Players haven’t erupted about the new 2018 FIFA World Cup ball. And those early complaints that this Adidas Telstar 18 might rain long-distance scores along unexpected, twisty paths like Wiffle balls have gone quiet.
Some of the 19 MLS players named to final World Cup squads got a chance to try out the ball long before they got named to the tournament. They were part of Adidas’ testers spanning every continent — over 300 professional players on more than 30 leading clubs and federations.
Adidas even used an air gun to shoot the ball against a metal wall.