Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
It started off with an unexpected tweet a week ago from Sporting Lisbon and England Youth International Eric Dier, which simply stated “Looking forward to using these #UX1 #fortheloveofboots” and included the picture above. To say my interest was piqued would be an understatement; I’ve been an Umbro fan since my youth, and simply on looks alone these boots are stunning, the combination of a regal looking purple and fluorescent yellow accenting is top drawer.
Technically the Umbro UX-1 is the most ambitious effort in my opinion since the SX Valor II Ultra, which was the last offering from the double diamond to feature rubber elements on the upper of the boot. We reached out to Umbro and they were more than happy to provide us with some technical information regarding their brand new release.
UMBRO UX-1 Technical Details
The UX-1 features a light and breathable one piece upper, which looks different to anything I’ve seen on the market before. While Umbro haven’t released the full details on the boots upper, they feel that this new upper is more than strong enough to keep players safe in the tackle (there are rumours that the material in question is called Armor-Tex, which is a composite material 40% stronger than Kevlar). If the rumour is indeed true, it would be the first time I’ve known of the compound featuring in a football boot and it would definitely have the potential to be a radical innovation. The upper also benefits from a rubber webbing which covers the forefoot of the boots, the webbing is designed to have an dampening effect on receiving passes, making sure your first touch is as good as it possibly can be!
The proprietary A-Frame technology also features, so you know you’re foot will be stable and secure in the UX-1, making sure you won’t have an issue lasting the full 90. There’s also solid protection to be had in the heel of the boot, which features a dual density cage and a protective spine which cushions the heel and protects the Achilles. Traction wise the UX-1’s soleplate has a 14 stud layout including 8 conical studs in the front of the boot and 4 rounded blades at the hell. This will ensure that the UX-1 will be a great choice for both firm ground pitches and play on artificial grass surfaces.
Despite having a slightly smaller cast of footballers sporting the double diamond, there are still some high quality players who’ll be wearing the UX-1 going forward. England number one Joe Hart is set to make the switch from the Speciali, so too is West Ham’s Andy Carroll, who’ll be joined England youths Eric Dier and Andrew Wisdom. However, it was Peruvian winger Juan Vargas who opened the new boots goal scoring account with an absolute peach of a volley in a losing effort for Fiorentina in last weekend’s Coppa Italia final defeat against Napoli.
Currently there are no firm dates when the UX-1 will find its way to our shores, nor anything firm on where’ll you’ll be able to find a pair. However, we will update you as soon as that changes – Umbro might just be set to reignite their presence in the US and I’m fairly certain they are onto a winner with the UX-1.
I'm must say I'm excited with the comeback umbro is having. I'd love to get my hands on a pair, however; I haven't seen any US retailers sticking umbro anything so I get the feeling we may not be able to grab this boot or any other boot stateside. Although Iconix, who owns umbro now is a US company so we shall see what happens
Same in Canada. Even though our national team is sponsored by Umbro, I can't find any Umbro gear in stores around here. Shame, because the Speciali and Geometra are nice boots I probably would have picked up a pair if I could actually try some on!
Speaking personally, I've been impressed with Umbro's work in Canada. Attending national team games, it's nice to see people be able to buy the kit, which never happened with Adidas. While I'm not sure how the rest of the country is served I know my local soccer specialty stores usually have a healthy assortment of Umbro gear. If you're anywhere near the Niagara Region S-Kell, give On The Ball a try, if you aren't, well we're a massive country and it was worth a try 🙂
Mike, keep an eye out regarding Umbro in the US. I know you can follow them on twitter @UmbroUSA
Was just at dicks in Jacksonville and seen these on display only a different color scheme but felt great putting them on. Wish you could play around with them in the store but for $230 bucks idk if they are great for that price.
If you haven’t tried Umbro boots before, I highly recommend it. Umbro Specialis are my favorite heritage boot, and the Geometra 2 was much better than the Laser 3, the equivalent power boot of the time. I will be are for me to not try these out. Umbro = Under-rated.
For the Umbro guys in UK, don't forget Brazil!
Hey guys,
Hopefully this isn’t offside for posting but we’re a recently launched ecommerce venture serving ALL of Canada AND the US dedicated entirely to Umbro.
I can tell you that the UX1 will be available to ship within the next couple of weeks.
Check us out and either sign up for the newsletter or follow/friend us and you’ll be notified when we have the boots up for purchasing.
http://www.joegoesbro.com
Cheers,
Regs.
These are awesome. Just got to see them in person today and even though they are running about $200 I think I'm going to buy them. The upper material looked very firm yet flexible, like a woven fabric. It has a poron insole and also a poron padded tongue so it feels like it will offer a lot of protection. Hopefully this will start a trend away from the ultr-lightweight cleat craze (i.e. ultra rip-off in my opinion). http://www.gearhouseclearance.com