When people think of soccer footwear, the first brand that comes to mind is adidas. Whether its the classic Samba & Gazelle indoor shoes or the Predator line of boots (if you didn't know, soccer players call their cleated shoes "boots"), adidas reigns king around the world.
Not to be outdone, Nike has been issuing quality futbol footwear now for years. While the technologies available in Nike's running and basketball lines receive much hoopla in the sneaker world and athletic arenas, their premier models of soccer boots, the Mercurial line, might be the ultimate showcase of Nike's latest technologies. Enter the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, Nike's premier lightest and most responsive soccer boot...
After twelve years of innovation of the Mercurial line and reaching new heights last year with the Mercurial Vapor SL (a one-piece upper made of carbon fiber, weighing less than 7 ounces), Nike pushed the envelope in 2010 with the Superfly II's Nike SENSE technology, an adaptive traction system that adjusts the stud's height depending on terrain condition.
In the past, players would use different boots for different conditions. With the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, you can use this boot under wet or dry conditions. Nike SENSE reacts to the pressure applied by the player’s foot and adjusts the stud by up to 3mm to dig into the ground when needed, allowing for better first-step acceleration.
Nike designers worked with footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and others to develop the Nike SENSE retractable stud design. The main purpose for creating this technology was to counter the amount of slips during the 2006 World Championships, after a recorded 845 slipping incidents over a 63 game stretch.
This shoe also features technologies similar to Nike's running products: Flywire design & technology for the lightest upper and Nike Football +, an online resource for soccer players & coaches similar to their Nike Plus running website.
For more check out this video (thanks to designboom for a peek at March media launch of the boot).
Too bad I can't maximize this shoe to it's fullest since I play keeper when no one else does. Beautiful and comfy shoe. I've come back to nike since playing on adidas Predator boots for 6 years.
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