Article of footwear for soccer

A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:

• a toe portion and a heel portion;
• an intermediate portion connecting the toe portion to the heel portion, the intermediate portion extending from a first end at a medial edge of the sole structure to a second end at a lateral edge of the sole structure, wherein along a length of the intermediate portion, the intermediate portion comprises less than an entirety of a width of a ground-contacting surface of the sole structure;
• a first flexing portion disposed between the toe portion and the heel portion and including at least one slot that extends from one of a medial edge of the sole structure or a lateral edge of the sole structure and terminates at a location between the medial edge of the sole structure and the lateral edge of the sole structure;
• wherein the first flexing portion comprises a plurality of slots disposed between the medial edge and the intermediate portion, wherein the plurality of slots are filled with a material that is more flexible than a material of the first flexing portion;
• wherein an anterior-most portion of the first flexing portion includes the first lobe and a first recessed portion that is concave, first lobe and the first recessed portion forming a continuous anterior boundary of the first flexing portion, and the first recessed portion being disposed further away from the intermediate portion than the first lobe;
• and a central projection disposed between a heel end of the sole structure and a forefoot end of the sole structure, extending from a bottom surface of the sole structure, and including a different material characteristic than a portion of the sole structure at least partially surrounding the central projection;
• a first set of projections disposed in the toe portion including a first projection disposed between the central projection and the medial edge of the sole structure and a second projection disposed between the central projection and the lateral edge of the sole structure, the central projection aligned with the first projection and the second projection along a lateral direction and being larger than each of the first projection and the second projection;
• and a second set of projections disposed in the heel portion.

A sole structure for an article of footwear, the sole structure comprising:

• a lateral edge and a medial edge;
• a toe portion and a heel portion;
• an intermediate portion uninterruptedly connecting the toe portion to the heel portion;
• a first flexing portion disposed between the toe portion and the heel portion and including at least one slot that extends from a medial edge of the sole structure toward the intermediate portion, the first flexing portion having a first degree of flexibility, wherein the first flexing portion includes a first lobe and a first recessed portion proximate to the toe portion, the first lobe spaced apart from both the lateral edge and the medial edge of the sole structure, wherein the first lobe is convex;
• and a second flexing portion disposed between the toe portion and the heel portion and including at least one slot that extends from a lateral edge of the sole structure toward the intermediate portion, the second flexing portion having a second degree of flexibility different from the first degree of flexibility, wherein the second flexing portion includes a second lobe and a second recessed portion proximate to the heel portion, the second lobe spaced apart from both the lateral edge and the medial edge of the sole structure, the second lobe being smaller than the first lobe and being concave;
• wherein the intermediate portion has a third degree of flexibility different from the first degree of flexibility and the second degree of flexibility;
• wherein the first flexing portion comprises a plurality of slots disposed between the medial edge and the intermediate portion, wherein the plurality of slots are filled with a material that is more flexible than a material of the first flexing portion;
• wherein the second flexing portion comprises a plurality of slots disposed between the lateral edge and the intermediate portion, wherein the plurality of slots of the second flexing portion are filled with the material that is more flexible that a material of the second flexing portion, wherein the first flexing portion and the second flexing portion are the only portions of a ground-contacting surface comprising slots extending in a medial-lateral direction such that the toe portion, the intermediate portion, and the heel portion are free of slots.