Page 5 - Atletico Madrid

FC Barcelona may be leading the way in the 2015 2016 La Liga season, after three consecutive wins in the first three weeks of play. However, the soccer club's campaign so far has been a far cry from the high-scoring hijinks of the 2014 2015 season. Indeed, in the first two games of the season, Barca only narrowly edged out their opponents, beating Athletic Club Bilbao 1-0 in week one (thanks to a second half goal from Luis Suarez) and topping Malaga in week two (1-0 again, courtesy of defender Thomas Vandermaelen). And now in week three Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid in their strongest performance so far of the 2015 - 2016 La Liga campaign.

Barcelona's struggles in those early matches were due, in part, to a long list

Getting antsy without consistent La Liga matches to watch or game outcomes to monitor? Can't wait for when FC Barcelona and Real Madrid get back into weekly action? You're in luck: we're less than a month away now, from the August 23^rd commencement of the 2015 2016 La Liga season, and on July 15^th, the La Liga 2015 - 2016 opening day fixtures were officially announced.

Who will win? Who will lose? Which football clubs will establish themselves as clear contenders for the season to come? Read on for our preview of La Liga's 10 opening day soccer matches!

Official Football Kits

The Big Games

As with every other football division, the Spanish La Liga has some top-tier teams that everyone will be
paying attention to on opening day-regardless of club allegiance.

The most obvious of these

Ever since he closed out his senior career in 2006, with Argentine football club Racing, Diego Simeone has spent most of his time on the sidelines, commanding his teams into battle. Indeed, Simeone has been coaching for nearly a decade, including a stint at Atletico Madrid that will hit its fifth year during the upcoming season. However, in late June Simeone temporarily swapped his coaching duties for a new job: team photographer at the launch of the Atletico Madrid home kit 2015 - 2016.

Simeone was the man behind the camera as the players of Atletio unveiled their brand new kits for the 2015 2016 season. He instructed his players on the art of taking a great soccer kit photo, and got a number of solid shots of Koke, Jose Gimenez, Saul Niguez, Arda Turan, and Antoine Griezmann wearing the brand new Atletico Madrid home jersey 2015 2016.

The New Shirt

The latest incarnation of the Atletico Madrid home shirt is only

What happened? Take a look at the Atletico Madrid 2014 - 2015 season and compare it to a year ago, Atletico Madrid were on top of the world-or, at very least, on the top of Spanish football. They'd clinched the 2013 2014 La Liga title, beating out both Barcelona and Real Madrid by three points, and making it all the way to the finals of the UEFA Champions League. They might not have had a player with the star power of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi-though Diego Costa did finish just one goal behind Messi on the top goalscorers list for the season-but the Mattress Makers ended the year as the best team.

Fast forward to the end of the 2014 2015 campaign, though, and everything is different. The wearers of the Atletico Madrid away shirt 2014 2015 won't defend their La Liga title, and will instead settle for third place. They also exited the Copa del Rey with a quarterfinal loss against Barcelona (though not before they had a chance to beat Real Madrid in the round of 16).

Last year, Atletico Madrid nearly won their first-ever title in the UEFA Champions League, only to be beaten by Real Madrid in the championship match. The defeat was difficult to stomach for a number of reasons. For one thing, the Mattress Makers had really looked poised to finally win a Champions League title. They had topped Real Madrid in the 2013 2014 La Liga, and had eliminated three huge football clubs (Manchester City, Barcelona, and Chelsea) en route to the UCL final. For another, they were facing off against their bitter crosstown rivals. For a third point, Atletico made it all the way to extra time in the championship match. Needless to say, fans in the Club Atletico de Madrid shirt are still reflecting on what might have been.

Now the Mattress Makers have a chance at

Atletico Madrid is currently the defending champion in the Spanish La Liga division, but rarely this season has the team looked like a frontrunner to win the title again. Instead, the battle for the top slot has played out between Real Madrid and Barcelona, with Atletico's Mattress Makers settling for third. The club's title hopes hit a new height on February 7^th, when they crushed Real in a 4-0 home victory. But this past weekend, the wearers of the Atletico Madrid football kit came back down to earth with an away loss to Celta Vigo.

Even though this season has been somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster for Mattress Makers fans, fans have still remained supportive of the football club. You can show your support today, by picking up a brand new Atletico Madrid away jersey

Atletico Madrid hit the first snag of their 2014 2015 Copa del Rey campaign on Wednesday, January 21st, losing 0-1 in an away fixture against La Liga rivals, Barcelona. The two teams-the winners and runners-up, respectively, from the 2013 2014 La Liga season-were drawn to face one another in the quarterfinals of Spain's prestigious King's Cup. Luckily, Atletico's Mattress Makers will have another leg of football competition to make up for the loss. Pick up a Nike Atletico Madrid jersey today to prepare for the rematch between these two heavyweight soccer squads.

Soccer Box has several versions of Mattress Maker jersey in stock so you can prepare for the team's next Copa del Rey fixture. Whether you are looking for the grey and white Atletico Madrid away shirt 2014 2015 that

Fans in the Atletico Madrid away kit were treated to a big treat last Saturday, as the Mattressers closed out 2014 with a big away win over Athletic Club Bilbao. The 4-1 triumph was easily Atletico's biggest away win of the season so far, and was a great way to end what has been, overall, a very good year for the club from Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Celebrate Madrid's considerable achievements, and look forward to another strong run in 2015, by picking up a football shirt at Soccer Box! Whether you prefer the majestic red, white, and blue color scheme of the Nike home kit, or the muter grey hues of the Atletico Madrid away shirt 2014 2015, Soccer Box can help! Our selection of football shirt and soccer kit items is extensive and varied!

A Great 2014

Mattressers fans rejoice! With one game left to be played in the group stage of the 2014 2015 UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid has been guaranteed a slot on the knockout stages of the tournament. As the runners-up from last year's competition, the squad has been considered a frontrunner since play began in September. And while Atletico has not done as well as Real Madrid in the early months of the tournament, most are still expecting the wearers of the Atletico Madrid jersey to do quite well in the knockout phases, come 2015.

Cheer the Mattressers toward a killer 2014 2015 UCL performance by stopping by Soccer Box today and picking up a new shirt or jersey for the team. Whether you prefer the simple white and grey look of the Atletico Madrid away shirt 2014 2015 or the

We are now officially 12 matches and one-third of the way through the 2014 2015 La Liga football season. Given that fact, many conversations will happen amongst soccer fans in the coming weeks about which clubs are in good position and which could use some work. Atletico Madrid, interestingly, will likely fall sort of in the middle of those two judgments for most football fans, as the club is doing well, but is still looking significantly weaker than prime La Liga rivals, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Luckily, you can stop by Soccer Box's Atletico Madrid store to give the squad some extra support!

The Soccer Box store has a full stock of gear for the reigning champions of Spanish football. Perhaps you will want a replica of the Atletico Madrid home jersey 2014 2015, the red, white, and blue jersey that the Mattressers are wearing this year. Or maybe you'd prefer a simpler and more traditional away shirt, which is white and grey with a few splashes of red. All of these can be found in