Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Last March, Nike announced they were putting more of a focus on the small sided game. They made the decision to discontinue the Nike 5 line in favour of a new FC247 moniker (24 hours a day/7 days a week).
The idea behind the line was to produce three top quality boots which would encompass all aspects of the small sided game. You had the Lunar Gato designed with comfort and all around performance in mind regardless of the small sided surface, the Elastico Finale geared towards court/futsal play, and the Bomba Finale geared towards 5v5 games on turf or AG.
While the new incarnations of the Lunar Gato and the Elastico were lauded, the FC247 Bomba was not as universally loved, the Nike 5 Bomba Finale (pictured above) had a dedicated following. The new boot was an unexpected departure from its predecessor, more focused on agility as opposed to the original power/control hybrid, very much in the same vein as when the Hypervenom replaced the Total 90 series. With the indoor and turf season just kicking in to gear here north of the 49th, it’s got me wondering does Nike have a new turf boot of choice?
The answer to that question seems to be yes. While only the Elastico silo has been updated to include a third incarnation at the current moment, it was impossible to miss that Nike’s “futsal specific” boot also contained a turf specific edition. The FC247 brand was designed to focus on specific boots for a specific styles of the small sided game; so by updating the Elastico to also include a turf package, it seems in my opinion that Nike are declaring their intentions for the Bomba silo in the process. But why, does Nike seem to be adopting a more one size fits all approach?
Personally I feel part of the answer lies in the turf specific sole. The Bomba had a hybrid turf and AG sole which played very well on artificial grass surfaces, but was a little lacking on less well maintained turf surfaces. On a purely anecdotal level I have several friends who bypassed the the top level Bomba Finale and the second tier Pro for the plain old Bomba citing the boots functionality on a greater number of surfaces.
While their answers were a bit of a shock to my system, it’s something I feel that has been addressed with the turf package on the Elastico, which has embraced the classic “nubby” turf studs. having worn turf boots on pretty much every imaginable surface (excluding courts and soft ground) it’s definitely a smart play by Nike, if they happen to be lining the Elastico up to be their new go to turf boot.
The second half of the answer, well, it centres around the fact that Nike offers the Elastico Superfly in a turf configuration seemingly lends credence to the idea that the Elastico line is now the go to boot for 5v5 matches on turf. Nike have put a lot of stock in boots featuring the Dynamic Fit Collar and it’s highly unlikely that they’d be willing to release it in a configuration and see it play second fiddle to another boot. In a manner of speaking the turf layout on the Elastico and the inclusion of the Elastico Superfly in turf seems to be a perfect storm when it comes to the fall of the Bomba and the rise of the Elastico as Nike’s preferred turf boot.
If you are a Bomba loyalist you can still find a fair selection of the Bomba Finale II. However, if you’re in the market to try out what I think is the new direction for turf boots with Nike you can also get your choice of either the Elastico Finale III or the Elastico Superfly over at soccer.com
Do you think that the marketing of the Elastico in a turf pattern signals the end of the Bomba? Let us know in the comments.
Personally I feel that the original Bomba Finale was the ultimate turf boot. Kangalite is the perfect upper for turf as it is more durable than Nike Skin and more padded than NikeSkin. I have had mine for 4 years and use them at least twice a week and there still is no tears our issues. In small sided games you actually need a little more thickness if you look at any futsal shoe you will see this. Most professional futsal players dont use nikeskin shoes and prefer the Lunar Gato or a Joma/Lotto/Kelme shoe which offers more padding and comfort. Not sure why Nike does not use Kangalite anymore for 5 aside football maybe Nike Skin is cheaper to produce. Inan ideal world I would have the original Bomba finale minos the shot shield.
Thanks for the input there Condorito! As I was never able to source myself a pair of the original Bomba Finale I only know what I’ve heard from people that they’re a superb small sided boot. My turf boot of choice is the Mundial Team; although I am looking into getting a pair of Elastico Superfly’s just to see what they offer.
I definitely agree with you on the futsal court. My personal go to is a pair of Joma Top Flex, and I have noticed that despite Nike marketing the Elastico as a futsal specialist boot, it’s definitely the Lunar Gato which sees more play on the court. I do see a fair number of Elastico boots in the more traditional indoor game (hockey rink style) so I believe that perhaps Nike have the marketing backwards a wee bit there.
As for your question about Kangalite over NikeSkin, I’m not 100% sure but I imagine that you’re on the right track when it comes to production costs.
It was claudio daniel perez a defender against independiente de avellaneda
For people with wide feet and knee concerns on AG/ turf surfaces, the nike bomba pro was the first choice. The sole plate of the nike bomba worked for me on all kinds of artificial grass turf and summer baked outdoor grass fields. The upper lasted through 4 years of hard use on all these surfaces. In addition, because the bomba's were very similar in feel to tiempo's/ premier, you can easily switch between training drills ( during rehab, etc.) and match play 11v11. None of the Nike incarnations post bomba seem to match the bomba's for wide feet, durability and performance/control/balance on artificial grass. Please let know if you know of any replacements. the adidas mundials feel more of a indoor sneaker than a FG-ish turf boot ( like the bombas).