It is time to get some MLS merchandise.
I wasn't ready to commit to any jersey. My adopted Portland Timbers team has a much maligned new jersey for this season, which I actually happen to very much like, but I'm not dropping $90 for an official and don't really feel like going the bootleg route. MLS Atlanta doesn't have a name, much less a jersey.
Anything else out there directly Portland Timbers or MLS-related didn't really catch my fancy.
So I started looking at other Atlanta soccer kits.
The Atlanta soccer history actually goes back pretty far. Unfortunately, with a name like the Chiefs you mostly get logos and imagery on merchandise like this. Which I generally like, but that's the kind of thing I just try to stay away from, because it may be offensive to some people. And before you judge that, yes, I am an Atlanta Braves "fan." I will only ever wear/buy "A" merch though, not Chief Noc-a-Homa.
There are other generic retro options for Chiefs gear. Too generic for me.
Atlanta Silverbacks had a rebrand recently that I like. None of the t-shirts or jerseys or anything do it for me.
I have to get creative. Etsy surprisingly has a lot of tangentially related sports merchandise. MLS Atlanta hasn't hit the fan art circuit yet, probably because it's not coming until 2017 and, ya know, no name. The Portland Timbers do, however, have a good amount of this type of gear.
That's how I got to this shirt. A Portland Timbers-inspired take on the PDX carpet. That is something I can get behind. Not too directly related to the Timbers that I may feel strange wearing it come 2017, but also spot on.
A Portland Trailblazers take on the Portland Timbers take on the Portland airport carpet.
And great coincidence that the Portland Blazers colors match the MLS Atlanta colors (minus the yellow) and also the Atlanta Falcons. Duel purpose shirt. And it's basically just a geometric pattern to anyone outside Cascadia. No other perceived Portland Timbers affiliation down the road.
So there is the MLS Atlanta shirt I am buying, because these weren't cutting it.