adidas cleatsFor anyone that has wondered why Adidas have been spending the last few years being monumentally lazy about what stud patterns to put on all of their boots, the 2014 World Cup will mean that some of their boots might get an update and that there might actually be some big differences in the boot make-up.  As of right now, the only difference in stud-patterns for all of adidas and their four main silos would be the 11Pro having conical studs instead of triangular studs and the NitroCharge has moved the middle stud of the sole-plate forward about an inch and a half.

With rumors about new updates about to hit for the F50 silo, the adiPure silo, and even updates to the Copa, there may be some serious differences in the new sole-plates.  It also would seem rather viable that the LZ might finally get a full update as the big release would get pretty of press right before the World Cup.  Nike currently make sure that all of their boots have differing types of studs on the bottom and it definitely provides for better options when attempting to choose a boot.  Without putting differing patterns on the bottom of their boots, adidas make the differences between boots seem slightly unimportant.

If the F50 gets a true sprint-frame update and it differs from the other boots available from adidas, then it may gain some ground back on the Vapor and might finally start to feel like it stands-alone as the speed outing from adidas.  Considering how lightweight all of the adidas releases are, it makes you wonder what the F50 really brings to the table except for being only a few grams lighter.  The F50 started the arms race to get close to a decent boot that stands close to 5.0 oz, but it needs a big boost in order to get back to the top.

If the adiPure gets a sole-plate befitting of a leather/heritage boot instead of the current stud pattern, then people might finally consider the boot a competitor for the Tiempo and other heritage silos.  Because of how the AdiPure was handled with the 11Pro, most people feel that it is actually just a bulkier F50.  The move away from Kangaroo leather was already a big issue with big adiPure fans and returning back to a heritage style sole-plate would be a quick way to garner the adiPure some of its old fan-base.

For me, as a consumer, I really enjoy all of the variety that Nike and other brands have with their boots.  A large part of that variety can be seen on the bottom of all their major boot silos.  If adidas want to have some major variety with their silos and if they want to have all their boots going up against some of their competition in terms of sales, then they should create some major variation with their boots.  Here’s hoping that adidas make a move to please some of their niche fans and give some special nods to some of their boots with specific sole-plates.  One thing is certain, there will be some awesome new boots available between now and the World Cup!