NWSL jerseys ranked: Kansas City Current, Houston Dash look sharp; Gotham FC’s unique crest doesn’t work

The National Women’s Soccer League season is just two weeks away and clubs are ringing in the new year with shiny new jerseys. All 14 clubs unveiled at least one new kit for the upcoming regular season, either a primary or secondary version, and some of the kits even have names, “pride marks,” and charitable efforts attached to them. Bay FC, meanwhile, revealed two new kits. 

Now, let’s rank them based purely on look. There are some jerseys that stand out more than others, but the unfortunate truth is, I wish I could rank every one of these kits as No. 8 or No. 7 because none of them are truly terrible or significantly magnificent. I’m not quite sure what that says about the entire lot of them, except that there are certainly Nike template kits and attempts to mix up the Nike template kits. 

With that, let’s get going with the rankings:

14. Utah Royals FC – “The Great Salt Lake kit”

Their distinctive lion inside of Utah-shaped crest is very good and I hope the Royals continue to use it moving forward. It’s the best part of the kit and the rest is kind of a miss. Streaks of blue on blue that are supposed to symbolize the terrain of Utah just look like paint roller streaks, especially with the yellow trim that looks like painter’s tape. Cap it off with a cringe slogan type of sponsor splattered across the chest and Utah get last place.

13. NJ/NY Gotham FC – Secondary

Gotham’s color scheme has so much promise and falls so short in this kit. They tried to modernize with “a tonal crest” that has matte and “shine finishes” in an attempt to be “gritty” but just comes off as an all-black logo that goes invisible. At least the star above the crest for their 2023 NWSL Championship stands out. 

12. North Carolina Courage – “The Believe kit”

The franchise never really leaned into the “cardinal red” hue of their crest and they’re finally starting to do that. I am someone who appreciates a monochrome crest when done right and for me, that’s what North Carolina get correct here. The silhouette of the Lioness with the crest outlined in the Courage’s “southern gold” looks nice, but in the end, it’s just a red kit.

11. Portland Thorns FC – Secondary

Portland brought back the color black into their kits this year and it usually has been a success for them. The red and black crest is excellent and stands out on the black and red speckled kit (that’s meant to represent burning embers) and the “onward rose city” on the bottom right of the shirt is a nice touch. Still, it’s giving more of a training or warm-up kit and falls a bit short of what we’ve come to expect from the club.

10. Seattle Reign FC – “The Rise kit”

I really like the Reign’s kit but it’s incomplete! There’s zero argument for their crest, the queen came back in 2024 and she is forever legendary, along with the upgraded color scheme. The white kit with gold rays across it is a cool design, but they get ranked so low because they’re unveiled without the “Black Future Co-op Fund” sponsorship on the front. It could be intentional, or not, but BFCF has become a significant part of the Reign’s kits and quite possibly (was) the best sponsor “look” in the league. 

9. Racing Louisville FC – “The Roots kit”

Much like Racing’s end-of-season finishes, they get a ninth place here. Not gonna lie, I really wanted to love this kit because I am so here for more green colors in NWSL. But this particular shade is a bit too muddy for me, and the too-clunky collar and sleeve trim just throw the whole thing off despite the unique siding of the lily, from Louisiville’s fleur-de-lis in the crest.

8. Bay FC – Both kits

Bay FC are the only team sporting two new kits this season and feature a mostly “clean” (or boring) look to them. Both of them also have their crest in the center which I will never be a fan of so they get to be eighth. Their secondary kit is meant to be an upgrade to their white jersey from their inaugural season but now includes “poppy” trim with silver linear graphics. The primary is “Bay” Blue with poppy accents, and both kits sport subtle line designs.

7. Washington Spirit – “The Shockwave kit”

Not sure what the Spirit are doing with their rebrand but starting with a shift in the colors last season before the crest or name just makes this year’s jersey a weird knockoff of Brazil or Australia kits. It’s not quite the “highlighter” yellow color we saw last season, and I’ve made it pretty clear that monochrome crests done right are a sell for me, and Spirit nail that again, But the trim on the collar and sleeves is a miss.

6. Orlando Pride – “The Decennial kit”

Orlando are celebrating their 10 anniversary and is doing so by introducing a very good-looking iridescent crest and keeping their iconic purple hues with light blue touches. They’re also sporting a new center crest placement and I cannot emphasize what a bummer it is. It’s literally in the middle of the kit twice. Once in the center of the jersey and then sandwiched in between a Nike swoosh above it (and its new championship star) and the official sponsor. The extra details on the sleeve trim and sides, along with the pride mark, save it for me though.

5. Chicago Stars FC – Secondary

Chicago Stars FC are going full steam ahead with their rebrand and sporting the new crest on a new secondary kit. Ironically, the rebrand already has a rebrand. There’s a white and black version on the new shirt, and kind of falls short of any real impact on the kit, but that’s because the real star here is the black, white (silver?) “liquid metal” vibe going on with red trim on the sleeves and collar.

4. San Diego Wave FC – “Altamar kit”

A better blue version of what Utah were perhaps trying to achieve. There’s no doubt of the connection between Wave FC and the “sea” of water designs on the kit when you look at it. A solid mix of blue hues and a “Make waves” pride mark on the lower right to really hammer home the point.

3. Angel City FC – “Los Angeles kit”

As a cream-colored kit, the details on this might blend out on broadcasts but they’re impossible to miss up close. In an ode to the city, the kit is covered in iconic landmarks that make up the greater Los Angeles community. You can find Mariachi Plaza (Boyle Heights), Korean Friendship Bell (San Pedro), Echo Park Lake, and more. The club’s signature sol-rosa color is included along with a custom script-lettering “Los Angeles” pride mark that I hope the team uses more in the future.

2. Houston Dash – “Cosmic Storm kit” 

Keeping in line with the NASA and space culture of Houston, the Dash finally went a bit out of this world and introduced a whole new color to their secondary kit. A neon purple hue is a new color for the team, and while some might look at it and just think spray paint chaos, I say chaos is NWSL culture. The tonal two-color secondary mark for the crest is the best it’s looked since the rebrand, and the “H-town Hand” pride mark on this is another, standout, creative win. 

1. Kansas City Current – “Teal Town kit”

Nothing better than a kit that reps their color scheme and it feels like Kansas City faithful have been waiting years for a fully teal kit. They’re finally getting it, and with added details throughout, with a map view of Kansas City and the Missouri River all around the jersey. In an extra touch of local connection, the crest also rests over where CPKC Stadium is located on the map. Imagine the scenes if Temwa Chawinga nails a river goal in this one.