Yesterday we released the first half of the Top 22 Tops of 2022, where we explained our ranking process - but in a nutshell, Greggo from FTC, Lis Schendel our own assistant editor, El Johnson from 2CentsFC, well known kitnerds Ben Goshorn and Nicole Arias, joined Joshua Duder as panelists and ranked 30 nominated shirts from 30, down to number 1. We took their independent rankings and found the average score to create our own Top Tops list. We removed numbers 23 to 30 to narrow it down to 22 (it will be 23 kits in 2023, etc.).

Before get to the second half of the list, numbers 10 down to number 1, we wanted to give a couple of shirts we loved an honorary mention. First up is Chicago Mustangs, by Lis Schendel, followed by a shout to NY International’s Home Kit by Icarus, dedicated to their dear Davide Giri.

Honorary mention, Chicago Mustang’s UWS Championship run kit:
I’m so fascinated by this kit, with its dark black and deep purple colors and highlighter yellow crest and detailing. I think there’s neon yellow paint splatter on it too, adding to the laser tag-chic vibes that the Mustangs seemed to unintentionally be inspired by. The team is very shy about it though, there aren’t any clear pictures of just the kit and it’s not for sale on any team store. I’ll just have to appreciate it from afar and remember fondly the pizza and laser tag birthday parties of my youth.

Honorary Mention, New York International’s Primary Kit:
We reached out to the club to find out more about the kit dedication and what Davide Giri meant to the club: Davide, an Inter Milan obsessive from the Piedmont town of Alba, Italy, Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University, and founding member of our football club, was one of the first players to join NY International FC upon its creation three years ago. He quickly became one of the pillars of the club. To honor his legacy, Davide Giri’s name is proudly printed on our 2022/23 uniforms. A left-footed defender, he will be remembered on the pitch for his Alessandro Nesta-esque tackles and his incredible work rate, always giving everything he could for the team. Davide was a decisive contributor to NYIFC’s successive promotions and was a major influence on and off the field. Davide, a true gentleman, brought nothing but joy and kindness to those around him with his good nature, gentle heart, witty sense of humor, and his contagious smile, all of which will never be forgotten.

With that in mind, there’s no better club to kick off the Top Ten with than with NY International with their 3rd Kit gem by Icarus FC - in at Number 10.

At Number 9, Space United and Icarus FC combine to bring us The Future Kit

Voted #1 by EL Johnson of 2C - on the Space United Future Shirt:
The Space United shirt is my favorite out of the bunch because I think it has the perfect balance of “clean design” and “whimsy”. Some shirts were too whimsical/concept-heavy, and others too plain, I think Space United’s struck the perfect balance.

Number 8 is the Home Shirt for Queensboro FC by Joma

Charleston Battery and Hummel grab our attention with their Home Shirt, in at Number 7

Number 6 is this colorful GK Top by Money Ball for Lansing Common FC

Voted #1 by Lis Schendel, Assistant Editor at Protagonist Soccer - on the Lansing Commons’ GK Top:
My top pick: Lansing Commons FC loves adding bird imagery on some of their kits, a reference to their crest and the breath of fresh air they’ve brought to Michigan’s soccer community, and their 2022 goalkeeper kit is their most plucky attempt to do so. The colors are ostentatious, gaudy, maybe even Easter egg-esque and I think they landed it spectacularly. It’s intentional, with the design flowing smoothly around the crest, and it’s eye-catching but not obnoxiously so. Moneyball Sportswear’s logo is subtle and doesn’t detract from the design. But most importantly, it’s affordable. The kit is on sale now for literally only $40 plus shipping/tax, but at full price it was only $60.

In at Number 5 is The Mountain Kit by Hummel for One Knoxville Soccer Club

Voted #1 by Ben Goshorn, The Soccer Goose - on the One Knox Mountain Kit:
This was a damn good year for unique and creative kits like Asheville City and Minnesota Aurora. There were also some classic designs like Charleston Battery and Vermont Green that stood out to me. The kit that was stuck in my memory all year was One Knoxville SC’s The Mountain Kit. It exudes cool and calm showcasing the majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Ashville City SC and Hummel show off at Number 4 with this colorful Away Shirt

In at Number 3 is Napa Valley 1839 FC with their self-designed and self-manufactured Secondary

Voted #1 by Protagonist’s Joshua Duder - on Napa Valley 1839 FC’s Secondary:
We’ve spoken with the club in the recent past about their process and are always impressed with the shirts they release. This year, Napa Valley 1839 FC, put out a few really nice shirts and this one just stood out to me as gorgeous. Design and manufacturing are both in-house and while that does not always work for some clubs, the results for this organization are simply stunning. Keep your eyes on their social media handles to see what’s poppin’ in 2023.

The second-highest ranked shirt of 2022 is Vermont Green’s Away Shirt by Player Layer

Voted #1 by Kitnerd Nicole Arias - on the Vermont Green Away:
Vermont Green has completely won me over this year. Everything they've put out is the perfect mix of quality and design. While it may be "plain", there's just something special about this shirt. I can't get it out of my head! Extra points for the collar because who doesn't love a collar on a kit?

Number 1, with an absolute bullet, is The Northern Lights Kit by Hummel created for Minnesota Aurora FC of the USL W League.

Voted #1 by Greggo from FTC - on the Minnesota Aurora Northern Lights Jersey:
The Minnesota Aurora primary has been a kit and jersey from the day it was released that was a superior design and one that I'm honestly mad I didn't cop myself as it sold out super quickly. The best compliment I can give to this kit is that its one that would be great regardless of the gender that plays in it.

When all of the rankings were added up, then divided by 6 (the number of panelists), The Northern Kit had the lowest aggregate score - which means, based on average ranking, it is Protagonist Soccer & guests’ Number 1 US-based non-MLS/NWSL/NCAA kit of the year.

Congratulations Minnesota Aurora!