Adidas Predator LZ 2

Welcome to post one of two today! As promised, here's my post about the Predator LZ 2. A week late, but better late than never, right? Well, without further ado, here we go!

The Adidas Predator LZ is Adidas' control boot, the answer to Nike's CTR360 Maestri silo. Originally created as a power boot, the Predator had been known for its black, red, and white color combo, a staple colorway for Pred fans. The LZ has changed most things around, going from power to control and making the main release colorways bright and colorful, not something many fans really want. But you can't change what has happened, and thus the LZ silo was born. So, what does this boot have to offer? Let's find out!

The Predator LZ's weight is at 8.0 oz. Not too bad for a control boot. Nothing too crazy, but light enough that they won't hold you down. 

The Predator series has always included some type of control element to it, but the latest evolution of it has the most dramatic amount of control elements. There are five areas that were put into consideration for the control elements: drive, sweet spot, pass, dribble, and first touch.

- Drive is used for your shot. It's placed on the vamp (midfoot) of the boot, and aids in more power and control towards your shot. The raised rubber on that area creates a rebound effect and almost bounces the ball off your foot. 

- Sweet spot is placed on the inside front of the boot and is used to create more swerve and speed on the ball.

- The pass area is on the inside of the boot and is basically a pad used to give and receive more acurate passes. 

- Dribble is used to keep the ball near your feet. It's placed on the front of the boot and acts as a cushion to help you keep the ball with you while you, you know, dribble. It's kinda the same idea as the dribbletex used on the new F50, except this is used with a rubber material. 

- Finally, the first touch area placed on the outside front of the boot. This helps your first touch to be close to your foot and keeps you ready to create a chance on the pitch. 

The upper is composed of the hybridtouch material, which takes the lightness of synthetic boots and combines that with the touch of leather boots. The original LZ was the first boot to include this upper.

My thoughts: I really do like them. I haven't had the chance to, but I'd really like to take a stab at the control boot silo for both Nike and Adidas. They've intrigued me. And with the lightness of the LZ 2, that might lure me in even more, considering I do like a lightweight boot. Definitely worth a try in my opinion!

Gonna have to switch things up a bit...my fault.

So because of falling behind, I'm going to post about the Predator LZ next week. I'll have another boot as well...I'm thinking the Nitrocharge. This week will be more of an opinion post and next week will be a double post...my bad. But time for opinions!!

First of all...the World Cup 2014 draw.

My thoughts for my two teams. First of all, the USA. The home country, and the main one I'll be rooting for. They've been drawn into quite a group. Many people have been calling it a group of death. And, except for the more supportive fans, most aren't giving them a chance. They're saying the group will end up how it was posted. I say it'll be a tad different. I'm thinking this order: Germany, USA, Portugal, Ghana. Never count the US out. Example: Gold Cup 2009 Semifinals. USA defeated Spain to move on to the final. Germany of course will be number one in the group because they're just too good to be otherwise. Portugal is where the US has their chance to make it to number two. Portugal hasn't been in the best form, and even though they have Christiano Ronaldo, which will majorly increase your chances to win, no matter who you are, they still don't have everything together. If you shut Ronaldo down, they can be a more mediocre side. Just remember, never count us out.
Next we move on to Argentina, team number two. I tend to be fairly vocal about the fact that I'm a Messi fan, and although that sounds like I'm just a bandwagon fan for Argentina, they really do have a solid team, especially on the attacking side. With names like Sergio Aguero, Di Maria, and Gonzalo Higuain, you really can't go wrong. Their group, group F, is probably going to be one of the easier groups out there for them. The main question is, can Lionel Messi stay fit for the World Cup? He's had a string of injuries for the past number of months and just recently got injured again. Argentina has plenty of attacking power on their side, but, like Ronaldo, Messi dramatically increases any team's chances of a win. I know that this is about Argentina, but another question about Messi arises. Will his scoreless 2010 World Cup come back to haunt him? Because if Argentina is to win, they're gonna need his help. And that means he's gonna need to make it on the score sheet. They'll no doubt be number one in their group unless they somehow crash. The only question is, how far will they push into the tournament?

Second, boot color preference. For me, I don't mind either bright or dark. I'll wear whatever I have, although history has shown me more with bright colors than dark. I just wanna play basically. Whatever helps me play well is what I like. My indoors are completely black Nike5 Gatos, but my boots for my sunday night games are my bright yellow f50's. I don't think there's a wrong color to wear, so long as you have your style and stick to it.

Finally, any boots I wanna try out? Most definitely. The new Adizero, of course, The Nike CTR360 Maestri 2 and 3, the Predator LZ 1 or 2, and the Puma Evospeed. Pretty much in that order.

Well, I think I'll leave it at that. Next week will be a double feature. I'll be back to normal before you know it!