I think we all know it. It's going to be a busy Summer. We're seeing drastic changes coming from all across the sport, and the equipment side of the game is no different.

Today, May 15th, 2013 Puma Football launched the new evoSPEED 1.2 FG. And for the first time in a long time, a sports manufacturing company has really remodeled, re-tooled, rebooted one of their performance boot lines to bring a fresh look with superior technology.

In the official Press Release, Puma made sure to point out that "for the first time ever, the boot features the PUMA brand name on the inner side of the boot instead of the formstripe - the brand's iconic trademark. "

To be honest, many will point to this as a "Nike" copy-cat tactic, and they very well could be right. But style is style my friends. If you want to try and hate on the boot for that purpose, be my guest.   In reality, any one who plays the game and truly tests the boot out, they will be impressed.

The color scheme: Black and fluorescent yellow. The boot itself is said to be "inspired by the shape of muscles, tendons and the smooth curves of a race car".

Just looking at the profile of the boot, one can instantly see the race car inspired look and I know I personally saw some inspiration drawn from Puma's performance racing shoes too.

"Finishing touches are the transparent dotted print on the vamp for better grip in wet conditions, and small details in fluorescent blue that complement the striking look" states the Puma Press Release.

The boot looks sick. As some one who plays, I could not wait to test these boots out. I literally left my other job early to rush home and put these boots on. I joked on twitter saying that just looking at these boots made me feel a few steps faster.

Lightweight, but sturdy, these boots feel like not only can they take you past your quickest competition, but it can get stuck in the toughest challenges with your hardest opponents and come out on top.

The skin of the boot feels stronger than that of your average speed booth which tends to feature super thin material that last a matter of a couple months, not seasons. With out question, I feel like this boot could easily go a two season or more.  At the same time, you don't feel like the boot is uncomfortable or stiff.

One of my favorite boots from memory were my Puma V1.08. They were light, but rugged and they lasted me forever. Plus, they looked so fly, that the style of the boot would still look sick today.  The boot introduced me to the Puma specific heel-cup style.  Unfortunately, I have feet that are a bit large for the game and so my heel always felt like it was being cupped a little low from the boot.  So when I got this boot in the mail, I was really interested to see how the heel-cup would feel. Sure enough, snug as a bug. The way the new evoSPEED wraps around your feet, you feel connected or locked into your boot; literally an extension of your feet.

The chassis of the boots is a really cool feature for me as well. A proper speed boots needs to make it's player feel like he or she is being propelled forward with each push of the ground. When you push off to sprint in these boots, you feel like a spring that's just popped, released and whipped forward.

The stud pattern was also something I was particularly interested in because I noticed without he Puma Kings which released earlier this year, I felt like the rubber tipped studs tended to feel sticky in the ground. Fortunately, the evoSPEED 1.2 does not have this issue. In no way did I feel hindered by the studs, their pattern or depth. In fact, where most speed boots lack in traction, I found this boot had more than sufficient traction in all types of grass and condition.

Overall, I can't express how impressed I am with this boot. I love that Puma took a line of their boots and went to a new place with it. They didn't just tweak a couple color combos and minor details here and there. They made notable changes that positively affect the boot.

You'll see this boot this weekend on the feet of Puma footballers Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, Olivier Giroud, and many more.

You can buy these boots in stores around the globe come June 1st, 2013.

If you're a member to World Football Daily, you can win them before you can buy them. Just keep listening for your chance to win.

In 1998 Nike launched the first Mercurial football boot — a shoe inspired by and designed for an athlete who was playing an entirely new brand of football. The player was Brasilian football phenomenon Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, popularly dubbed "El Fenómeno," but more commonly known as Ronaldo.

The tagline for the Nike Mercurial launch ad campaign, “Ultralight, so your legs can be as fast as your imagination,” spoke to Ronaldo's unbelievable creativity and speed. Ronaldo not only captured the imagination with his style, speed, skill and instictive eye for a goal, but he also helped reignite the reputation of Brasilian football. His influence continues to guide exceptional players like Neymar as they follow in his footsteps.

Ronaldo is closely associated with the original silver-yellow-blue Nike Mercurial he wore in France during the summer of 1998. Among a field of black and white, the Nike Mercurial stood out for it's sleek shape and colourful, speed-inspired visual design. To celebrate 15 years of the iconic boot, Nike has created a Mercurial Vapor IX inspired by the 1998 design.

“Ronaldo’s impact on the game 15 years ago was immense, and in the run up to 2014, we wanted to celebrate that boot and the man himself. We thought a modern construction of his 1998 boot would be a great commemoration of that moment.” said Phil McCartney, VP of Football Footwear for Nike.

“In the years since the first Mercurial boot was created, modern construction has allowed for a more refined way of making boots. For example, the original version of this boot was constructed of multiple materials stitched together, McCartney elaborated. "This version is a one-piece, seamless upper as per other Nike Vapor Mercurial IX editions.

In addition to rethinking the construction, the team approached the boot with a 2013 visual in mind. The yellow from the 1998 version is replaced by the distinctive Volt hue that became synonymous with Nike design on the running track in London last summer. The original silver is updated with a metallic finish.

1,998 pairs of the Mercurial IX Special Edition will be available from May 8 at select retailers around the world, including nike.com.

 

 

 

(Courtesy of NikeInc.com)