before even trying on the boot, we suspected that it was designed with stability in mind from the sturdy heel support that appears on the back of the shoe and the fact that it is a contiguous unit with the plate of the shoe.
From our break-in session to the games we played in the Puma v1.10, we loved the stability that the boot offered (even on winter storm-beaten fields). We felt well-balanced and ready to receive the ball when moving off of it and very comfortable when dribbling with, holding up, trapping and passing the ball in these shoes. The extra stability provided by the v1.10 worked particularly well when doing drag backs and Cruyff Turns in tight situations.
When Not to Wear
We do not recommend that rough and tumble central defenders and defensive midfielders use the v1.10. Again, it is a light weight speed boot. As such, it is not built for dishing out or receiving the abuse usually associated with these positions. One ill-timed tackle or step on the foot in light weight boots like the v1.10 could result in injury or even a broken metatarsal. If you play in central defense or as a defensive midfielder, please stick to a sturdy padded boot like the venerable Puma King.
Durability
We’ve logged about four hours of practice and game time in the Puma v1.10 thus far. While they no longer have the brand new, out of the box look because of the abuse and wet and muddy fields that we’ve subjected them to, the v1.10s have held up quite well. We see no unusual wrinkling, shape distortion or ripping in them. They also do not retain water because of the synthetic materials used for their construction. By all accounts, the Puma v1.10 is well-constructed and should stand the test of time. We can’t wait to give them a run when it’s warm and dry on lush green fields!
Conclusion
The Puma v1.10 is a quality professional grade soccer boot. We recommend it for skilled offensive players. Its light weight is something to behold and will impress the fleet-footed. At the same time, the V1.10’s remarkable fit, touch and stability are features to be enjoyed by intermediate to advanced players with a good knowledge of the game of soccer.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Melbourne_Victory_Reebok_2010_AFC_Champions_League_Jerseys]Defending Australian A-League champions Melbourne Victory have revealed their Reebok new home and alternate jerseys for the upcoming AFC Champions League 2010.
According to the Victory's website "Leading Australian parking operator Care Park will grace the front of the new navy and white shirts, which both feature Melbourne Victory's distinctive V and will be used exclusively in Asia's premier club competition."
Melbourne is grouped with Beijing Guoan, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Kawasaki Frontale for the group stage of this year's AFC Champions League.
Below is a look at the Melbourne Victory Reebok AFC Champions League 2010 home and alternate jerseys featuring modeling by Australian international and club stalwart Archie Thompson.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/England_Rugby_Nike_2010_Twickenham_Centenary_Rugby_Kit]The England rugby team will wear a special one-off kit for their Six Nations opener against Wales this Saturday.
The Nike kit will be used to mark 100 years of international fixtures at Twickenham, the first of which was a meeting between England and Wales in 1910.
The retro England strip is based on that worn by the Red and Whites for the said 1910 Twickenham match.
England will revert to its ultra-modern Nike 2010 home and change kits for the rest of their Six Nations fixtures.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Soccer_Babes_Present_the_Excursionistas_Kappa_2010_Kit]Ever heard of Argentine soccer team Club Atlético Excursionistas? Well neither had we until earlier this week when they presented their Centenary Kappa 2010 kit collection with the help of several local soccer babes (hence their appearance on Football Fashion).
The club was founded in 1910 with the name Club Union de Excursionistas. Its name was changed to Club Atletico excursionistas in 1920. "Excursionistas" translates roughly to "Voyagers" in English and is akin to the name "Wanderers" used by clubs such as Bolton of the English Premier League.
Atlético Excursionistas currently campaigns in the third tier of the Argentine football pyramid - La Primera C Metropolitana.
[digg=http://digg.com/soccer/Soccer_Babe_Luciana_Works_with_the_Ball_NSFW]In our never-ending effort to bring you the best soccer babes out there, we present Mexican beauty Luciana showing the art of modeling with a soccer ball. There's really not more that can be said about her clearly unbridled talent.
