What's Up with the Upper of the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl?
Nov 28, 2016, by Pat
It's time to speak more about the confusion that is the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl and its different uppers.
As you might have noticed over the last few days and perhaps already before the official launch, not just Paul Pogba, but ALL professionals are wearing a sort of prototype / sample of the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl - one that's almost nothing like the one that hit retail and was dubbed a "16.5" by some.
An interesting perspective on the whole situation is offered by Unisport's JayMike who recently said that he hopes that the Ace 17+ PureControl will get updated before its eventually replaced by the Ace 18+. Now, this could just be his inner boot nerd speaking, but it would be extremely naive to assume that a person in his position would voice something along those lines without knowing at least something.
Another point in favor of an update of the Ace 17+ PureControl upper at one point is the fact that all leaked colorways feature the second upper. If Adidas had settled on reverting to the 16+ upper for whatever reason, one would assume that later samples, for example for the Fall / Winter 2017 period, would be based on the definitive upper by now.
All in all, we are fairly certain that we'll see the Ace 17+ PureControl's real look instore sooner than later. Possibly already with January's Checkered Black edition. If you cannot wait to try out what the pros are wearing, you should probably give the 'Tango' rendition of the Ace 17+ PureControl, available with turf and indoor outsoles, a try. By the looks of it, its upper is identical to the earlier leaks of the cleated edition, i.e. what the professionals are wearing.
So why is so important for Adidas to update the upper? First, it's kind of odd to release a boot that's virtually unchanged and branding it as a whole new edition - or at least that's what people could feel in this situation. Additionally, we believe it's important that players are not advertising boots that have almost nothing in common with what they are wearing on the field, as e.g. Paul Pogba is doing currently. We feel that this could hurt Adidas reputation with time.
There are also a number of more practical reasons to update the upper. For one, there where a few critics of the initial laceless PureControl boots voiced concerns about the fit being too loose in general - an update could help resolve this. Also, the 16+ PureControl's upper construction, while getting rid of laces, added a second compression techfit layer. It looks like the 'real' Ace 17+ PureControl upper is just one layer, which could offer a better connection with and improved feel for the ball.
What do you think? Share your thoughts on the Ace 17+ PureControl upper controversy in the comments below.
Madrid CFF 26-27 Away Kit Released
Spanish Liga F club Madrid CFF has debuted its new Nike away kit for the 26-27 season. Featuring a stealthy black base with a subtle textured chevron pattern, the jersey is highlighted by a central vertical stripe comprised of fluorescent pink bars, inside of which the club name "MADRID CFF" is inscribed in neon volt lettering. The vibrant color scheme is complemented by a volt Nike Swoosh on the right chest, a recolored pink and volt crest, and matching pink sponsor prints across the front, paired with contrasting white shorts and socks.
FC Arouca 26-27 Third Kit Released
Portuguese Primeira Liga club FC Arouca and domestic manufacturer Skita have officially launched the team's new third kit for the 26-27 campaign.
The Skita FC Arouca 26-27 third shirt is predominantly black, highlighted by an intricate tonal floral jacquard pattern embossed across both the front and back of the torso. Fine white trim lines the round crew-neck collar and sleeve cuffs, adding clean contrast to the dark base.
Completing the monochrome look, the FC Arouca crest, Skita branding, and main sponsor bwin all appear in clean white. Black shorts and socks are set to round off the new 26-27 third uniform.
