The cherry blossom-inspired "Spirit in Bloom" kit will serve as the Spirit's primary look for the 2026 season.
The Washington Spirit have gone maximalist for their new 2026 kits, unveiling a cherry blossom-themed "Spirit in Bloom" kit that will become the club's primary look.
The "Spirit in Bloom" kit, meeting a long-standing demand from D.C. sports fans for cherry blossom-themed gear, replaces the team's black-and-grey home kit that had its roots in a mooted rebrand that has never truly materialized beyond color changes. Notably, that color scheme remains present in the Spirit badge.
The existing "Shockwave" yellow kits remain in place as Washington's secondary option for the 2026 season.
Cherry blossom kits have been considered for years by the Spirit, but the aforementioned possible rebrand and success with the club's bright yellow look have kept the club from taking the step. In the meantime, D.C. United eventually producing a more subtle version of the idea for the 2023-24 seasons.
The Spirit have gone to the other end of the spectrum, with the dark green seen on their training gear starting last season the dominant color on this new kit.
The kits, which are available through the club's online shop, include pink letters and numbers. Authentic, replica, and goalkeeper kits are available, with replica sizing running from XS to 2XL (women's cut) and S to 3XL (men's cut).
The kit reveal also comes with some sponsorship news. While CVS Health and Events DC remain on the kit, Mars has chosen its pet food line IAMS as a sleeve sponsor, while the American Beverage Association appears as a new back-of-kit sponsor.
Kit design inspiration and design can come from various places, but in this case the call came from inside the house. Spirit director of operations Ben Berczek, who spent five seasons as the team's equipment manager, was credited by the club as the creative force behind the new look.
"While brainstorming ways to create a cherry blossom uniform unique to the Spirit, the way sakura branches break away from one another reminded me of how the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers split to form the shape of DC around Audi Field," said Berczek via a team press release.
"The main cherry blossom branch you see on the front of the 'Spirit in Bloom' kit mimics the path the Anacostia River takes north through DC. It has been an honor to work with Nike since presenting the initial concept and see it bloom into our new primary kit. I'm very excited to see the finished product on the pitch and give players and fans alike a cherry blossom kit that they have been requesting for years."
For more photos of the new kit, check out the gallery below, which I just found out is an option in Ghost!
All photos courtesy of the Washington Spirit
Season ticket holders can attend a kit reveal event at the Events DC Club at Audi Field later on Thursday, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Kaylie Collins, Hal Hershfelt, and head coach Adrián González will be on hand to talk about the kit, while a "State of the Spirit" discussion featuring team CEO Kim Stone, President of Soccer Operations Haley Carter and General Manager Nathan Minion will be part of the proceedings.
Green Line Soccer kit review
First and foremost, as a media member with lots of memories of bland or difficult-to-read NWSL kits — talking to you, Orlando Pride and Houston Dash — in the past, this one is a success because the pink numbers (with white trim to help the color stand out even further) will be legible even on a player's back on a muggy day in August. As such, I'm already a happy camper.
Plus, the Spirit went green just as the site has come into existence. Pure coincidence, but it's not the worst news for this website.
Given that D.C. soccer already has a subtle cherry blossom kit, it's appropriate for the Spirit to differentiate themselves by going the other way with this one. While I do fear that a kit featuring two-tone green, white speckles, cherry blossoms, and branches will look muddled on TV broadcasts, I think it's a good (albeit, very busy, very out-there) kit.
One issue is a bit out of the club's hands: FIFA requirements on any patterned kit where a number might be hard to read require a solid single color on the back. Clubs wearing vertical or horizontal stripes are very familiar, but this pattern is a significantly busier look.
That results in a bit of an awkward juxtaposition, as you can see below (Green Line Soccer does not hold Tara Rudd responsible for the visual contrast issue at play):
That said, the abrupt jump to one solid color is reduced when you see the full kit with shorts and socks.
Overall, the Spirit have unsurprisingly gone for bold looks at home and away, which speaks to what kind of club Washington has become. They've also embraced D.C.'s greenery in the past, with pieces from Domo Wells' Dead Dirt line a common sight on gameday (with players as much as fans).
I do tend to prefer symmetry, and I tend to dress based on solid colors more than patterns, but there are some big-time winners out there in the world of wild patterns. The Montréal Roses primary and many Forward Madison kits come to mind, and even with the back panel, the Spirit now have their own option for the bold pattern lovers out there.
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