CASE 014: 94 TO 26
Soccer didn’t begin in the US in 1994, far from it. From the founding of the United States Soccer Federation in 1913 to the creation of its first fully professional league, the NASL in 1971, soccer has existed in this country for over a century. However, something changed in 1994. In hosting its first-ever World Cup, the most significant sporting tournament on this planet, the United States invited the global soccer community across its borders and subsequently invited a level of sporting and cultural influence so intoxicating that it could not resist change.
The American sense of endeavor was instrumental in making the 1994 tournament the global spectacle it is remembered as. It was a show. Pure entertainment. A moment in time that resulted in the birth of a new culture. A culture where many Americans were forced to reckon, “The United States is not the best at everything.” With over 32 billion television views estimated across the tournament, it was hard to escape its impact. Americans watched on as Mexican fans out-supported them. Americans watched on as Brazil outplayed them. Americans watched on as national adversaries became friends and embraced in the celebration of a game.
We Americans had something to learn. And learn we did. In the aftermath of the tournament, more Americans started making their way to top European leagues, gaining a technical, tactical, and global awareness that had been previously absent. Major League Soccer was founded - a professional soccer league with financial security and real growth ambitions. But the most important lessons were learned off the field and away from the boardrooms. Americans began to appreciate the world through a new lens - the lens of a global game they did not invent.
Competitions like The Serie A, The African Cup of Nations, The Asian Cup, The Premier League, The Bundesliga, and more started popping up on American broadcasts, routinely showing viewers that there is more to this world than just what lives within our borders. A welcome to the global game, a welcome to a global community of football lovers.
And so, 32 years later, with the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup set to return to North American shores, we find ourselves in a moment of reflection. In our reflection at Studio 14, we wanted to create something that felt both introspective and celebratory. A materialization of what has gone before and what is yet to come for this beautiful game and deeply complex country.
For Us, There Was No Better Medium Than Our Favorite Topic Of Conversation - A Football Kit.
The 94 TO 26 Studio 14 Kit features the original Navy Blue of the US Soccer Federation from its founding in 1913. With Red details on an eggshell-colored base, the traditional Red, White, and Blue of the American flag are all present, but altered. Tinted and enriched, the alternative color scheme symbolizes the indelible gifts this young country has received from the global community.
Highlighting the passage of time and growth of investment in the game in the United States, 94 TO 26 is printed across the typical sponsor location. The numbers are written in the Future World font, the inspiration for the official font of the now-liquidated Tampa Bay Mutiny (one of the 10 founding MLS clubs in 1995).
A nod to the inclusion of our neighbors up north, the colored strip across the midsection and horizontal stripes are inspired by the traditional aesthetic of the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps were founded in 1973 and added to the MLS in 2009, making them the second Canadian franchise added to the league and marking an intentional move for the inclusion of Canadian teams in Major League Soccer. Completed with the 1994 World Cup Patch, the 94 TO 26 Kit is a thank you to soccer. Thank you for touching our lives here in the US. Thank you for epitomizing the beauty of diversity in a land whose memory is perhaps too short. Thank you for bringing us closer to the World.
Gratefully yours,
Studio 14 Case Studies
