The initial release comes in two colors; a Red/White/Navy and a White/Red/Silver. I do like both both versions, but I am leaning towards the White version as my preferred choice. From looking at them, one thing I really like is the tongue, which Umbro have trimmed down and adjusted with a small tab to allow the cleat to fit flush with your foot. Weight wise, the Stealth stands at a pretty impressive 9.8oz. In fact, design wise there are a lot of similarities between these and the adidas adiPURE III, it will be interesting to see how they compare to one of the leading cleats on the market.

One unusual aspect to these cleats is the fact that Umbro have gone with a soft lightweight Teijin Japanese microfiber upper instead of their usual Kangaroo leather, and although it does have a shiny finish, it is a synthetic leather rather than the real thing. This is also something I am interested in reviewing when I get these to test. Watch out for players like Darren Bent and Gael Clichy to be wearing these in the coming weeks, it is unfortunate that Bent wasn’t wearing them while scoring a hat-trick against Bolton yesterday.

The official release date for the Umbro Stealth is April 1st, and you can order your pair right now!

Worse was to come, as Torres twisted his knee in the following weekend’s FA Cup tie with Reading, meaning all of Nike’s media efforts were now focused on a player who would not be playing. But then, there was Wayne Rooney.

There is no doubt that Rooney is already on the shortlist for Premier League’s Player of the Year. In 27 League games played so far this season, Rooney has amassed 23 goals and 5 assists; what would be considered an excellent season for most Premier League strikers. But, most impressive, is Rooney’s current form. He has 9 goals in his last 7 Premier League games and 13 in all competitions including the winning goal in the Carling Cup Final – which came via his head! He wore the Total90 Laser III in the first game of his current ‘pink spell’ and he has not changed out of them since! This has led him to become the new focus for all of Nike’s advertising efforts.

So, Rooney is proving that the Total90 Laser III is one of the best current options for strikers to wear, leading to a huge jump in sales of the boot. However, if you take a step back and look at how he has scored, things are a little more interesting. Of the 13 goals he’s scored in all competitions while wearing the new range, Rooney has scored 8 with his head. Half of the goals scored during his current run have actually not come off the surface of the T90 Laser III. That being said, Strikers have one job—to score goals. People don’t remember how you score, just that you were the one that knocked it into the back of the net!

If you ask any striker, they will tell you that having confidence in what they are wearing plays a huge role in how they perform on the field. You need a boot that gives you comfort and support, and one that increases your confidence when striking the ball on goal. One can easily assess that Rooney is comfortable with what he is wearing right now! Over the past few weeks, if you have been watching him closely in games, you’d see that his movement on the field has been extraordinary. In the first half of Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal on January 31st, Rooney took a long ball out of the air, turned back inside leaving his defender for dead, before striking a shot from 25 yards on target. He didn’t score, but it just goes to show the threat he posses at any moment. In turn, it all comes back to what Rooney has on his feet. Knowing he can rely on his footwear, gives him the advantage of being able to do things that we, or the defenders, don’t expect.

From wearing and testing the Total90 Laser III myself, I can completely relate to the confidence Rooney experiences with the boot. They offer great comfort and support, and have specifically placed pods that guide players to a specific area of the foot to shoot with, increasing the belief that you can place the ball where you want it to go. Of course, it takes a lot more than just a pair of soccer boots to improve your game, but having high levels of confidence plays a huge roll.

The release of the Total90 Laser III did not initially go as Nike would have planned. But when it mattered, Rooney stepped up and has been in scintillating form for Manchester United. This can only be good news for Manchester United, England, and of course for Nike, whose decision to focus their attention on Rooney is likely to pay dividends, especially in a World Cup year.

(Also of note, Fernando Torres player profile has since disappeared from the Nike website!)

If you want to get your hands on a pair, head over to Soccer.com!

What cleats you were wearing before you left?
Adidas Adipure’s

What cleats you are currently wearing?
I changed to wearing Puma King XL

What types of surfaces are you currently training on?
We have grass and artificial turf fields.

What differences have you encountered in games in terms of what you have worn?
The durability of the Pumas are better, but the Adipures are a lot softer.

I assume you are playing in wet and muddy conditions, what steps are you taking to keep your boots in good shape?
I wash my own boots after each training session and i try to once a week and put some leather food on of some sort. But the key thing is to get rid of the mud as fast as possible with as little water damaging the boot’s integrity.

How have games been going, and how is life on Merseyside?
One of the recent games we played was against Sunderland’s reserve team and we tied 1-1. The pitch was completely drenched from the rain and as a result I had to wear studs. They performed very well. I am playing in the middle of the park in more of a holding role as a bruiser. Life in the UK is definitely different than the states, with having to acclimatize to the lingo and manners of people and players alike, but it is definitely a very good experience. In addition, getting used to massive amounts of rain is an interesting transition coming from sunny California.

Thanks for the update buddy and keep us posted on future developments!

Last week, Anton had a solid game against the Man Utd reserves and even had the ball in the United net at one stage:

When United finally broke the deadlock, it came amid Everton’s most fruitful attacking period. Moments after Anton Peterlin’s header had been disallowed for offside, Adam Forshaw nodded against Ben Foster’s post.

Everton Reserves play Burnley on Thursday 03/04, we will have an update on how the game goes.

This is a similar competition to the one that Umbro ran last year, where 3 designs were chosen to be worn by players in the Premier League. You can scroll through the current selection of images to get some ideas from what other are designing. If you do decide to enter, let us know what the name of your design is so that we can check it out!

Nike, with the help of Cristiano Ronaldo, unveiled what is one of the most advanced soccer cleats ever created – the Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II. This latest version of the Superfly has a never before seen adaptive traction system, a re-engineered upper and it comes in a vibrant ultra-violet color.

If you look at the images before, you will notice that the blades look extremely different. This is where the Nike SENSE adaptive traction technology comes in. Designers worked with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrohimovich to create an adaptive stud that has the ability to swivel up to 3mm to improve traction and enhance explosive acceleration.

“For me, it’s all about first-step acceleration, but twisting and turning around a defender is also important,” Cristiano Ronaldo said. “The Mercurial Vapor Superfly II helps me do both, so I can beat my opponent and create scoring opportunities.”

And this is exactly where Nike have focused their attention, creating a cleat with directionally positioned blades that maximize cutting and allow for quick changes of direction, while secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power for those first critical steps. The result is a boot that is designed to enables greater speed in all directions! And it will again be super light since Nike again incorporate FlyWire technology.

I am not surprised that Nike have dropped this release right now. To be honest, this was a pretty unexpected release and came rather quickly probably because Nike know that Adidas are on the verge of releasing their version of a lightweight cleat, the Adidas Adizero, which is rumored to be lighter than the Superfly. Tactical warfare? It seems like Nike are ensuring their control of the market by pushing their release before Adidas have a chance to ! Expect to see the Vapor Superfly II released in April, more info to follow.

• Additional Forefoot claws: Instead of just having a normal stud design, Uhlsport have added additional forefoot claws that are designed to provide improved lateral grip. This is essential for goalkeepers who need to move from side to side quickly, especially when saving shots! There are 8 claws in total that run right around the front of the cleat. (seen in the images)

• Raised Heel: The heel of each cleat has been raised by 4mm. This is to allow sufficient weight towards the forefront of the cleat, allowing a goalkeeper enhanced agility and spring. One of the first rules you learn as a goalkeeper is to stay on your toes!

I recently spoke to Chivas USA Goalkeeper Danny Kennedy, who spent some time testing the Torkralle for Uhlsport. His reaction to the cleat was positive, specifically with the raised heel, which he says is more likely to keep you on the balls of your feet, while also giving you an extra 4mm of height (what goalkeeper doesn’t want to be a little taller?). Danny will be wearing Uhlsport gloves and cleats this season in MLS. Former German goalkeeper Robert Enke worked with Uhlsport through the development of the cleat. He was due to wear them at this summers World Cup in South Africa before his untimely death. Arsenal goalkeeper Lucasz Fabianski has been wearing them in recent Champions League action.

I also spoke with former Georgetown standout goalkeeper Jade Higgins (who runs a goalkeeping website called Shutout Central), to get her perspective on the new Torkralle. When I asked her about the benefits these offer Goalkeepers her opinion is similar to that of Kennedy, “I like the extra blades that outline the sole of the cleat.  When goalkeepers dive, they put a lot of their weight on their toes.  The extra blades provide better grip, but don’t make you feel ’stuck’ in the ground.  I’m surprised more companies haven’t tried developing a specialized goalkeeper cleat.” And this is something I tend to agree with. Coaching goalkeepers from a young age can be challenging, and there are several critical skills that need to be learned in order for them to have growth in the position.

In my opinion, the Torkralle are probably a great companion for any young goalkeeper. They almost give an unfair advantage as they can be used to train muscle memory. The key component of learning a new movement is doing it over and over again, basically training your mind to control your movements. For example, keepers need to be on the balls of their feet at all times. Jade told me about some training techniques one of her goalkeeping coaches used. He would make his goalkeepers put their heels on tennis balls when practicing basic handling, so their weight would be forward, and that is something the Torkralle are designed to offer without using tennis balls.  Worth noting is the fact that Uhlsport have patented their technology to ensure they are the only ones that can reproduce the design – now that shows how serious they are about these cleats!

I have had an opportunity to try on the Torkralle but as an outfield player, I am not a huge fan. They are definitely designed for one player on the pitch, and one player alone…the goalkeeper! Looking at them, they seem to look bulky and full, yet they weigh in at a pretty nice 10oz, this is lighter than the Predator X and Total90 Laser III.

“You mention the studs catching on turf?

Ive been wearing the Puma v1.08 fg model for over a year now and during the winter months I’m always playing on turf but hardly notice an issue with the heel studs catching (except for isolated incident on slide tackle leaving me with a major sprained ankle).

All recent puma boots including the new v1.10 and this boot all seem to have similar heel stud configuration. Is there something different about the PWRCat? Did you notice this issue with the v1.10?”

As you will notice, each cleat has its own individual stud configuration, with Puma choosing different design and also placing the studs in alternative directions. The PowerCat is a cross between both the V1.10 and V1.08; it has one less blade than the V1.10 but has a more similar placement and direction to the V1.08. The PowerCat blades are also thinner than those on the V series and they have been gritted in order to improve grip. I can’t prove that there is any difference between each cleat on turf surfaces, but if you take a look at the images of each cleat below you will see that they each has unique attributes. You can check out more info about each over at soccer.com