NYCFC drop 2023 home kit and it’s fire

New York City FC officially unveiled their new home kit for the 2023 and 2024 seasons at 10 am ET today, and it’s already firing up the fans. The “Interboro Kit” is a sky-blue shirt with a subtle pattern on the front and sleeves that references the tilework in the New York City subway system, and that nod to daily life here in Big Apple resonates with the NYCFC faithful. Orange piping on the collar, sleeves, and side seams give the dark blue accents a jolt of color.

The Replica Kit retails for $89.99, and the Authentic Kit for $159.99. It’s available at the MLS store.

The Interboro Kit is the fifth home kit in NYCFC’s short history, and it’s easily the most creative. Let’s take a minute to savor the fits:

Grid View

The inaugural kit, introduced in 2014, remains the iconic NYCFC shirt: Sky-blue, dark-blue badge with orange piping, and white accents. It also leaned heavily on the classic Manchester City shirt, which was perhaps understandable for a team that had yet to play a game and was looking to establish itself in the soccer ecosystem. Writing in Hudson River Blue, Rafael Noboa y Rivera said “It’s the shirt that so many people expected, despite wanting something bolder. That doesn’t make it a bad shirt. When you’re introducing yourself to the world, there’s a lot to be said for being conservative and sober-sided.”

The second home kit, introduced in 2017, set out to create an identity that was more specific to NYCFC while building on the traditions established with the inaugural shirt. It was a darker shade of sky-blue, with dark blue accents and orange piping around the sleeves. As Sum Dunn put it in these pages, “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.”

The third kit, introduced in 2019, stuck with the darker sky-blue and dark blue accents, and added a thick, dark blue and orange racing stripe down the left side under the badge. It put a little more visual space between NYCFC and Manchester City, but it also looked a little corporate. As Christian Smith put it in HRB, “it’s completely fine in my eyes.” It was also the shirt that NYCFC wore during their implosion in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, and during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, which will always give it a slightly sour association.

The fourth kit, introduced in 2021, was a return to the team’s inaugural look: The light sky-blue, the white accents. The “Bronx Blue” kit had a pinstripe pattern and interlocking NYC introduced into the weave, which gave it a rich texture missing in the first kit. Writing in HRB, Christian Smith said simply “It’s sharp.” An instant classic, it was the kit that NYCFC wore when they won the 2021 MLS Cup, and when they posted their biggest successes in the 2022 season.

Where will the Interboro Kit land in the club’s home jersey power rankings? It’s too soon to say, but the smart money is on it making a run at number one or two, right next to the Bronx Blue kit. It might depend on how much silverware the team wins while wearing it — it always helps when you dress for success.