Wednesday , March 27 2024

Nike Tiempo Classic AG Review

Nike Tiempo AG

Throughout the past 12 months, there has been one strong new trend on the field that I have specifically noticed – a shift towards Artificial Grass (or AG) soccer cleats. AGs are, as you would expect, designed specifically for artificial soccer pitches. The unique layout and design of the molded studs is what sets them apart from FG or even turf shoes!

I haven’t had an opportunity to test out a pair, so I entrusted the help and advice of a good friend of mine, Kyle Holland, who has played in AGs for the past few seasons. Kyle is currently an assistant coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills, and we play on the same team (Doxa Italia).

In recent times, he has been wearing, and scoring goals in, a custom pair of Nike Tiempo Classic AG in a Black/Black/White colorway, and he has shared his full review after testing the boots for several weeks below.

Kyle is participating in coaching sessions daily as well as training and playing games each weekend, so his review is very valuable.

Kyle Holland Nike Tiempo

Reviewing: Nike Tiempo Classic AG
Regular Size: 8 US
Size for this review: 8 US

First impressions of the boot (or history using):
Very comfortable for all activities – coaching, playing, refereeing.

How were they breaking in, have you had any problems with them, comfort:
These shoes are made of soft, yet durable natural leather. They are not stiff like many natural leather boots are when first wearing them. The leather is supple which allows for great feel of the ball for collecting, passing, and shooting. These shoes are ready to play in straight out of the box, no breaking in required.

Since you started wearing them how have they performed, any issues, have they lasted well:
These shoes hold up well without tearing like many boots do after several uses on artificial turf. The outsole is perfect for artificial surfaces. The multi-ground cleat size and formation provide great stability for changing directions and don’t slip like firm-ground cleats do on artificial fields. These boots also do not have any uncomfortable “hot spots” where a cleat will irritate the bottom of the foot because it doesn’t sink into the turf.

Overall impression of the boot:
The best thing about this shoe is that it has the traction and stability of a turf shoe, yet it plays like a firm-ground boot. The awkward touch of a turf shoe is eliminated because it is shaped like a regular soccer shoe. So you can ping long balls without hesitation or thinking you may not get under the ball enough like with a turf shoe. And you still have the control on the bottom of the shoe to do roll over moves and collect with the sole of the foot with the full feel of the ball.

Would you recommend them, if so to which type of player:
I would recommend this boot to all players, coaches and referees at all levels for games or training on artificial surfaces. They take pressure off your joints because the outsole of the shoe is designed to distribute pressure through more points than the firm-ground cleats.

Anything else you want to add about the boot or the range:
There are a couple of negatives things I found in the multi-ground shoes. One drawback to the multi-ground shoes is the weight. In the era of ultra-lightweight, synthetic soccer boots, this shoe feels like a full leather boot similar to the Adidas Copa Mundial. The other is the water retention of the leather. These shoes soak up moisture like a sponge. When playing in the rain or on damp surfaces this shoe gets wet and stays wet. So stuffing them with newspaper and leaving them in the garage overnight is required after playing on rainy days.

Thanks Kyle for the excellent review! The best place to find a pair of AGs is at Nike ID, where you can create a custom pair for around $170.


About Bryan Byrne

The mastermind behind the revolution that is SoccerCleats101. Bryan started this website back in 2008 and has been testing boots on a daily basis ever since. Check out our About Page for more details on Bryan and the website.

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7 comments

  1. dude, these are tiempo classics not legends

  2. Thanks for the heads-up Ryan!

  3. I have a pair of Nike T90 Strike III AG cleats I got from soccer.com almost a year ago, of course in the ugly neon green. Can't find them anywhere in the US now though. I play all my games on turf. Some of the turf is old and short, some is new and long. After rolling my ankle on turf (sprained it) using FG cleats last summer, I got a pair of turf shoes, but found that I was slipping on the longer turf, and especially when it rained. I think Nike's AG soleplate is awesome because the traction is great on long or short turf, wet or dry, and the studs are short enough so I don't roll my ankle over.

  4. you're welcome. great review!

  5. I really agree with Ben's comments about wanting to see more information about Artificial Grass (AG) shoes. Seems like most are sold online in the UK. Would really like to hear your opinions about the stud placements for the different types. Would also like to see Soccer Cleats 101 do a AG segment study on the top boots for Adidas, Nike and Puma. Seems like most of the games now are being played on AG now and FG boot stud configurations are just not well suited for AG. I went online and found the top end AG boots for each in case you are interested.

    ADIDAS:

    Predator X TRX AG $192

    Predator X AG $112

    Adipure IV HG $191

    NIKE:

    Mercurial Glide AG $104

    Total 90 Strike III AG $104

    CTR 360 Trequartista II AG $112

    CTR 360 Trequartista AG $103

    PUMA:

    Powercat 1.10 HG $112

    King Finale Synthetic HG $160

  6. About Ben and Eric said, they are tottaly right.
    And for players like me, 6’2″ and 205, the turf shoes don’t responds very well when i change directions and shooting.
    Many times my feet slide on the pitch, because the shorts studs.
    Considering the turf pitches in my city are natural grass, the AG shoes are the best option to use.

  7. what are the studs made of?

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