Adidas F50 adizero miCoach 2 Leather Soft Ground Review
When it come to the leather version of the F50 adizero, I have always had mixed feelings. While it cannot be denied that the leather adizero has become one of the most popular lightweight soccer shoes currently on the market, I still considered the leather adizero to be a predominantly synthetic soccer shoe, with some leather. With the release of the miCoach 2, or adizero 4, Adidas has finally given us a “true” leather adizero.
Comfort/Fit
Just like the first three releases of the adizero, the miCoach has been released with both leather and synthetic upper variations, with the leather model always being the more popular version of the two. The same can be said about the latest model, and although the synthetic model is much improved this time around, the leather is still the more comfortable option out of the two. Unlike all of the previous leather adizeros, the miCoach 2 actually features a full leather upper, which makes the world of difference when it comes to the overall comfort of the boot. The leather upper spans the entire toe box and forefoot section of the upper, with the cut off point being slightly past the mid-foot. This gives the boot that classic leather feel, which is fantastic.
The leather upper itself is made from Adidas’ Goleo Calfskin Leather, just like all of the past leather adizeros. In terms of quality, it gets the job done, but it still doesn’t compare to other high-end leather shoes currently on the market, like Adidas’ own Copa Mundial. With that being said, the leather upper still feels very nice. From right out of the box, the leather doesn’t feel overly soft, but give the shoe about two hours or so of break-in time, and the leather softens up tremendously. You’ll notice a huge difference after the first wear. The leather allows for a very soft feel on the foot and has plenty of flexibility, allowing from an extremely comfortable fit.
Other comfort elements of the boot include a lightly textured synthetic heel liner. Finally the adizero has implemented a seamless heel liner, allowing a very comfortable fit, free of hot spots that could potentially lead to blisters. The rest of the boot is lined in an amazingly soft synthetic suede material, which makes for an extremely comfortable feel on foot. Just like the last model of the leather adizero, only one insole is included with the shoes, which is the comfort sockliner. The insoles that Adidas provides with the adizeros are made to be lightweight more than anything, so while they don’t provide a ton of cushioning, they get the job done. It is also worth noting that the insoles are removable, so if you did want to use a different insole, you do have that option.
When it comes to the fit of the boot, I still have some mixed opinions. There are some things that Adidas got right, and other things that could have been tweaked in my opinion. To start with the good, the leather upper allows for a very comfortable, custom fit after some break-in time. The leather softens up a ton and stretches to match the shape of your foot. From right out of the box, the shoe fits on the wider side in the forefoot and toe box area, while the mid-foot of the boot fits a little more snug. If you look at how the upper transitions from synthetic to leather at the mid-foot, it doesn’t allow the boot to over-stretch, which makes for a better fit in the long run. Like any leather shoe, the adizero will stretch, perhaps a little more than I would personally like it to. I wouldn’t say that my pair has overstretched to the point where they are no good, but as I said, it stretches more than your average pair of leather soccer shoes. For wider footed players, this is great, but for people with narrow feet, you might find the fit to be a little sloppy after break-in. One last thing to touch on is the fit in the heel, which seems to be much wider on the leather model in comparison to the synthetic model. I’m not sure why that is, simply because they’re made exactly the same, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
As far as sizing is concerned, the leather adizero definitely fits true to size. I wore my usual size 9US for review and the fit in the length was absolutely perfect. So, if you’re looking to order a pair for yourself, I would definitely recommend ordering your normal size for the best possible fit.
Weight
The soft ground version of the adizero weighs in at 8.1oz, which is about an ounce more than the firm ground version of the boot. The reason for the little bit of extra weight is the reinforced soleplate and the screw-in metal studs, but for a soft ground boot, 8oz is very lightweight. So if you’re looking for a lightweight soft ground soccer shoe, than I would definitely take a look at the SG version of the F50 adizero.
Traction
The soft ground F50 adizero features a mixed sole soft ground stud pattern. Like any soft ground stud pattern, six longer than average metal studs can be found on the soleplate, but because this is a mixed sole stud pattern, the layout is a little different. You’ll find four screw-in metal studs in the forefoot, with three shorter, plastic studs close to the mid-foot. Under the heel you’ll find two metal studs and two plastic ones to round out the mixed sole stud pattern. This isn’t a completely redesigned stud pattern if compared to the firm ground model, just imagine the firm ground stud pattern with six of the studs being replaced with slightly longer metal ones. This makes for a feel that honestly is not far off from the firm ground version of the Adidas stud pattern, just more suited for soft ground playing surfaces. If you are going to be playing on soft ground, this is exactly what you need. The whole six-stud formation has pretty much been embraced by all shoe manufacturers as the best possible configuration for traction on soft ground, so what you get from the adizero is sure to perform up to a high standard. As far as replacing the metal studs with plastic screw-ins for use on firm ground, you can do it, but it just won’t feel right. If you’re playing regularly on soft ground, than you’ll get some fantastic traction from the SG stud pattern on the adizero.
Touch
This is the first leather adizero that actually feels like a true leather soccer shoe, finally. The Goleo calfskin leather upper is a lot thicker than I thought it was going to be, giving it a unique feel for such a lightweight shoe. Most leather shoes in this weight range use a much thinner leather, apart from maybe the Puma evoSPEED 1 K, which is the shoe that I would say is the most comparable shoe, in terms of feel, to the leather miCoach 2. Your entire foot is wrapped in leather, giving the shoe a very clean touch on the ball, which is exactly what you want from a leather soccer shoe. Due to the thicker than average leather upper, the feel for the ball isn’t what I would call a “close to the foot” feel, but is still very good. If you like the feel of a very soft, padded leather upper, than you will love the touch on the leather adizero. If there is one small complaint that I have regarding the upper, it has to be the three stripes on both the instep and outstep of the boot. The three Adidas stripes are actually sewn on top of the leather upper, and are made from a very slick, thicker than you would expect, synthetic material. It seems like a strange design choice by Adidas, but I believe that they were put there as an anti-stretch mechanism. It gives somewhat of a slick touch on the ball, which isn’t a bad thing, but it is somewhat noticeable. As a whole, if you like the feel of leather soccer shoes, than the leather adizero is right up your alley. Easily the best version of the leather adizero ever released.
Shooting
Striking the ball in the leather adizero feels fantastic. I loved having that extra padding from the leather upper. When you combine the leather upper, the lightweight feel, and the surprising amount of stiffness from the SprintFrame soleplate, you get an awesome shooting experience. There are no striking elements on the boot, and the striking surface as a whole remains pretty clean with the laces being pushed slightly to the outside. Striking the ball was honestly much better than I expected it to be, and will certainly not disappoint.
Protection
The adizero has never been about protection, which is pretty much the case with most lightweight soccer shoes. With that being said, the leather adizero this time around is actually not too bad in terms of protection. The natural padding of the leather upper covers pretty much your entire foot, giving you some decent impact protection should you take a blow to the foot. The external heel counter will also provide some decent protection, should you take a shot to the back of the foot as well. For a lightweight shoe, I would say that the leather adizero is actually pretty safe. If you want to be lightweight, but still want to have some kind of protection, than the leather miCoach 2 fits that description.
Durability
The leather adizero has always been pretty good in terms of durability, considering the weight of the boot. The design of the SprintFrame soleplate makes for very exposed seems around the edges of the forefoot and toe box where the upper meets the soleplate, which are the main areas where separations do occur. Just like the previous leather model, Adidas has added a strip of plastic around the high wear zone at the base of the soleplate in the toe area of the shoe to help extend the life of the boot. While I personally have had no issues with the pair that I used for testing, I did notice that the shoe does look pretty rough for the amount of time that it was actually used. The stitching frays, and the finish on the upper scratches pretty easily, but this has no impact on the longevity of the boot. Given that you take good care of your shoes, you shouldn’t have any issues with the durability of this boot. Also keep in mind that the soft version of the adizero was designed for use on soft, natural grass playing surfaces. Using the soft ground adizero, or any soft ground shoe, on artificial grass/turf or even harder ground will not only be uncomfortable and unsafe, but will also have a major impact on the overall durability of the boot.
The Verdict
I’ve wanted to love the leather adizero for a long time now, and with the release of the leather miCoach 2, I can finally say that I truly like this shoe. The full leather upper, comfortable fit, and lightweight yet solid construction makes for a great shoe overall. If you have been wearing previous models of the leather adizero, or have been contemplating giving the leather adizero a try, than there is no better time then now to pick up the latest model. This is a great shoe that I can strongly recommend to anybody looking for a quality, lightweight leather soccer shoe.
| Comfort/Fit | 9 out of 10 |
| Weight | 9 out of 10 |
| Traction | 8 out of 10 |
| Touch | 10 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 8 out of 10 |
| Protection | 8 out of 10 |
| Durability | 7 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 59 out of 70 or 84% |
