A Look at the 2014 Soccer Kits Unveiled by Nike This Week

The 2014 kits for Croatia are as loud and deeply Croatian as we expected them to be. While many of the other kits unveiled this week featured simple designs with subtle nods to the teams' histories, both the home and away kit for Croatia is as far from subtle as can be, thanks to their famous red-and-white checks pattern.

They managed to dial it back a little on the away kit, using a blue jersey to break up the checks on the sleeve, sides of the shorts, and in the crest, but the home jersey definitely plays more to the crowd. The entire jersey is checkered, save for the vibrant red and white sleeves, and the white shorts lead down to bright blue socks. You never have to worry about Croatia not standing out on the field.

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To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Dutch, Nike created a bright home kit with a large white lion on the crest, a symbol used by the team since 1907. Beneath the lion are the years 1889 and 2014, with KNVB above. Dutch graphic designer and typographer Wim Crouwel designed the names and numbers, and each features a little crest for added flair. 

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Nike kept the 2014 French Federation's away kit simple. The tonal grey "Marinière" stripes cover the top, with a new cockerel crest inspired by the 1958 French team on the chest. The cockerel also appears on the midnight navy shorts, and there is a red, white, and blue symbol that represents the French flag hidden inside on the back of the neck. "This new away kit is unmistakably French. It is understated yet stylish and gives France a clear national identity on the pitch," says Nike Football creative director Martin Lotti.

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Nike unveiled home and away kits for Greece, and they're both pretty basic (or "simple and iconic," depending on who you ask). The home jerseys are white with a blue polo collar, badge, cuffs, and Nike branding, while the away version is the inverse. Same Dri-FIT technology, same recycled bottle fabrics.

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Like many of the kits unveiled this week, Nike decided to keep Poland on a more traditional path in 2014. Martin Lotti said in a statement that "in addition to providing leading performance benefits, our aim is to celebrate the spirit and pride of each country. We know how much the Eagle means for Polish players and we see incredible support from fans throughout the years."

The away kit is the flashier of the two, with a predominately red jersey that features a white vertical stripe, Nike swoosh, a big eagle crest on the chest, and a smaller eagle inside the collar.

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Brazil debuted these new away kits this week in the second half of their match against South Africa. The inspiration for the design is said to be the "energy and movement Brazilian people bring to sport, dance and life." Small geometric circles and diamonds form stripes across the jersey, an element borrowed from the Brazilian flag. The deep blue represents the ocean off the coast of the country, the crest has been made larger, and Brazilian designer Bruno Big created the tab inside the back of the neck which features the "Southern Cross" constellation, also from the nation's flag.

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The colors of Turkey's new kit is pretty straight forward, but it's the Çintemani pattern on the chest of both the home and away jerseys that makes it for us. The traditional Turkish design represents power and protection and looks dope beneath the swoosh and enlarged crest. There is also a hidden "Evil Eye" charm in the inside the jersey that, according to Nike, "promises to bring bearers luck and keep a watchful eye over them, warding off evil and keeping them safe."

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