Adidas Change the Game

Two days ago, on May 25th, 2015 Adidas made an announcement that would change the landscape of the soccer apparel market for years to come. They are retiring their current line of soccer cleats and releasing two revolutionary silos. There will no longer be f50's, Predators, adiPure, or Nitrocharges. This is a huge change because these have been the staples of the Adidas line up for years, and in the Predator's case, over two decades. The four styles have been extremely well received and countless players around the world swear to their favorite shoe. It raises a question, how will fans view these?

The tug of war that has been going on since Nike established themselves in the 90's rages on. Nike recently took the reigns on the market back with their release of the Hypervenom and Superfly's. With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr.wearing these silos at the World Cup, Nike had a noticeable advantage over Adidas. Although that was last year, and Adidas are looking towards the future. Their designers and engineers have been working tirelessly and consulting with some of the most respected footballers in the world to create the perfect boot. The two leading powers in the football apparel world are in a sort of arms race with one another, seeing who has the best weapons to offer. To add fuel to the fire, Adidas recently stole Nike's two leading shoe designers. They were the men who inspired the new Superfly's and it's revolutionary sock liner system. Their influence is apparent in Adidas's new designs.

Part of adidas' footwear revolution, the X is a cleat for the game-changers looking for speed and agility. Reinforced X-Cage layers wrap the foot in lightweight support during high agility moves. Techfit collar for a compression fit around the ankle for dynamic support and a snug feel. These will be hard to miss on the pitch with a bright yellow design. Weighing in at an impressive 7.5 ounces, the quickest players in the world like Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale will be lacing them up in the near future.

Perfect ball handling, perfect fit, perfect stability, total 360 degree control. Part of adidas' footwear revolution, the ACE is designed for the playmaker who dominates the entire game. The Totalskin synthetic upper for flawless feel with first touch cushioning. 3D Control Web surface for perfect ball handling, and non stop grip for control in every condition. The Ace15 as well as the X15 are available for $219.99.

New Balance Makes a Statement

It recently came to light that Warrior Football will be rebranded as New Balance Football. Warrior burst onto the scene in 2011 when it became Liverpool FC's kit sponsor. This made waves in the footballing world because of the stature of Liverpool and the relative obscurity of its kit sponsor. Warrior, owned by parent company New Balance, is better known for its affiliation with lacrosse in the United States. They tried to make the jump to the enormous world football market but haven't had much luck. With competition from powerhouses Nike and Adidas as well as Puma, there isn't much room for anyone else.

Liverpool was their big property but they also expanded to another English Premier League team in Stoke City. They also made their way further throughout the continent, popping up as sponsors of Sevilla in Spain, as well is FC Porto of Portugal. Their brand was growing and they started to accumulate a number of teams. Being the jersey sponsor of these teams was not Warrior's only ambition, they were also involved in the cleat business. Warrior released a few different styles of shoes that brought variety to the market and the field. Once they released their line of boots, they went out to find professionals who could wear them and market them. Warrior endorsed athletes included Vincent Kompany, captain and defender of the Belgian National team and Manchester City FC, and compatriot Marouane Fellaini, a midfielder for Manchester United.

While Warrior did make an impact on the game, it was not big enough. New Balance decided it would have a better chance of becoming a major player in the market. They have already made strides to do so, designing new kits for their teams and signing many more athletes to endorse their product. Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando, and Jesus Navas have all been spotted this season wearing New Balance boots. They haven't wasted any time putting their product out there and it seems to be well received by the fans and the players. I am looking forward to seeing what they have to offer in their first full season.

Rare Gold Ronaldo's

Nike has recently set the market alight with their exclusive release of a pair of Mercurial Superflys IV. These aren't just any pair of Superflys, they are the CR7 Rare Gold. After winning the Ballon D'or earlier this year, awarded to the best soccer player in the world, Nike has awarded their star with a very special pair of boots.

The boot features an incredible gold and black color scheme symbolic of his trophy winning season. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and scoring an astonishing 50 goals throughout the season there is no doubt he deserves his own pair of limited edition boots. A soccer revolution, the new Superfly has a Dynamic Fit Collar for locked down comfort and incredible touch at full speed. Weighing in at an incredible 6.4 ounces Superflys are extremely lightweight and fast. They are designed for players who are extremely quick and need to stop, start, and change directions in the blink of an eye. Despite their light weight they also provide a lot of support with Nike Flywire technology and an improved outsole and stud configuration.

In honor of winning his 3rd Ballon D'or trophy Nike have only released 333 pairs to the public which sold out online in a matter of minutes. The retail price is a cool $399.99 and that is without the many micro diamonds embedded in Ronaldo's personal pair. A luxurious feature for the king of football. Many believe he deserves no less, after all he does have the golden touch. Especially for those who were lucky enough to snap up a pair on their release. Pairs are being sold on Ebay in the region of $2,500. Not a bad profit, definitely worthy of Nike’s million dollar man.