Adidas World Cup Balls

Kevin — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:33:32 +0000

1970 – Telstar

I loved this ball. It had a polyurethane cover that felt like it was exploded off your foot when you hit it. Carlos Alberto loved this ball too…loved smashing it into the back of the net.

1982 – Tango

I remember variations of the Tango. I had a Tango Pasadena that had a similar feel to the Telstar. My Tango was kicked into the woods one too many times…never to be seen from again.

1986 – Azteca

You know what’s coming…quite possibly the greatest goal ever scored in the World Cup and the Adidas Azteca was along for the ride. Don’t mention the other Maradona goal to Terry Butcher…you know, when you guys are playing Mario Kart together this weekend.

1990 – Etrusco

…And then there’s the 1990 Adidas Etrusco…the 1990 World Cup will always have a special place in my heart. This was the first World Cup I ever saw. I would tape games and watch them over and ever again. The England/Cameroon quarterfinal is still one of my favorite matches to watch.

Here’s Baggio doing an Italian impression of the little Maradona.

What are your favorite goals that were scored with these four balls? Leave your favorites in the comments.

Wilson to replace Brine as official supplier of NCAA soccer balls.

Kevin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:54:03 +0000

The NCAA has selected Wilson to replace Brine as the official supplier of NCAA soccer balls starting in 2009. Wilson is hoping to expand upon their soccer brand by the partnership with the NCAA. I didn’t realize that Wilson had much of a soccer brand…apparently they’re match balls are used in South America and in a few states in the US.

Wilson President Chris Considine was quoted as saying “Wilson has the product expertise and experience to manufacture a world-class NCAA Soccer Match Ball. With our resources and commitment, we will deliver an exceptional product to the NCAA.”

I’m anxious to see what the new NCAA match ball will look and feel like. I’m not sure if the production of the NCAA match ball will make Wilson a player alongside the likes of Puma, Adidas, Nike and Umbro…it didn’t really work out that great for Brine, in my opinion…but we’ll see.