Exact Requirements Revealed: Adidas & MLS To Reintroduce Third Kits In 2021, Long Sleeve Kits Have Returned
Jan 6, 2021, by Chris
Update: Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson (@MerritPaulson) has exposed the exact requirements a MLS team needs to meet in order to receive a third shirt. If a team sells more than 100.000 jerseys they are eligible to be a part of the exclusive program. He also used the opportunity to disagree with the admission standards since Paulson does not like the fact that other factors such as kits sold per 1.000 residents are not included.
Need to sell 100k kits to allow a 3rd kit. We are among top sellers even as a small market. I think market size should be weighed into equation to allow clubs to do a third kit as we are punching way above our weight and its not apples to apples comparing ATL to PDX
— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) January 4, 2021
With all the kits having been revealed on February 5 in New York, the 2020 Major League Soccer season is ready to begin. Now it has been revealed that 2020 is likely the last year for major MLS teams to just have two different kits, home and away.
MLS Is Poised To Allow A Third Kit In 2021
According to an article of The Athletic, Major League Soccer's "big sellers may get an even larger platform in the future. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, MLS is poised to allow a third kit next year for a handful of its best-selling clubs, an option clubs haven’t had for years. Those third kits, which briefly appeared in the mid-2010s, were phased out when they simply didn’t sell well enough".
The Athletic also reports that for the the same reason (not enough sales), the league did away with long-sleeved jerseys last year. However, the long-sleeved MLS kits have now reappeared, with long sleeve jerseys available for some of MLS's biggest clubs.
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