Goal.com's 2012 J-League Uniform Survey: Second Round

In the second part of the series, Goal.com introduces five more J-League uniforms for the upcoming season and lets you decide which will advance to the final round

Feb 9, 2012 11:56:00 AM

More On :  Albirex Niigata, Jubilo Iwata, Kashiwa Reysol, Vissel Kobe, Yokohama F. Marinos
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Last week's release of the 2012 J-League schedule marks just over a month before the season opens, and for the next month Goal.com Asia will publish weekly features to bring our readers up to speed.

Continuing weekly each Thursday through February, we invite you to take a look at jersey designs from this year's J-League Division 1. The top four designs, as voted by you, will face off in a final round of voting at the end of the month.

ALBIREX NIIGATA | Adidas

About the Design

After two years of the prominent blue swatch over the right shoulder, Albirex Niigata returns to stripes over its traditional orange for an overall clean look. The white collar with its blue piping stands out against the rest of the strip, and the sponsor logos are far from ostentatious.

Goal.com Grade: B+

Adidas has a bit of a mixed record in Japan but this is is solid work overall. Most debate will be over the white collar, but with collars becoming a rarity in Japan it's a unique touch. That said, the second uniform (not pictured) may be one of the best in the league, so at least Albirex will always look their best when they go on the road.
JUBILO IWATA | Puma

About the Design

Puma isn't a major player in Japanese football, but in Jubilo Iwata's 2012 kit they've outdone themselves. The horizontal stripes are clean, while the semi-collar almost recalls the look of Japanese school uniforms. The print of the club crest on the lower right side adds a splash of color to the bottom half.

Goal.com Grade: A-

The semi-collar is different, but in a good way, and overall this shirt feels right. While some might complain that the sponsor logo is given too big of a spotlight, the club were in fact Yamaha FC before they turned professional. It's a bit retro, but in light of the club's 20th anniversary, it can be considered a fine effort.
KASHIWA REYSOL (ACL) | Umbro

About the Design

Kashiwa's league uniform will remain unchanged from 2011, so instead we'll present their ACL strip, which got an early premiere in December's Club World Cup. This design features thin diagonal stripes in black and red accents on top of the team's trademark yellow.

Goal.com Grade: B-

This might have been more interesting were the 'shadows' on the design actually visible, but when seen in person they aren't and as a result it's a bit dull. High hopes abound for the alternate kit, which will feature the same pattern in an all-black shirt with yellow and red stripes.
VISSEL KOBE | ASICS

About the Design

Once responsible for the (in)famous 1998 Samurai Blue strip, ASICS now designs for a handful of Japanese and Italian teams. Their Vissel Kobe jersey is another generic "fit" design in their long line of such designs but does include some interesting collar work.

Goal.com Grade: C

It's boring, but it's not as boring as Omiya Ardija's shirts. The colour is nice, even though Vissel have not done anything interesting with it since they adopted the maroon as their main strip in 2005. And the collar is striking, but there's really little else to go with and once again supporters will breathe a sigh of relief that they don't have to buy a new shirt to fit in on match day.
YOKOHAMA F. MARINOS | Adidas

About the Design

Yokohama F. Marinos return to Adidas after a four-year flirtation with rival manufacturer Nike, and the results are a stark departure from their recent sailor suit-inspired designs. The new strip features a darker blue as its base, with abstract designs in a lighter blue depicting ten birds in flight. The birds' 20 wings are meant to represent the club's 20th season, while the birds themselves reflect the history of Yokohama as an international port.

Goal.com Grade: A

A variation of this design is what the Japanese national team's jersey should have looked like. Indeed, Adidas used similar "abstract" drawing styles for both the Marinos away strip (which features an awesome-looking anchor) and the Samurai Blue away shirt (which features a subtle depiction of the mythical three-legged crow Yatagarasu). But we won't let the company's failings for other teams distract from this beauty.

Which is your favorite design? Don't forget to vote this week as well as the remaining three rounds, to be published every Thursday this month! And please let us know what you think of the designs in the comment box!

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Goal.com Poll
Poll runs from Feb 9, 2012 to Feb 16, 2012
Poll runs from Feb 9, 2012 to Feb 16, 2012
What's your favorite J-League uniform of Round 2?
Yokohama F. Marinos
 
53.87%
Kashiwa Reysol
 
29.23%
Jubilo Iwata
 
8.8%
Albirex Niigata
 
5.28%
Vissel Kobe
 
2.82%
 
 
 
 
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