Vitalis “Digital” Takawira was one of the early stars of the Kansas City Wiz.
Digital scored the club’s very first goal in the 71st minute of the club’s inaugural match against the Colorado Rapids on April 13th, 1996.
The Zimbabwean forward said he earned the nickname “Digital” after graduating to the first team at his first club Dynamos in Zimbabwe.
The 1996 season was his best in Major League Soccer, with Takawira scoring 14 goals and 7 assists in all competitions, plus another 2 goals in the playoffs.
This shirt was worn by Digital Takawira during the 1996 season.
The Wiz wore at least three different varieties of this secondary shirt during their inaugural season.
Early in the season, they wore a version that featured only the “WIZ” crest and no black “KANSAS CITY” bar.
Later in the season, they wore jerseys that featured the “KANSAS CITY” black bar in two separate positions. The first was placed right next to the crest like on this Digital Takawira jersey, while some others were placed below the crest and centered on the shirt.
Digital’s jersey shows a solid amount of wear which is to be expected given it’s age.
The black collar and sleeve hems are faded, much like on my Paul Wright 1996 shirt.
There are loose threads hanging out in the right sleeve, as well as some damage to the top shoulder of the right sleeve.
The numbers show some wear and tear including wash wear, as do the AT&T sponsorship patches.
Digital Takawira signed this shirt boldly on the front next to his number.
