The Copa America got underway this week, and it has already seen a couple of firsts: first opening defeat in the tournament for Argentina since 1979, first time Qatar and Japan have played in the tournament, and the first time we’ve seen Under Armour’s new mid-collared Magnetico 2.
Running with the theme of firsts, the new Magnetico 2 is Under Armour’s first mid-collared football boot, and it was spotted on the feet of Chile’s attacking midfielder José Fuenzalida in their opening Copa America victory against Japan. Previously, Under Armour have held off on releasing any collared football boots, despite having numerous collared options of varying heights within their American football boot range. If the reason for this is that Under Armour have simply been refining and perfecting the technology for football (soccer), then we're all for it.
For the new Magnetico 2, Under Armour appear to have opted for a mid-cut knitted collar that only just rides above the usual collar height, probably learning from the general consensus around higher collars in other brands' boots. The knitted sleeve runs down the lacing system, replacing the need for a tongue as is traditional with collared boots. Whether this also means a move away from UA's trusted ClutchFit technology is not clear from this first glance though. The rest of the upper appears to be constructed from a reengineered synthetic material that features a lot more texture in the forefoot than was seen in the clean vamp of its predecessor, while the UA logo still features on the rear heel. Time will tell how close this is to the final launch product, with the potential for tweaks and a variance in the orange and black colourway entirely possible as Under Armour look to perfect their release ahead of the 2019/20 season.
No release date for the Under Armour Magnetico Mid 2, but expect it to land sometime before the start of the new season. Watch this space for any more news…
