An article of footwear is provided. The article of footwear has an upper (30) and a sole structure (20) secured to the upper, the upper comprising: a throat area (32) that includes a plurality of lateral lace-receiving elements (33) extending along a lateral side of the upper, a plurality of medial lace-receiving elements (34) extending along a medial side of the upper, and a forward lace-receiving element (35) located between the lateral side (14) and the medial side (15); a lace (36) extending through the lateral lace-receiving elements, the medial lace-receiving elements, and the forward lace-receiving element; and a tensile strand element (40) located within a forefoot region of the footwear, the tensile strand element including a plurality of strands (41) that extend from an area proximal to the forward lace-receiving element and toward a forward edge (38) of the footwear, wherein the plurality of strands extend around the forward lace-receiving element to resist stretch due to tension in the lace.
