Here's the stylish new NYCFC jacket from LiveBreatheFutbol

It does not come naturally to be excited about a new jacket while the East Coast of the United States suffered under the misery of a “heat dome.”

A new collaboration between Major League Soccer and Philadelphia-based apparel brand LiveBreatheFutbol has accomplished the feat thanks to a collection of colorful, bold anorak jackets.

New York City FC and all 29 other MLS teams—2025 expansion side San Diego FC included—are represented in this new merchandise drop. Every team gets a uniquely designed unisex anorak jacket, and the NYCFC one is sharp. You can click here to see it/buy it for yourself.

Anoraks are lightweight jackets, usually pullovers, that trace back to the time of the Inuit. They were first made with animal skins to protect against the harsh Arctic elements, and in modern times, they tend to be jackets that are not quite windbreakers, yet not fully parkas, given how light and "breathable" the jackets tend to be.

There's an element of utility involved with these MLS anoraks thanks to the presence of a hood, zippable side pockets, and a bonus front pouch for extra storage. It's got a waterproof outer shell as well, so it could work for one of the future rain games NYCFC will likely play over the remainder of its schedule.

The sky blue, navy blue, and orange color combination pops nicely on the NYCFC anorak. LiveBreatheFutbol took a slightly templated approach to these jackets, as every version comes with bold white text winding its way up the right side of the anorak.

In the case of New York City FC, we have to highlight the irony of seeing the “NYCFC” acronym so front-and-center in this piece of new merch. Earlier this year, the team made a big to-do about “refreshing its brand identity,” which included asking people to, please, refer to us as “New York City FC,” not “NYCFC.”

Regardless of what the team and its brand consultants may want, it’s not simple to erase a decade-long staple in the vocabulary of the fanbase and wider soccer community. NYCFC will never die, and this anorak proves it, at least a little bit.

It must be said that this jacket does not come cheap. It goes for $149 before taxes and any shipping costs, a significant price for a piece of team-branded gear. But that's also the cost of doing fan business in 2024 when authentic team jerseys can run you $200 if you want them customized with your favorite player's name on the back.

If you choose to splurge on this jacket, you're paying for a versatile piece that's also something of a style statement. Anoraks have become an increasingly trendy wardrobe piece, as according to fashion retailer Net-A-Porter, the jackets were "once the reserve of tourists, nature enthusiasts and probably your dad," but that's changed.

We here at HRB are a New York City soccer community so our focus is mainly on the NYCFC jacket, but there are some other standouts in the full field of MLS team anoraks. I particularly love the look of the San Diego FC anorak, a multi-color marvel that departs from the LBF anorak template and is infinitely more visually appealing than the metallic hubcap from the Transformers universe that passes as their club crest.

The full LBF x MLS 2024 collection includes more than just these cool jackets, though the only New York City piece in the collection is this anorak. Other teams got varsity jackets, like this orca-centric one made for the Seattle Sounders that celebrates the team's 50th anniversary season. There are also new hoodies, T-shirts, and shorts, though again, none made for New York City FC.

If your team is going to have just one piece in a fashionable merch collection, it should be something that stands out like that bold NYCFC anorak. This concludes our regularly scheduled time spent thinking about a cool jacket, which might rival that Raquinho trading card for "best unexpected piece of NYCFC-adjacent merchandise to arrive in 2024."