Summer is now in full swing. Long days, warm nights and the vibe that is only present for a few months every year. To celebrate this and the most American of holidays, we present to you our Bumpy Pitch Fourth of July t-shirt.

Although this shirt is in honor of the Fourth of July, this particular graphic has meaning beyond just the holiday. It’s based on the idea of celebrating and honoring the spirit of independence.

A shirt celebrating independence by a brand that is proud of its own independence. The spirit of independence is alive and kicking and this shirt pays tribute to that.

So celebrate independence with us and and all the things that make it amazing in style this year. But don’t sleep on picking one up. These are limited in numbers and will only be available for a brief period of time.

I caught up with Chris Seitz and some of the other players from FC Dallas when they stopped through LA last week. Got this photo of Chris in the new Brooklyn Wanderers colorway which happens to be one of my favorite versions of this shirt. Something about this shirt in black that works perfectly in my opinion.

Justin Braun in the Nike x Bumpy Pitch USA rivalry t-shirt. Thanks for the support fam!

As we continue to look at the US v Mexico rivalry and what it means to people, we sat down with Josh Wolff to get his thoughts on the rivalry.

February 28, 2001 is a memorable date for any US National Team fan. On a cold night in Columbus, the US beat Mexico 2-0 in front of a very pro US crowd and got off on the right foot for World Cup qualifying. Josh Wolff scored one of the goals that night that has resulted in the rallying cry of dos a cero on more than one occasion when the US plays Mexico.

One of the most important aspects of the retail chain is that of the local, independent store. The place where folks from the neighborhood go to shop. The retail space where you see locals hanging out and being a part of the community. These are the places where you get to know the owner. A place where that last pair of size 9 boots will get put aside for you because the manager knows you always need the latest cleat drop in a size 9. The type of place you may have spent a summer or two working at. These stores are the backbone of the retail environment and we wanted to shout them out and give them the credit they deserve.

There have been a number of these independent soccer shops that have been very supportive of our Nike x Bumpy Pitch collaboration and we wanted to say thank you to each and every one of them. We also wanted to make sure that all of you knew the stores that are carrying the product so you can stop by and pick something up.

Hit the jump for the list of retailers and support your local soccer stores.

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As part of our colab pack with Nike, we wanted to further explore what the US v Mexico rivalry means to people. Whether they are fans or players, the rivalry means something to each of us. We all have our own experieneces with the rivalry, our own memories that really stand out and unique viewpoints on the importance of the rivalry.

So we have been sitting down with folks to dig a little deeper into the rivalry and really see what it’s all about. We kick this off with our boy Charlie Davies.

We’ve been hinting at it for a minute now, and we are excited to officially release the first two graphics from our collaboration with Nike. As we have teased in previous posts, these shirts and graphics are inspired by one of the great rivalries in international soccer – USA v Mexico.

The idea behind this rivalry pack has always been about exploring the rich rivalry between the US and Mexico. The shirts feature elements of domination over one another, but also touch on the element of respect for the rivalry and an understanding that we need our fiercest rivals to always inspire us to be greater.

More images and a deeper breakdown after the jump.

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