In the early summer of 2022, Nike released their new soccer cleats, including the brand new Air Zoom Mercurials. These cleats featured new Air Zoom technology and a brand new look from the traditional mercurials. This cleat appealed to many high school soccer players because of how close the release was to the start of the high school season. For its initial release, it was only in a white colorway and became seemingly impossible to get because of the high demand. This lack of stock allowed Nike to release the yellow version of the cleat which caught the eyes of a few players on the FHC varsity soccer team. Henry Kostbade, Will Banfield, and I were among the players that desired these sought after yellow cleats.

Henry was the first to purchase the cleats during the pre-season so he could break them in before it really mattered. When asked about why he got them, he had much to say. “I think they look sensational, that’s why I purchased them,” said Henry. I was second to get the cleats and my need for new cleats caused me to make the purchase. The way they looked on Henry caused me to buy the yellow Mercurials rather than the other options. The last to get the yellow boots was Will, he got them late in the season because his cleats were starting to fall apart. He also wanted to emulate the look that Henry displayed.

Now at first, it just seemed to be just a fun coincidence for the group, but as time progressed, it became obvious that it meant much more. It became a brotherhood that allowed teammates to bond over something as simple as the color of their cleats. The yellow hue of the cleats caused one team mom to compare the cleats to bananas, giving birth to the name Banana Boys.

All three of the Banana Boys play on the defense which makes their bond even more special. This bond allows the boys to play better together because of the chemistry the cleats create. “I immediately felt the chemistry with the boys go up once I laced the boots up,” said Will.

Such a small part of the team can create such a big impact, and that is exactly what the banana boys were able to do. The group was able to contribute to a defensively sound team this year, and although the team didn’t accomplish its end goal of winning trophies, it was viewed as a successful year. That success can be attributed to the many clean sheets and the great defensive work throughout the season that saw heavy contributions from all three of the boys in the group. It seems strange to say that the defensive greatness can be attributed to something as minuscule as the color of a group’s cleats, but it is true.

In all, the Banana Boys took a small detail and allowed it to become a large factor that led them toward success. “Being a part of the Banana Boys is something special, it’s like no other. It truly brought me closer to my teammates and made my season that much more fun,” said Will.