CHICAGO (Nov. 19, 2007) – The brand new Official Sports International uniforms worn by the referee crew during the MLS Cup this past Sunday (Nov. 17) are now available for purchase at officialsports.com. The four-man referee crew was the first to wear the uniform, which was approved by the USSF earlier this year.

MLS Cup Pictures / Purchase the New Uniform

The new uniforms feature a redesigned shirt and socks, as well as a new color option with green being added to the array of gold, red, blue and the traditional black. The new design features include an updated stripe pattern, raglan-style sleeve and a colored notch on the back collar. Also featured on the sleeve of the shirt and on the shorts is the updated U.S. Soccer Referee Program logo, which was introduced earlier this year.

Referees will have two options on the type of sock they will wear during competitions. The new sock is embroidered with “U.S. Soccer Referee” on the foot of the sock, but referees are also permitted to wear the three white-stripe sock or the black sock with the old U.S. Soccer Referee Department logo, as both are still USSF-approved.

In the future, OSI will only sell the new uniforms, but the old striping pattern is still USSF-approved and acceptable to wear during games. In youth and adult amateur games, it is also acceptable for the crew to wear a combination of new and old uniforms. Referees are encouraged to purchase the new uniform when replacing their old version as the updated stripe pattern will be grandfathered into becoming the official referee uniforms of U.S. Soccer.

The launch marks the first time U.S. Soccer’s official referee uniform design has been changed since 1998, when an updated kit was presented after the World Cup. The last time a new USSF-approved color option was made available was 2002, when blue was introduced. The new uniforms are available for purchase at officialsports.com. Official Sports International has served as the exclusive supplier of USSF Referee apparel and accessories since 1998.

The man in the middle for Sunday’s final was Alex Prus of Simpsonville, S.C., who officiatied his first MLS Cup. The assistant referees were Adam Wienckowski of Elkridge, Md., and Robert Fereday of Laurel, Md., both of whom will be ran the lines in their first MLS Cup. The fourth official was 2007 MLS/OSI Referee of the Year Brian Hall.