Every World Cup has its hot new cleat.
In Japan and South Korea in 2002, it was Nike’s Mercurial Vapor, a revolutionary boot that weighed only 185 grams. In Germany in 2006, it was the Kelme Tiburon, a cleat that was made from actual shark skin.
For the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it’s the Adidas AdiZero F50. The shoe was officially launched on May 11 (watch the first official commercial here) and, at just 165 grams, it is the lightest soccer cleat ever created. A number of international players have already started wearing the AdiZero, and on Wednesday, several members of Chivas USA got the chance to test it out.
“They’re great shoes,” said striker Maicon Santos. “They’re really comfortable. Like you’re not even wearing anything on your feet.”
Santos was joined by Blair Gavin, Maykel Galindo, and Jorge Flores as one of four Red-and-White players to wear the bright yellow cleat for the first time on Wednesday morning.
“I’ve been wearing [Adidas] AdiPures for the last four or five years, but these are nice,” said Gavin, who hit a number of long crosses after practice to get the feel of the new cleats. “They’re definitely different. They’re incredibly light.”
The shoe comes in both synthetic and leather versions (watch the making of the shoe here), and retails for $200 on the Adidas official website. With a massive marketing push behind them, the shoes are likely to become the trendiest new cleats in international soccer.
“They feel good,” said Galindo. “I feel much faster and you can really feel the ball when you make contact with it.”
While it’s unclear yet whether the Goats’ players will begin wearing the shoe in official matches, they left impressed with the new technology from adidas.
“It’s a pretty nice cleat,” said Gavin. “You have to get used to them, but once you figure out how to strike the ball and position your foot, it’s better. I think I might start wearing them.”
