The cover image is an AI-generated image. We typed in Red Dead Redemption soccer kits and got this. We rarely use AI art and seek to find artists we can work with. When we do use AI-generated material, we want to be clear in delineating it.

Alright kit nerds, another round of the 2024 MWPL kit drops is here. If you missed Part 1 here is a rundown of my criteria:

Design: With great power comes great responsibility, how do you want your club to look on the pitch and around your community?
Local Connection: How are you including your community in your kit lineup? Whether local sponsorships, designs that are community specific and/or proceeds returned to the community. Remember, kit sales are not the sole way to soccer philanthropy, so I am applying this purely to the kits. This is in no way a reflection of the clubs. Community involvement is crucial to be accepted as a member of the MWPL so make no assumptions.
Value: Disposable income is tighter than it has ever been. Are the people buying your kits getting their money’s worth?

Troy United 2024 Home Kit

Design: 4

Vertical stripes are a safe choice, not sure about the gradient. Gold looks good over black, so the fade is nice, feels unnecessary with the patterned stripes but it works. Would have liked to see the application of the Meander that ran down the side of the 2023 black kit.

Local Connection: 3.5

Local sponsors kits, which is great for the local commerce.

Value: 4.5

50$ is great value for a lower league kit. The design is decent and in my personal experience, you get your money’s worth with Olive & York kits.

12/15

Did I buy?: No

Troy United 2024 Away Kit

Design: 4.25

This one I like better than the home kit. The Trojan helmet/blank shield combination is great use of available space. The clever hidden vertical stripes confirm the design theme for their kit lineup for this season. I really like the multicolor collar, great subtle way to accent the white & gold.

Local Connection: 3.5

Value: 4.75

Again, can’t argue about price. Personal preference leads me to put this a little higher than the home kit.

12.5/15

Did I buy?: No (not by choice, missed pre-order…sadness)

Troy United 2024 GK Home & Away

Design: 3.5

Same design, but fluorescent blue for the home and pink for the away kits. Good opportunity to go off the wall with a bold design for either. There is no shame in consistency, but a bolder design might have been the way to go.

Local Connection: 3.5

Value: 4.5

Price point is great for what you are receiving. Again, missed opportunity for bolder designs but in the lower league kit landscape, offering goalkeeper kits is worth commending without question.

11/15

Did I buy?: No

Lansing Common 2024 Home Kit

Design: 4(4.75 homer score)

Moneyball’s Geoff Sykes has been the man behind almost all the kits worn by Lansing United, Lansing Ignite and Lansing Common. This kit is a love letter to the last ten years of soccer in Lansing, through all the peaks and valleys experienced by the core fan base they still stand today. This time, they are calling the shots.

Local Connection: 5

In 2014, Lansing United debuted in the NPSL sporting powder blue hoops that became synonymous with the club’s existence until their last season competing in the Premier Development League, now known as USL League 2. The gradient on the hoops is a nod to the home kit during Lansing Ignite’s lone season in the inaugural USL League 1 season. The Robin Egg Blue sash has been the standard for Lansing Common’s home kit, sporting a different variant each season. The Robins have made a name for themselves for their level on giving back to the city of Lansing. A portion of the profits from each kit is going to Care Free Medical and the Refugee Development Center.

Value: 4.25 (5 homer score)

Average going price for lower league kit. For the neutral this is a great kit and for those looking for a unique tribute to the longevity of local soccer. For Lansing soccer fans, the one’s for us.

13/15

Did I buy?: Yes

Lansing Common 2024 Away Kit

Design: 5

Sykes is back with another masterpiece as the Robins turn back the clock even farther with, in my opinion, the best kit the club has had since their inception. Paying homage to 1912 Lansing Soccer Football Club Eagles, Lansing Common will adorn their stripes and a vintage style badge evokes a time long since passed. Timeless design, stripes all around and little pops of red that give the front character.

Local Connection: 5

Remembering a club 112 years ago is a testament to what the Lansing community means to the club. As with the home kit, a portion of the profits will go to Care Free Medical and the Refugee Development Center.

Value: 4.75 (5 homer score)

Average lower league price. If you are into tribute kits or vintage style kits in the modern day, you don’t want to miss out.

14.75/15

Did I buy?: Yes

Lansing Common 2024 GK Kit 1

Design: 4.25 (homer score 5)

One of the more toned-down goalkeeper kits the Robins have produced in recent years resembles more of a field player kit. Nothing about the 2024 kit line for the club is as loud as previous years but with this being the 10th anniversary of Lansing soccer, these are about turning back the clock. The plaid across the shoulders is a callback to Moneyball’s first road kit for Lansing United FC of the NPSL and the orange is a nod to harbinger of the Robins, Lansing Ignite FC.

Local Connection: 5

Another kit, another time machine taken back through the history of Lansing soccer. Local sportwear company, local sponsors, kit sales going to benefit Care Free Medical and the Refugee Development Center...it’s all here.

Value: 4.25 (5 homer score)

Average lower league price. Lansing soccer fans or anyone with knowledge of its history I can see picking this up. Pricing and the wraparound design on the top I can see enticing kit collectors as well.

13.25/15

Did I buy?: Yes

Lansing Common 2024 GK Kit 2

Design: 4.75(homer score 5)

I love loud kits. This has the volume without the chaos. Vintage style Robin (sensing a theme?) pattern with the pink & black popping off the blue. Spaced very nicely for the graphics to breathe and to get the full effect of the pink. This is a great crescendo to a classic line for 2024.

Local Connections: 4

This gets a .5 boost because the Robin’s kits are manufactured by Lansing-based Moneyball. Local sponsors are 100% a win every time.

Value: 4.5 (5 homer score)

This may be the higher selling of the two kits because of the full shirt design and the color combination is very clean.

13.25/15

Did I buy: Yes

Inter Detroit 2024 Home Kit

Design: 4

Full Disclosure: I’m a sucker for collared kits so bonus points for that. The green & white really pops off the black which brings my eye right to the badge as well. The subtle pattern under the black keeps things interesting. Only knock, would have liked to see the pattern carried over to the sleeves.

Local Connection: 3.5

Again, local sponsoring on a kit is an automatic W.

Value: 4

Subtle patterns and accents that draw attention but don’t steal the show. If you like collared kits, this would be a solid addition to your wardrobe.

11.5/15

Did I buy? 100% on the list

Inter Detroit 2024 Away Kit

Design: 4.25

This whole deal is giving me automotive vibes. The silver, green & black is giving me the ever-so-slight whiff of a vintage dark green Jaguar. The slant of the pattern gives it personality and the two-tone rings break it up enough to look like a quality kit. This will look good in the sun in the summer. No pattern on the sleeves but I don’t feel it is as noticeable.

Local Connection: 3.5

Value: 4

Unique base color, enough accents to not make it boring. This is clean start to finish. Currently have their 2023 away kit (still available on diaza.com) in my closet if that tells you anything.

11.5/15

Did I buy? 50/50 currently

- Rich Schenck