The Indy Eleven made several big announcements downtown Tuesday.
The professional soccer club announced German goalkeeper Kristian Nicht is the team's first-ever player signing. Nicht, 31, has won Goalkeeper of the Year honors in both the Bundesliga 2, the second tier of competition in Germany, and the USL PRO, the third division in the United States.
"We're excited to make Kristian our first player signing and believe he will be an important building block as we assemble a team that Indiana will be proud to call its own," said Peter Wilt, President/General Manager of Indy Eleven.
"It means the world to me to be here with Indy Eleven as the first signing in club history. It's a very big, very overwhelming thing for me," Nicht said.
Nicht most recently played with the Rochester Rhinos of USL PRO, compiling 45 starts in the past two seasons.
Indy Eleven officials are expected to sign around 25 players to round out the roster for their inaugural season, starting in April 2014.
The team also used the event at The Rathskeller to unveil their jerseys for the upcoming season. Three different jerseys will feature the team's signature red, white and blue colors. The Honda logo is featured prominently on the front of the jerseys, after the team announced a partnership with Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC and Central Indiana Honda Dealers.
The jerseys have a checkerboard pattern, which pays homage to both the club's Brickyard Battalion supporters group and the city's racing heritage. The team's crest is on the left chest of the jersey's front, with the logo of Diadora, the club's official apparel provider, on the right.
The numerals on the back are in a font unique to Indy Eleven.
"After listening to feedback from fans for the last year, we knew one of the things we had to get absolutely right was our jerseys," said Wilt. "Diadora was proactive from the very beginning of our apparel partner search, and their attention to detail and quality products will be appreciated as much by the fans as it will by our organization."
Fans will be able to pre-order replica jerseys starting Wednesday at IndyEleven.com. Men's and women's jerseys will sell for $75, with youth sizes available for $65.
