USA 1994 Away Shirt: The Denim Kit

Every so often a kit manufacturer does something that should be a disaster and instead produces a classic. The USA''s 1994 away shirt is the standing example.

Quick facts

• Country: United States
• Type: Away shirt
• Worn: 1994 World Cup
• Manufacturer: adidas
• Sponsor: None (international shirt)
• Design: Denim-effect print in washed blue, with white stars across the body
• Why it is a grail: The most distinctive shirt of a home World Cup, and one of the most reproduced designs in football

The design

adidas printed a stonewashed denim effect across the shirt and scattered white stars over it, echoing the American flag without copying it. It is unmistakably 1994 and unmistakably American, and it was designed for a tournament being sold to a country that did not yet care about football.

Nothing about it is subtle. Three decades on that is exactly why people want it.

The tournament

The 1994 World Cup was the United States'' own, and the hosts got out of the group before losing to eventual champions Brazil on 4 July in Palo Alto. The denim shirt is the piece of that summer that has lasted longest in the public memory, worn as much off the pitch as on it.

Afterlife

The denim design has been revisited by adidas and endlessly reproduced unofficially. It is one of the shirts most likely to be sold as an original when it is not, partly because the print itself is easy to imitate at a glance.

How much is the USA 1994 denim shirt worth?

There is a large gap between genuine 1994 adidas shirts and later or unofficial versions, and condition of the print is critical - cracking and fading are common. Recorded sales and any live listings appear on Kickio below.

How to spot a fake USA 1994 denim shirt

• Labels. Genuine shirts carry adidas Equipment-era labelling with mid-1990s care symbols and sizing.
• The print. On originals the denim texture and stars are part of a considered print with correct star placement. Fakes commonly get star size, spacing or the wash tone wrong.
• Crest. The US Soccer crest of the period should be embroidered, not printed or heat-pressed.
• Seams and cut. Mid-1990s adidas construction, with the roomy cut of the era.

How does the USA 1994 shirt fit?

Very generous. Mid-1990s adidas shirts were cut loose, so a period Large sits like a modern extra-large through the chest but is shorter in the body. Buy on measurements.

Why it stays on the Grail List

Instantly recognisable, tied to a specific summer, and worn by people who have never watched a football match. Few shirts cross over like this one.

Sources

• Historical Football Kits: https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/
• Museum of Jerseys: https://museumofjerseys.com/