MLS Team Rebrand/Redesign (open thread)

[davidrpaige]

I would love to take the New England Revolution (NER) and transform that franchise into something, I feel, it should be. This is what I would do:

Start off by Rebrand it, a complete overhall of NER. I would rename it The Boston Soccer Club (BSC). I've never been fond of of teams "claiming" a state, like Colorado Rapids, or regions like the Revs do. You play in a specific city, that is your home base. If the Revs played in various NE cities as part of their representation of NE's team, that would be one thing. The simple fact is that they play in Boston. The Red Sox and the Celtics have no problem "representing" NE and still stating the obvious that they play in Boston, do they?

I am also using Soccer instead of Football because, for better or worse, the game is called Soccer in this part of the world. Not sure why or how that came about, but we don't call it Football here, so that is why I'm using Soccer in the official name of the club. It is just a personal choice.

This would be the new crest for the BSC:

Nicknames for the BSC would be: Green & Whites; Rovers; BSC; The Irish. Kinda a Euro tradition of fans giving the team a nickname, but other MLS teams are doing this as well. DC United and FC Dallas have a few nicknames in this naming tradition.

I'm using a few elements in this new brand for the BSC. First, the strong Irish history of Boston plays heavily in the new identity. Also tapping in into the strong Irish/Celtic culture in soccer found around the world. Teams like Celtic, Panathinaikos, and Shamrock Rovers are all inspirations and "sister" clubs to the new BSC. I look at teams like the Boston Celtics and Notre Dame as strong indications of the marketability of this new look.

The kits will obviously follow the new rebranding initiative. These are what I would do:

Home kit:

Away kit:

3rd kit:

I'm keeping the NE flag at the back of the neck on the kits because I think that is a nice nod to the NE area. It is one of those classy, quirky things that is unique and cool.

One thing I would also do is use the old Rev logo as the american flag patch as a nod to the past. Not sure if there is some MLS rule that you have to use a "real" flag patch, but if there is not, I'd use the Rev flag logo instead. Again, just something to give a nod to the past of the franchise.

One of the big things I would do for the fans of Revs is follow the footsteps of Seattle and create a Fan Alliance group that have voting rights. It creates a great dynamic for the fans that they actually have a say in their club. It builds interest in investment in the team. There is a reason Seattle draw 40k+ a game, the fans are invested in the team. There is a loyalty there in such a short time. I think that this Alliance, while not the only reason, is a big part of it. Other clubs should follow this example.

[Edubdesign]

It looks great, but the two different shades of green in the logo are messing with my eyes.

Other than that, this is very well thought-out and executed. It certainly beats what they have now.

[Droost]

Looks decent, but try and differentiate it from Celtic. You basically took the EXACT celtic circle, a version of the Boston Celtic clover and combined them. Try something original w/ boston rovers.

[roldy54]

I would love to take the New England Revolution (NER) and transform that franchise into something, I feel, it should be. This is what I would do:

Start off by Rebrand it, a complete overhall of NER. I would rename it The Boston Soccer Club (BSC). I've never been fond of of teams "claiming" a state, like Colorado Rapids, or regions like the Revs do. You play in a specific city, that is your home base. If the Revs played in various NE cities as part of their representation of NE's team, that would be one thing. The simple fact is that they play in Boston. The Red Sox and the Celtics have no problem "representing" NE and still stating the obvious that they play in Boston, do they?

Not trying to derail your concept or anything, I actually really like it, but the New England Revolution don't play in Boston. They play in Foxboro, which is located between Boston and Providence, and is practically equidistant to them. The Patriots were the Boston Patriots when they played in Boston, and subsequently changed their name after they moved to Foxboro to the New England Patriots. So in reality, the Patriots and the Revolution don't exactly "belong to Boston."

There are current movements to move the Revolution closer to the Boston area, and in that case, this concept would be very valid and something I would love to see. I love seeing Irish colors and symbols in team designs, and this carries them out wonderfully. Of course it also draws greatly from other teams, but then again this is the MLS, and if there are in fact "sister" clubs they would probably do the same (i.e. Chivas USA). Also really like the incorportation of the New England flag, it reminds me of the Cascadia flag the Timbers Army uses from time to time.

All factual errors aside, great job!

[OlavoP]

I really like the idea but the badge is too generic for MLS and the kits could be better, I just cant know where. Also about the city subject: The Red Bulls don't even play on the STATE of New York, should they change the name to Newark Red Bulls or NJ Red Bulls too? I don't think so.

[BigRed618]

This looks good. As for improvements, I got nothing to say that the others haven't already. If nothing else, change that crest so the green of the clover matches the green of the rest of the logo. Also I appreciate you calling it an "SC" instead of an "FC."

Also, what does open thread mean?