Let's Talk Cleats

[Surfref]

We like the the tiempo legend iv, v and vi. The only issue is that they wear out very fast. I just heard from another parent that there is 2 yr warranty on Nike. We plan to check this out when her vi fall apart (should be good for couple more months). And with occasional clearance + coupon on Nike.com, we pay around $100-$110 for these.

My DD uses a he $200 Tiempos and they last her about 5 months a college soccer (5-7 days a week with them on). Well worth the money and comfort. We can also write them off on taxes as a school supply since she must have them for her sports training class and team.

 

[Sheriff Joe]

Sports Page in Fountain Valley usually gives big discounts if you act in a friendly manner.

Well then, you're screwed.

 

[Mystery Train]

My daughter is 11 and her feet are pretty much done growing and has been wearing Kaisers going on three years now. Is there a really big difference in comfort from the Kaiser to the Copas?

The big difference is that the Kaiser 5 is calf leather vs the Copas are kangaroo leather. Comfort and fit are similar, but the K leather will be softer. I believe that with the release of the Adidas gloro they have discontinued the Kaiser 5.

Correct. My daughter went from the Kaiser 5 to the Copa after we couldn't find the Kaisers anywhere. She said the Copas were softer and more comfortable, and I think the construction has held up much better. Definitely worth the extra $20-$40. My DD also uses some perscription orthopedic heel inserts that help with the insole cushioning. The Nike Tiempos also have a good reputation, and we may try those one day. You can find retailers still selling the K leather shoes in CA, just not the big chain stores. I doubt it's a regulation anyone is aggressively enforcing.

 

[zebrafish]

I've been pretty happy with soccerpro.com prices

My approach has been to buy expensive cleats that are on sale b/c they are being phased out for upcoming season's new styles.

I've been able to reliably get $100 shoes for 40-50 bucks.

I'm of the opinion that buying good shoes is money well spent in terms of wear and tear on the feet.

I'm really not a fan of Sports Page in Fountain Valley. Wait in line for an hour to kiss the feet of the king and get something you could get online for cheaper. And I'm a really nice guy. Hasn't helped me much in that store.

Doesn't address the spike type question, but this is my approach.

 

[outside!]

If your kid needs wide cleats, Asics makes a wide leather cleat and New Balance has wide cleats. DD could go through Tiempos in 2 weeks. Copas lasted 6.

 

[pewpew]

Adidas Ace lineup. My daughter is a GK. She has turf shoes as well.. Nike Tiempos. She still prefers the Aces. Conical studs..no blades..which is my big concern for her during keeper training. All the back n forth lateral movement. No blades to get stuck. My .02

 

[Socalsoccer]

Stick with ag (artificial grass) and fg (firm ground) cleats. Adidas made some fg/ag hybrid cleats that where great, the ace 15.1 and 16.1. They also had a kangaroo leather variation.

 

[timbuck]

Why do they even make the blades? What is the advantage supposed to be?

 

[espola]

Why do they even make the blades? What is the advantage supposed to be?

Mud.

 

[pewpew]

Stick with ag (artificial grass) and fg (firm ground) cleats. Adidas made some fg/ag hybrid cleats that where great, the ace 15.1 and 16.1. They also had a kangaroo leather variation.

The Ace 17 family has still kept with the conical studs. The stud pattern in the Ace 15 family was the best out there. Not sure why they changed it. All conical studs with a bunch of mini conical nubs to give extra bite but not enough to hang up on the grass/turf.

 

[pewpew]

Why do they even make the blades? What is the advantage supposed to be?

Marketing. Because it sounds cooler to say "bladed" vs "rounded".
#espola says for mud. I honestly don't see how bladed can grip better in mud. But I can see how they can hang up on a crappy grass or turf field. I won't put my kids in anything with bladed cleat patterns. I'll spend the extra money on conical studs if it gives me peace of mind. Not to say it won't prevent an injury but I believe it lessens the chance a little bit. At least that's what I tell myself.

 

[jdiaz]

We went the cheap route all through the younger ages because my DD could only fit in them for 6 months at a time. Once her foot stopped growing (more or less) we decided to splurge. She chose the old school Adidas Copa Mundials. According to her, by far the most comfortable cleat she tried on. Never have problems with footing and those things have lasted over a year and a half with only needing to replace the laces, still going strong. Many of her teammates use 2 pair, choosing Copas for grass and some sort of Nike turf shoe for the artificial surfaces. One of them had an ACL injury a couple years ago because of a cleat getting stuck in the turf when planting and turning, so the coach made them all get turf shoes in addition to their grass cleats. You probably should get both if she's a field player. Mine is a keeper, so there is less of the cutting and change of direction at full speed, so the Copas have been ok on turf.

Those are the best copa Mundial. But in the state of California they can't sold in a store or online. Kangaroo leather is prohibited in California.

 

[Jshwora]

Why do they even make the blades? What is the advantage supposed to be?

It basically breaks down to marketing and Nike has a boot for everyone. Are you a wide player looking for all out speed? Get a pair of Superfly 5's or Mercurial Vapors that are super light with a bladed stud pattern for maximal traction. Are you a playmaking CMF? Get a pair of Magista Obra 2's to be the meastro in the midfield. Hypervenom's are supposed to be the best of both worlds with half conical studs and half bladed studs, for strikers that need to do it all. Do you not like the synthetic boots on offer and prefer the feel of a natural leather boot but don't want to have an old 12oz sandbag Copa Mundial on your foot? Tiempo Legend 6 has a lot of the new technology while retaining that high quality kangaroo leather upper. Do you prefer a classic kangaroo leather leather boot and don't want to break the bank? Nike Premier.

That wide array of choices and much better colorways are the big reasons Nike soccer shoes are more popular than Adidas right now, especially in the high end models. I almost never see anyone wearing an ACE, X, or Messi.

At the end of the day they're all just shoes and none of them are going to turn you into a superstar. You just need to find ones that fit, feel good on your feet, and have the proper stud pattern for the surfaces that you are playing on. Although how they look is really important too.

 

[GoWest]

Unless you get the Copa's outside of California, they are not the Copa's of old. California and several other states now have the kangaroo (hopping rat) leather ban and the original Copa's were made with kangaroo leather. The Nike Tiempos also had kangaroo leather. The Copa's currently sold in California aren't kangaroo leather and the ones legally shipped to California are not kangaroo. My DD uses the Tiempos and we have a friend from Florida send her a new pair when needed. DD had some foot problems when she was 12y/o and wearing Copa's. The podiatrist told her those cleats were horrible for your feet and recommended Pumas or the Tiempos. He said that even with insert they were still not good for the feet since they had no arch support and did not flex. I know a good number of club players that use the Copa's and like them, but have not seen many adult/college players using them.

The Tiempos and Copa's have the round studs and work well on both grass and turf. If your kid is going to play college in a rainy part of the country, just get them the soft ground cleats with replaceable studs. They work great on the soft wet and muddy fields you will run into in the northwest and southeast. If your kid is going to play college they should at a minimum have three pair of cleats, firm ground, turf, and a practice pair usually firm ground. DD had four pair, FG, turf, SG and a practice pair.

@Surfref did the university supply her shoes or did you need to purchase?

 

[SIMONMAGUS]

My boys are still young and up until this age I buy them both Lottos from Target. Efficient.

But when they finally stop growing definitely will buy them both Copas.

 

[timbuck]

Sports Page in Fountain Valley usually gives big discounts if you act in a friendly manner.

I've heard that people love this place. It's not super close to home, but I decided to drive over there one day to see what the hype was all about.
Nope. No thanks. Not for me. I'd rather pay full price or even a little more.
But some people love it there.

 

[espola]

I've heard that people love this place. It's not super close to home, but I decided to drive over there one day to see what the hype was all about.
Nope. No thanks. Not for me. I'd rather pay full price or even a little more.
But some people love it there.

What didn't you like about it?

 

[timbuck]

What didn't you like about it?

The smell. The disorganization of everything. The handwritten signs on cardboard.
Other than that, they did have a lot of stuff there.

 

[jdiaz]

The smell. The disorganization of everything. The handwritten signs on cardboard.
Other than that, they did have a lot of stuff there.

So prissy. Soccer loco doesn't have nothing. Everyone is over priced and never has anything. Sportspage gets it done. I'll go to the computer and print you some signs ok.

 

[espola]

The smell. The disorganization of everything. The handwritten signs on cardboard.
Other than that, they did have a lot of stuff there.

I liked its charm, and the fact that we got a big discount without asking. I watched for a while - everybody got discounts, some people got stuff for free. I got the impression from what was going on while we there that he was sponsoring a local club team and was helping the players get good stuff for what they could afford to pay.

 

[timbuck]

So prissy. Soccer loco doesn't have nothing. Everyone is over priced and never has anything. Sportspage gets it done. I'll go to the computer and print you some signs ok.

I'm not a big fan of socceloco either. Their return policy sucks. And the guys working there would rather try to nutmeg each other than help a kid try on a pair of cleats.