Topps Announces Major League Soccer Rookie Debut Patches
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Topps and Fanatics Collectibles are adding one of the most popular baseball chases to a soccer product in 2024.
Announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Topps revealed that its popular Debut Patches will be coming to Major League Soccer just in time for the start of the regular season.
The 2024 MLS Regular Season starts Wednesday night with a matchup between Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake.
According to Topps, the MLS Debut Patches will be used for any player making their debut.
Patches will be worn on the upper-right chest and will be removed after the match. Newcomers who debut by April 1 will have a Debut Patch in a 2024 product while players who debut after that cutoff will go in a following year's product.
It’s not currently clear which product the MLS Debut Patches will appear in, though Topps Major League Soccer, Topps Chrome Major League Soccer and Topps Finest MLS are possible options.
Originally debuting in 2023 Topps Chrome Update Baseball, the MLB Rookie Debut Patches are 1/1 on-card autographs that feature patches worn in each player’s first MLB game.
Headlined by New York Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, the Rookie Debut Patches checklist totaled 91 players in its first season.
Fanatics Collectibles
“When designing the patch, we wanted to convey something bold and eye-catching that hinted at the player’s ascent to the big leagues,” Topps senior creative director Jeff Zachowski told Topps Ripped last November. “We had to think about how these patches would make their way from each rookie player’s sleeve and into the hands of collectors in the form of an autographed trading card. We knew we wanted a clean, modern design that felt fully integrated with the patch. The Rookie Debut Patch is the key innovation here, so the design team’s job was to showcase it.”
According to Topps, newcomers that are anticipated to have MLS Debut Patches this season include Luis Suarez (Inter Miami), Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Emil Forsberg (NY Red Bulls) and Gabriel Pec (L.A. Galaxy), among others.
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