Sounders FC on Thursday released its brand new At Home Together t-shirts and hoodies.
The illustration depicts the team on one of its weekly video calls, with proceeds going toward the Sounders FC Relief Fund.
From the design elements of the call to the subtle arrays in each player’s panel, the shirt is brimming with Easter eggs for Sounders supporters. Can you find all the hidden meanings? Let’s break it down!
Below the video call sits a #WeGotThisSeattle, a popular rallying cry on social media since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Directly above, the typical participants button has been replaced by 25 Tough Kids, a nod to Head Coach Brian Schmetzer’s favorite adage when describing his players. On the same line, the chat function has been swapped out for Banter, while the reactions button has been removed in favor of Two Stars, symbolizing Sounders FC’s two MLS Cups.
In the bottom row, midfielder Jordy Delem does his finger guns celebration, which he used throughout out the 2019 postseason while predicting the team’s run to MLS Cup. The two young Homegrowns on the squad, Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and Danny Leyva, are grinding their way through some homework. If you look behind Leyva, you’ll notice hist list of ten personal goals he complies at the beginning of each year. Finally, Cristian Roldan is going to town on a slice of his favorite food, while Alex Roldan pops into his square for a quick prank, signaling the fact that the brothers are quarantining together. If you look really close, you’ll notice the Portland Timbers logo in the fireplace behind the younger Roldan.
The second row starts off with new signing Yeimar Gómez Andrade next to Gustav “Goose” Svensson, whose panel has a flying goose emblazoned on the wall. Up next, center back Xavier Arreaga points to the sky in a nod to his favorite post-win celebration. It’s not depicted in the illustration, but you already know his shirt is tucked in. In Kelvin Leerdam’s panel, the Dutch defender is recreating his goal celebration from the 2019 MLS Cup, reinforced by the two stars on the wall behind him. Joevin Jones wraps up the row sporting a “CHAMPIIONS” shirt from the club’s branding after winning the 2019 title.
Up next is the middle row, which starts off with Homegrown Trey Muse rocking his goalkeeper jersey. Next to Muse is Miguel Ibarra, with his too-early-or-too-late Christmas tree that social media intern Brad Evans astutely pointed out on Instagram. At the center of the entire illustration sits Schmetzer as he takes the team through the meeting agenda on the tactical board behind him. Next to Schmetz sits Will Bruin AKA The Dancing Bear, who shows off his signature double-thumbs celebration with a teddy bear in the background. Finally, Homegrown Handwalla Bwana poses in the new Forever Green jersey in front of a banner for the University of Washington, where he played two years before signing with the Rave Green.
The fourth row starts with a bang as Justin Dhillon winks to the camera, a call back to his hilarious Valentine’s Day poem. He’s also wearing a turtleneck, representing his and Jesse Daley’s quarantine tradition of Turtleneck Tuesdays. In the panel next to Dhillon is Other Stef, a friendly quip about Stefan Cleveland being the second goalkeeper on the team named Stef. The row also features Nicolás Lodeiro reenacting his iconic Shoe Phone celebration and Jordan Morris raising money as he streams himself playing video games. There’s also Shane O’Neill cheesing in front of a Forever Green poster.
Up top, the team’s resident artist, Stefan Frei, works on his latest masterpiece – two stars for the club’s two MLS Cup titles – while new Designated Player João Paulo strokes his immaculate beard. Nouhou, who is often compared to a train for his locomotive approach to playing left back, sports a conductor’s hat and pulls off his trademark “choo choo” fist pump. Harry Shipp’s panel wouldn’t be complete without a reference to his nautical nickname, hence the ship in a bottle in the background. Wrapping up, we’ve got Raúl Ruidíaz flashing a smile for a selfie, a reference to the endearing Instagram Stories he’s been posting throughout the shutdown.
You can learn more about the At Home Together merch HERE.
