What are your favorite soccer jerseys in your closet?

We all have our favorites. No matter what, when push coves to shove, we all have the jersey we go to more often than others, whether it’s for wearing to a sporting event involving our favorite soccer teams or to wear out on the town. Your jersey may be a conversation starter, a custom job, or one that’s just a tried and true favorite.

Today, on the final day of Jersey Week, we’re going to celebrate the favorite jerseys we have in our closet. I’ll start off with a disclaimer: there’s no way I could have narrowed my favorites down to 1 or 2. In my entire collection that I still have, my guess is I have close to 750 jerseys, so narrowing it down is an impossible dream. In fact, there are many that were left in the editing closet that I would consider among my favorite jerseys and are worn often. However, here’s a few of my absolute favorite jerseys I have, and the reasons why they’re my prized possessions.

In 2015, D.C. United did a program where season ticket holders could get their face on the numbers that would be used for a couple games during the season. My friends and I took over the 2 and the 8, so naturally when we could get them on jerseys, I picked Bill Hamid, who wore 28 at the time. It was pretty cool that we literally had their back when the team was on the field, and even cooler that I have a couple of these in my closet.

The custom Ginuwine jersey is an inside joke with a group of friends that have since become my family while attending U.S. Soccer matches. When we decided to have some jerseys made for our group, I took control of designing and ordering them, and as a result, I was able to customize my jersey however I wanted. Thus, the inside joke of Ginuwine’s “Pony” was solidified. No one else has this jersey, and no one ever will.

Earlier this year, a good friend of mine took a trip to Lapland, Finland and asked if I wanted anything as a souvenir. For over a decade, I had been searching for a jersey from FC Santa Claus as a way to have a jersey to wear during the Christmas holiday. I had emailed, called, and even learned enough Finnish to ask “Do you have jerseys in stock” over the phone. World Soccer Shop used to carry them, but they never had my size. Sure enough, my friend was in Rovaniemi and found a player issue FC Santa Claus Juniorit jersey (the youth team) in my size! I haven’t worn it yet, but I can’t wait for Christmas this year.

The 2010 Africa Unity jersey was an official 3rd jersey made by Puma for each of the African teams at the 2010 World Cup that they sponsored. The jersey came with patches for each team that you could have pressed, but I went with the generic 2010 Biodiversity patch. It’s a great jersey to wear on Earth Day or any other day, and they’re near impossible to find in my size anymore.

The 2018 Nigeria home jersey is one of the best jerseys of the last 20 years. Full stop. I got one the second they went on sale, and it’s an instant showstopper whenever I wear it. The 2017 Detroit City FC jersey remains my favorite of an incredible line of jerseys the team has put out in its 8-year history.

This year, the American Outlaws DC Chapter designed this jersey to celebrate the annual Cherry Blossom jersey. I maintain that it’s the greatest jersey an American Outlaws chapter has ever produced, and it’s been an instant hit, despite the fact that coronavirus forced the cancelation of the festival.

The custom NASA jersey was done by a friend of mine a few years ago. I got Guy Bluford on the back, the first African-American astronaut to travel to space. I also got the mission patch of the mission where he made his historic flight, and you have this perfection. I also have a jersey with Ronald McNair on the back. McNair was the only African-American astronaut on the Challenger when it exploded in 1986.

Finally, in my mind, these are the two best jerseys the United States Soccer Federation has ever produced. I’ve made this pretty clear. The 2012 Waldo has been worn at many matches, with some major highs and some incredible lows. The 2017 Gold Cup jersey was purchased the second the gates opened for a friendly against Ghana in July 2017 when it was officially unveiled on the field. It remains in my regular rotation at U.S. matches.

Now that you have a little glimpse into my closet, let’s see some of your favorite jerseys. Hit the comments to share pictures and details!