When it comes to football culture in the States, the USL is carving out a space all of its own—free from the traditions that tend to define the aesthetic on European shores. Here, it’s less about legacy and more about identity. And that creative latitude? It’s where brands like Charly thrive.
For 2025, Charly have come out swinging with a line-up of kits for their six USL clubs that don’t just tick the box—they tear up the template. From retro reverence in Tampa Bay to binary-coded brilliance in North Carolina, and bold nods to culture in San Antonio and Oakland, this is kit design with real substance. It’s storytelling stitched into every seam.
In a league that’s fast becoming the proving ground for experimental sportswear design, Charly are making their presence felt—not just by volume, but by voice. With a design portfolio only rivalled in scale by hummel, and streaks ahead of legacy giants like Nike and adidas in terms of representation (the latter have no USL teams), the Mexican brand is redefining what it means to represent in the USL.
So, from embossed emblems to encoded graphics and topographic tales and with design insights from Gerardo Lango, International Apparel Design Manager for CHARLY, we dive into each of Charly’s 2025 USL kits—celebrating the beauty in the bespoke and the power of purposeful design.
Home
Away
TAMPA BAY ROWDIES
Charly celebrated the club’s 50th anniversary by looking back at their legendary 1975 jerseys. The result was a retro design that tapped into nostalgia and paid homage to their rich history. We wanted to represent all Rowdies, which is why we have the “Come On You Rowdies” design using the embossing technique.
“Embossing is a detail that I enjoy adding to the jerseys because it represents something iconic on the jerseys. It's like having an old photograph in your hands, but on your jersey. That's a more emotional kind of message.”
Riverwalk Kit
Viva Kit
SAN ANTONIO
Riverwalk Kit
The lines here represent all Latinos coming together. The colours black and red are iconic for San Antonio FC. The lines on the kit go at different angles because it’s connecting various parts of history, and it represents the multiple communities in San Antonio.
“For the Riverwalk Kit we wanted to do something very on brand for the club, but at the same time, something that stands for more.”
Viva Kit
The colours on the Viva Kit represent the Viva Festival. San Antonio FC is proud of their colours and what they represent to their community. The colours on the kit also draw inspiration from papel picado – a traditional Mexican paper craft. Papel picado is created by cutting paper. In a very conceptual way, the dots on the kit represent the tiny cuts that are made to create papel picado. The colors represent the colors of a papel picado, and the dots represent the cutting, but in a stylised way. Additionally, the silhouette speaks for itself – it’s very retro, yet also street-style.
Home
Away
OAKLAND ROOTS
Home Kit
“The Roots chose to keep the design from last year, which speaks volumes about how much it resonates with their identity as a club. The colours and the stripes are very iconic for the club. It’s a representation concept for the club."
Away Kit
"This kit is inspired by the classic yellow, green, and white colourway of the 1968 Oakland A’s uniform. We included the iconic roots graphic in an embossed technique on the chest, adding texture and meaning to the piece. The root silhouette represents a lot, and in addition, the Coliseum Stadium is featured in the same embossing technique at the corner of the jersey, paying homage. I love the marketing side of the Oakland Roots. Every kit launch speaks for itself.”
Home
Away
NORTH CAROLINA FC
Home Kit
The home jersey is a pattern inspired by the coastline and beaches of North Carolina, with flowing shapes, calm movement, and a fresh aesthetic. This kit is a strong representation of North Carolina's tropical side. “The tropical side of North Carolina is less known to those who aren’t locals. As a designer, I really enjoy working with clubs like North Carolina FC to tell their stories in every design.”
Away Kit
The inspiration for the away kit is drawn from the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. Charly included a binary code in the graphic of the kit. Each line that runs in a triangle on the kit details has a different thickness; the variance in the lines spells out “North Carolina FC” in binary code. In addition to the binary code, the club desires consistency in colours, and they kept all home kits blue and away kits red, which is symbolic of their crest and state flag.
Home
Away
PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS
Home Kit
A horizontal strip on the jersey dominates the home kit. It combines a historic element of the crest with the checkers, but in a more subtle way than the away kit. With the stripes and the checkers, it's two patterns colliding.
Away Kit
The iconic checkered pattern from the crest is a symbol that holds a lot of meaning for Pittsburgh fans. "We brought that visual language into the jersey in a modern, dynamic way. The comments from fans are positive, making the jersey design process even more meaningful."
Sea Kit
Crisp Kit
MONTEREY BAY
Home “SEA KIT ”
The home jerseys feature a topographic map of their Bay, which is a strong part of their identity, and they use the map across social media. This creates a strong visual language for the brand.
Away “CRISP KIT”
Charly worked closely with the club and received direct visual references to ensure that this design was a nod to their previous jerseys while still feeling fresh. The triangles on the jersey represent the waves on their crest and are symbolic of their coastline.
Shop all Charly 2025 USL kits at us.charly.com/
