Christmas gift ideas for the soccer fan in your life

It’s the holiday season and that means the joy of giving gifts. If you have a soccer fan in your life and you’re not sure what to get them, here are a few ideas. This list is heavy on the US National Teams, Real Salt Lake, and Utah Royals FC suggestions.

World Cup ’94 Cap

Talisman and Co make some of the coolest soccer appareal around. They specialize in hats, and this World Cup ‘94 cap looks great and represents a highlight for soccer in the US

https://talismancaps.com/collections/caps/products/talisman-usa-94-cap

Mystery Kit


The Mystery Kit from Away Days is one of the most fun ideas in the soccer jersey landscape. You sign up for a mystery kit, provide your size, then they send you a soccer jersey from a smaller team from around the world. When I did this about six months back I received a Nottingham Forest jersey and love it.

https://awaydaysfootball.com/products/mystery-kit

The greatest US jersey ever made
It’s the rocket pop jersey and it is truly an incredible shirt. Remember the days of Beckerman in the 2014 World Cup in this? Well, that can be you too:

https://www.classicfootballshirts.co.uk/2014-15-usa-away-shirt-excellent-m.html

FIFA 2020

It’s the video game that caused so many of us to fall in love with the game and connected us to teams all around the world.

https://www.ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-20

RSL inspired jersey

This RSL inspired jersey is such an incredible look it’s a shame it’s not a real RSL jersey. Football Town make jerseys with their own spin and they’re some of the sharpest kits around.

https://footballtown.com/collections/coming-soon/products/la-monarquia

Rio Tinto and Zions Bank Stadium posters

Football Stadium Prints is on a mission to create a unique poster for every major football stadium in the world, and their RSL/Monarchs/Utah Royals editions do not disappoint. I recently purchased the Zions Bank edition and would recommend.

https://footballstadiumprints.com/product/retro-look-zions-bank-stadium-real-monarchs-slc-print/
https://footballstadiumprints.com/product/retro-look-rio-tinto-stadium-utah-royals-fc-print/

https://footballstadiumprints.com/product/retro-look-rio-tinto-stadium-real-salt-lake-print/

USWNT Home Jersey

The USWNT won their fourth World Cup this summer and that should be celebrated. The USWNT home jersey is one of the best in team history and this version includes all four stars. You can buy it in a women’s or men’s cut. The women’s is on backorder, but it’s well worth the wait. Kids sizes are also available on soccer.com.

Mens: https://www.soccer.com/shop/details/nike-uswnt-men-s-home-4-star-jersey-2019_A1027786

Womens: https://www.soccer.com/shop/details/nike-uswnt-home-4-star-jersey-2019_A1027820

F.C. Barcelona Retro Heritage Football

I picked this up at the Camp Nou in October and it’s made a really nice edition to my office. With a little digging, you can find one for most major European clubs. You can also find these on Amazon without any team name listed.

https://www.amazon.com/F-C-Barcelona-Retro-Heritage-Football/dp/B01I3J19DG/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=retro+soccer+ball+barcelona&qid=1575663993&sr=8-6

Rimando Pale Ale by Kiitos Brewing

There have been a lot of RSL themed beers over the years like Beckerman’s Brew and Rimando’s Wit and none of them have really wowed me. Kiitos, however, have done a fantastic job with Rimindo’s Pale Ale. If this wasn’t an RSL themed beer, I’d still enjoy as pretty much everything from Kiitos is fantastic. I picked up a few cans at their brewery just outside of downtown SLC and shared with a friend. We both those the beer was excellent, so if you’re hoping for an over 21 year old beer snob who also loves the GOAT, this is a great gift.

https://kiitosbrewing.com/brewery/

Utah Royals FC home and away jerseys

It may seems crazy, but both the home and the away Utah Royals FC jerseys are only $30.00 right now. Rumor has it there will be a new jersey sponsor for next season, so they’re trying to clear house now. The Royals home kit is in my top five for all time RSL org shirts, and it costed much, much more just a few months ago. You can purchase these at the team store or online:


https://rsl-merchandising-llc.myshopify.com/collections/jerseys

RSL/URFC dog apparel

Dogs in clothes? Adorable. Dogs in jerseys? Also adorable.


https://www.mlsstore.com/real-salt-lake/real-salt-lake-little-earth-red-premium-pet-stretch-jersey/t-14900326+p-3640148589666+z-9-4100377144?_ref=p-DLP:m-GRID:i-r0c0:po-0

https://rsl-merchandising-llc.myshopify.com/collections/pets

Game worn and signed RSL jerseys

You can get a wealth of game worn and signed jerseys as well as signed balls with signatures from all the players through the team’s MLS store. These gifts are quite a bit more expensive than a t-shirt, but they’re a cool piece of team history that will excite any diehard RSL fan.


https://www.mlsstore.com/real-salt-lake/collectibles-autographed-items/t-25453659+d-14779825-81323+z-8-901803175

Zonal Marking by Michael Cox

Know someone who is new to soccer and wants a deeper understanding of the last few decades of the sport? Check out Michael Cox’s excellent book Zonal Marking. This work takes a deep look at the last three decades of European soccer and Cox does a fantastic job of discussing what each major footballing nation in Europe has brought to the sport. It’s an engaging read from an expert on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/Zonal-Marking-Making-European-Football-ebook/dp/B07KKYSXMQ

The National Team by Caitlin Murray

Caitlin Murray’s book, The National Team, is the authoritative work on the history of the US Women’s National Team. Murray pulls in a ton of sources and firsthand accounts covering the inception of the USWNT through preparation for the 2019 World Cup. This version is updated and expanded since it was first published prior to the 2019 World Cup (the version I read), and Murray goes into that victory as well. This book is deeply moving. When I read it I felt in awe of these athletes who not only accomplished incredible feats on the field, but also did so much for women’s sports in the world. It’s an added bonus that players we get to watch ever week in the NWSL, such as A-Rod, Press, O’Hara, and Sauerbrunn, all come up in the book.

https://www.amazon.com/National-Team-Inside-Changed-Soccer/dp/1419734490

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!