In celebration of the team’s 50th season, the Vancouver Whitecaps have unveiled a new jersey with a decidedly regal flair. 

Highlights include gold accents for the trim, along with a 24-karat riff on the soccer ball logo found on the original 1974 jerseys. “The 50”, which has navy blue as a base colour, can now be purchased online at the Whitecaps store. 

“This is another big moment in a milestone season for our club,” Whitecaps FC chief executive officer Axel Schuster says in a release. “We are excited to officially launch our 50th anniversary jersey. The feedback we have received from our players is that this is already one of their favourite kits. We are looking forward to seeing both our team and our supporters wearing this jersey as we embark on our biggest season yet.”

Not to rain on anyone’s planned MLS victory parade, but the jersey does raise some puzzling questions. Chief among them is that, despite the team being called the Vancouver Whitecaps, that’s nowhere to be seen where a team’s logo is traditionally found. Instead, “Telus” is emblazoned on the chest. 

For those keeping track of such things—much as Canucks jerseys have always highlighted a hockey rink and stick, downward skate, or free Willy over the years—the original Caps’ kits featured either “Vancouver” or “Whitecaps” from 1974 until 1984. And then things changed to the point where, for the past four decades, one might have come to the conclusion the team’s name is the Vancouver Pepsi, Vancouver Safeway, Vanouver Bell, or now, Vancouver Telus. 

Then again, who really understands how soccer works? In addition to being a sport where a team’s sponsor serves as the primary logo, it’s a world where the field is called a pitch, a jersey is referred to as a kit, and soccer teams for some reason feel the need to put “FC” after their names (that standing for football club, even though football is called soccer in these parts). That last quirk is evidently so we don’t confuse the Vancouver Telus Football Club—err, Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club—with the Vancouver Telus hockey, baseballs, basketballs, and tiddlywinds teams. 

But we digress. 

You’ll get your chance to wear The 50 kit when the Vancouver Whitecaps host the Charlotte Hornets FC at BC Place on March 2.