With the 2023 Major League Soccer season well underway, MLS and Adidas have partnered for a release of special-edition kits to be worn by every team this weekend to mark Earth Day on April 22.
The designs for the jerseys draw inspiration from the ocean floor and are manufactured from plastic waste in an effort to make the league more sustainable.
A cause that MLS has supported each year since 2017, this year's One Planet kit reveals are an homage to vibrant aquatic life, coastal communities and the importance of protecting them.
The Parley Ocean plastic used to make the jerseys was collected from remote islands and beaches before it made it out into the open ocean.
Several clubs posted on social media reveals of one of the two jerseys to be worn this weekend, with Inter Miami collaborating with professional freediver Coral Tomascik to capture images of her wearing the aqua green jersey while swimming underwater.
The images and footage of Tomascik among the Florida coast's rich marine wildlife, including Great Hammerhead sharks, serves as a reminder of what is at stake if the seas continue to be filled with plastic waste..
🦈 🎥 🌊 A look at our underwater shoot with photographer Jason Washington, professional freediver Coral Tomoascik, and underwater film producer James Gibb to capture images with a Great Hammerhead, Reef Sharks, and Nurse Sharks for our One Planet jersey reveal. pic.twitter.com/mS3jnFVZQJ
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) April 18, 2023
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union posted their own teaser showing off the predominantly black version of the One Planet kit while giving a shout-out to the Manayunk Towpath, a trail that runs along a canal through the city.
📍 Manayunk Towpath
— PhilaUnion (@PhilaUnion) April 18, 2023
Help us end plastic waste with @adidasfootball's One Planet Jersey! Made from Parley Ocean plastic, the environmentally friendly jersey is another step towards @MLS's #GreenerGoals.#DOOP | @MLSWORKS pic.twitter.com/3F2sU3BZCH
Both versions of the jersey feature a blue, hand-drawn design and have the message "End Plastic Waste" written on the front.
So if you tune into multiple MLS games across this coming weekend and wonder why each match has an eerily similar look to it, now you know!
