There’s a group that plays soccer in the North end of Central Park in New York City. They play until the grass wears bare, and there’s nothing left of the field except hard-packed dirt. We’ve wondered why they wear the field down to dirt, but it turns out they’re probably playing a variation of their favorite football, Sala. There’s three variations on football popular in Europe, Central America and North America. Those are cage, caneta and sala. Nike just introduced a collection of Nike5 shoes addressing each sport.Cage is a game played on artificial surfaces both indoor and outdoor. The Nike5 Bomba Finale was designed for players of this game. The shoes feature:
- Shape correction Shot Shield advances true low-trajectory striking.
- CTR360 inspired in-step area enhances touch for fast distribution.
- Protective rubberized screen provides durability and strength in high-impact zone.
- Evolved forefront AG TPU traction technology increases toe acceleration and plant foot stability.
- New rubber turf pattern provides underfoot ball control and stability.
Caneta is played mostly on indoor courts and for this surface and gameplay the Nike5 Elastico Finale was designed. The shoes properties include:
- Outsole technology enhances underfoot ball control in all directions.
- Full transition lightweight outsole increases 360 degree ball control while enhancing touch for quick distribution.
- Anatomically controured barefoot construction provides a lightweight fit.
- Forefoot debossed dots work with the Kanga-Lite synthetic leather upper to provide a soft touch, while amplifying touch under more impact.
The Nike 5 LunarGato was designed for sala, which is played on hard surfaces such as dirt and hard courts. This shoe is perfect for the players in Central Park that have made their home field one of packed dirt:
- Lunarlon platform technology, tuned specifically for the small sided game, maximizes balance stability, support and cushioning.
- New Gum Rubber outsole design provides traction, flexibility and underfoot ball control.
- Forefront leather upper cushions ball impact enhancing touch and control.
- Seamless no-sew system increases comfort and flexibility.
- Protective rummerized screen provides durability and strength in high-impact zones.
While it’s all soccer, these games are quite different and require different support and structure for shoes. In addition to the technology, the shoes look good and will likely be seen on the streets, which makes it all the more easy for pick-up games.
Nike football (soccer) website.