In the soccer world now days, everyone is looking for a way to enhance performance through the gear they wear. Shoe wise, companies have been creating cleats labeled as “Speed” boots to increase your sprinting speed and “Power” boots to help you with shot power and accuracy. A new concept to the boot market that has become very popular in the recent years is the idea of having a cleat that can enhance your control over the ball and create a better touch. The Geometra Pro is Umbro’s response to “Control” releases such as the Mizuno Supersonic Wave, and most notably the Nike CTR360 Maestri.

Comfort and Fit

After having worn them for a couple months now, I can say that the Geometra is fairly comfortable, but there are still areas for improvement. The upper is kangaroo leather that is extremely soft right out of the box and is a very plush material. To accompany this soft upper, the heel liner is very soft, as it combines a synthetic leather and synthetic suede. The liner is mainly suede with a small amount of soft synthetic leather being used. Despite the comfortable upper, there are aspects of the boot that could be improved. One part that I feel could be improved, is the insole/outsole combination.

The insole is somewhat hard, and because of this, I felt a good amount of stud pressure sometimes. Also, the arch support in the outsole/insole was not the best, so my feet began to hurt after playing in them for too long. Overall, I had a good experience in terms of comfort, but there is definitely room for improvement.

The boot does run fairly wide and the leather does stretch a good amount, so narrow footed players may have trouble with this boot. But if you are a wide footed player, this is an excellent choice. The mid-foot is very wide, but has a predetermined shape, due to the use of a Teijin microfiber in this area of the shoe.

Breaking In

After receiving the cleats, I noticed how soft the leather was already. Because of this, there were not any problems with breaking in and softening up the leather. It did take a few sessions for the upper to mold to my foot, but there were no big issues. Again, the arch did lead to some discomfort in the first few wears and throughout use.

Technology

While this is a shoe meant to enhance ball control, there are a few technologies that are meant to justify the idea of having a “control” boot.

ECZ (Energy Control Zone)

What is it - On the instep of the boot, Umbro has placed a group of memory foam pads to cushion the ball as you receive a pass.

Does it work – I actually found this technology to be somewhat helpful. It did have a purpose and actually cushioned the ball some. Just this small amount of padding actually contributed to the boot some.

Padded Leather Regions

What is it – On both the outside and inside of the boot, there are regions of where the leather is a little bit more padded. These regions have a unique stitching design that can be seen pretty easily.

Does it work – Because the rest of the boot is fairly well padded, these zones are not exactly effective. If you were to remove the pads, you wouldn’t feel a difference in how well the leather cushions the ball. On the instep padding, there is a grip coating that actually adds a good amount of grip. The texture to it is almost like sandpaper, but much softer. I guess it has somewhat of a suede feel.

Performance

With this boot, you certainly get a lot of added technology as explained before. Surprisingly, a good amount of the technology did work. The technology I found most effective in helping performance was the ECZ, as it adds additional padding to cushion the ball. Also relating to the upper, the kangaroo leather is very plush, and it gives a good feel for the ball. Because the upper is made of high quality leather, it forms to your foot well. This helped to provide a clean and natural strike.

Traction wise you get decent grip, and I haven’t slipped much in these shoes. The stud configuration definitely reminded me of the CTR360 Maestri, as the bladed studs seemed similar, along with the circular pattern in the center of the soleplate.

Durability

After using them not too heavily, there are already signs of wear. The soleplate is separating from the upper around the toe area. This may be because of usage on turf, but I cannot see this as being the entire reason to the separation. There has to be a little issue with the build quality. Other than that, there have been no issues with the durability, but the issue is fairly significant.

All in All

The Geometra was definitely an exciting release, as it added a new boot to the “control” group. The boot is so-so and kind of an average boot to me. Comfort seemed to be a big plus, but the lack of support on the arch and soleplate brought the rating down. You get a nice surface to pass and strike the ball from, and the leather forms to your foot in a matter of a few wears. In addition to a well performing boot, you can pick them up for fairly cheap. They do retail at around $170, but you can find them for much cheaper.

Performance: 8/10

Comfort: 7/10

Durability: 6/10

Technology: 7/10

Value: 9/10

Breaking In Period: Short

Feet Width it Can Fit: Slightly Narrow-Wide