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The Alternate Soccer Universe: Ligue Première De Football -- Corsaires (January 22)


MDGP

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For awhile now, I've been working on a couple of large projects, and I realized a little while ago that I haven't posted a concept on here in nearly a year. So, I decided to take a much needed break from those and work on a single concept or two. In the end, I decided on soccer, because I hadn't actually completed a full concept before in that sport, this sort of took on a mind of its own, and became the American Soccer Federation.
 

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In 2014, the American Soccer Federation voted unanimously to expand to the Northeast, and made a surprise pick, choosing Portland, Maine as the next home of an ASF franchise, and the second franchise in the state of Maine. Upon receiving it, ownership decided to name the team after the seafaring traditions of the city and state, and Portland Mariners F.C. (more commonly known as Mariners FC and the Mariners by fans) was born.


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CREST

The Mariners crest features numerous symbols that are important to Maine, as well as real life mariners, while maintaining a clean, classy look.

The main feature is a navy blue lighthouse that plays a role in the actual structure of the crest itself. Lighthouses are important symbols and landmarks within the state, while also playing a vital role in the safety of sailors and fishermen, who work close along the rocky coastline.

Upon the lighthouse is a yellow anchor, representing strength and toughness of real life mariners.

Below the lighthouse is vertical stripe design with Seafoam Green (not teal) and white stripes. This design is a stylized representation of the ocean which surrounds these lighthouses. The green represents the color of the ocean, while the white symbolizes the white foam that is created upon waves breaking along the coastline. Sublimated within the middle green stripe is the word "Dirigo," the state motto (more on that later).


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UNIFORMS

The Mariners are outfitted with Nike, and sport uniforms that are innovative, yet classy, while continuing to represent Maine and the sea.

PRIMARY

The primary uniforms are seafoam green with navy shorts, both of which have contrasting accents. The main feature of the home kits are the stripes on the sides of the shirts. These stripes are stylized version of waves. From the front, the growing lines represent the phenomenon of waves building sideways as they approach the shore, where I'm from in Maine, they tend to grow to the right (not sure if that differs elsewhere), so the stripes were strategically placed to reflect that. On the sides of the shirts, the same lines represent a wave growing vertically, giving the feel that the wave is just about to crash down upon the viewer. This design is also featured on the socks.

The Mariners' sponsor is L.L. Bean, easily the most famous, and arguably important brand within the state. This, along with the name and numbers, are featured in white with a navy outline. On the back of the neck is a gold anchor. this is meant to be viewed from up close, while being hardly noticeable from afar, and therefore, not muddling the overall look, while giving some uniqueness to the uniforms.


CLASH

The clash uniforms are completely yellow with a simple black line running down the center of the shirt. Why yellow, you ask? Well, it is meant to symbolize the traditional (and somewhat stereotypical) look of a fisherman, dressed entirely in a yellow poncho with black boots. One of Maine's landmarks is the giant fisherman in Boothbay Harbor, and this design also harkens to that. The sponsor logo, names, numbers, and anchor are all shown in black on this design, retaining the simple look.

CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND

Upon establishing the team, the ownership wanted everything to represent the team and the state, so they also designed the Captain's Armband. This is in the team colors, primarily navy with seafoam and yellow stripes (this will allow it to both clash, and tie in with each uniform). The band, like the crest, reads "Dirigo," which is the state's motto. Dirigo means "I Lead," and the ownership thought it would be a fun way to represent the Captain, who is the leader of the squad, while tying into the state.


C+C is welcomed and encouraged.

I've got a dribbble, check it out if you like my stuff; alternatively, if you hate my stuff, send it to your enemies to punish their insolence!

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Really nice, and well thought-out. I love the idea of a rain slicker-inspired clash kit.

I will say that the lines on the primary, well nice-looking, do not give me any sense of waves. I also think the numbers should be made a bit smaller, seem a little too large.

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can we see secondaries, wordmarkz, etc.?

I saw a slight "dirigo" on the logo.

Also, the colors do match the baseball team too much. But nice job here

Soccer teams don't usually have secondaries or wordmarkz.

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Awesome job here, this team wouldn't really fit in the MLS though with Nike, custom fonts, a more English/European feel (which is a very good thing, not bad at all). You should consider doing a 20-team fictional league because this set makes your work look very promising.

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Awesome job here, this team wouldn't really fit in the MLS though with Nike, custom fonts, a more English/European feel (which is a very good thing, not bad at all). You should consider doing a 20-team fictional league because this set makes your work look very promising.

I think Maine would work into the MLS. Just because it uses s different font package and Nike kit doesn't mean it won't fit. This is a concept thread and it's well done. I do believe in the near future MLS clubs will not be limited to using adidas kits only.

Excellent work mate

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Thanks for the responses, guys! Glad to see that some people seemed to like the design.

Really nice, and well thought-out. I love the idea of a rain slicker-inspired clash kit.

I will say that the lines on the primary, well nice-looking, do not give me any sense of waves. I also think the numbers should be made a bit smaller, seem a little too large.

I understand what you mean that they don't look like waves from a literal perspective, I think my description was a little off. Waves tended to be more of an inspiration for how the lines were formed, rather than specifically looking like waves. And good call on the numbers, not exactly sure why I made them so large. I'll fix that if I further the concept.

Awesome job here, this team wouldn't really fit in the MLS though with Nike, custom fonts, a more English/European feel (which is a very good thing, not bad at all). You should consider doing a 20-team fictional league because this set makes your work look very promising.

Awesome job here, this team wouldn't really fit in the MLS though with Nike, custom fonts, a more English/European feel (which is a very good thing, not bad at all). You should consider doing a 20-team fictional league because this set makes your work look very promising.

I think Maine would work into the MLS. Just because it uses s different font package and Nike kit doesn't mean it won't fit. This is a concept thread and it's well done. I do believe in the near future MLS clubs will not be limited to using adidas kits only.

Excellent work mate

Haha, BTL is probably right about Portland not really fitting into the MLS. Using the MLS in the title may or may not have been a little bit of yellow journalism on my part.

I'm really glad both of you like it though. Being my first soccer concept, I was a bit worried how the designs would be perceived. In regards to creating a 20-team league, that would be really fun to try out, though I probably won't do it for awhile. I've got an absolutely massive NFL project I'm working on right now, so that's taking up most of my time... But it's definitely something I'd be excited to try in the future.

If anyone else wants to throw in some C+C, I'd love to hear it.

I've got a dribbble, check it out if you like my stuff; alternatively, if you hate my stuff, send it to your enemies to punish their insolence!

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First off, as a Canadian, I have no clue what Baseball team in Maine this reminds you guys of at all. Is it Seattle you guys are referring to, because I don't see it; maybe its just the name that is throwing y'all off. We only have a limited number of colours in the world. Does every Blue and White thing remind you of Colts, Lightning, Leafs, Blue Jays, Chelsea, Dodgers, Royals, Blue Devils, etc. you get my point.

Onto the actual concept... I like it, really unique colours for the MLS - and that is all that is important here, comparing to the MLS. That logo is very unique, but clean and stays true to a typical soccer crest. I'm not really feeling the name/number fonts as a few already mentioned, they are too large and too college-esque hockey/football looking to me. But hey, it would definitely be unique for the team if it stayed.

I hope you post more MLS concepts in the near future! :)

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Originally this was just going to be a one-team concept, but the first one received such positive reviews that my creativity has been flowing! So, I've decided to do a series of concepts known as the American Federation of Soccer. This league will focus mainly on markets that currently don't have MLS teams, and derives its own history since it's foundation in 1948. (I'll have a better structure and league logo in the near future).

The Mariners are the league's newest team, and will not change from above (I did edit the numbers to make them smaller), and the description has been changed to fit the direction of the project.

FC PITTSBURGH

With that, I'd like to present my second team, FC Pittsburgh, more commonly known as Stingers FC (or the Stingers). The Stingers were founded in 1937, and are one of four teams that predate the formation of the ASF. They are widely considered to be the Yankees of the league, having won 7 championships since the league's founding.

NAME HISTORY

Initially called Pittsburgh FC (the FC was swapped in 1971), the Stingers have always been known for their "bumblebee" kits, featuring black and gold hoops. Initially, supporters groups called them the bees, as both an homage to the team's attire and as a shoutout to John S. Harbison, the father of American beekeeping, who was born in Freedom, PA (just 25 miles from Pittsburgh). However, an unknown fan suggested that stingers better reflected the relentless offensive style of the team, and in 1954, the nickname Stingers was adopted by fans.

LOGO

Pittsburgh has the league's most iconic logo, which has only been altered three times in team history, all minor changes. The crest was originally an oval with black and yellow stripes, with the middle stripe featuring Pittsburgh FC in white. In 1971, along with the name change, ownership added a subtle notch at the bottom of the crest, representing the stinger of a bee. In 1988, the team would replace FC Pittsburgh with Stingers FC (also in a new font), a move which was extremely popular with fans. The crest remains unchanged to this day.

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UNIFORMS

The Stingers have the most iconic kits in the the ASF, having only made a few minor changes since their founding. From the beginning, the club has worn black and gold hooped shirts paired with white shorts and hooped socks. The road uniforms have almost always been solid white, with gold numbers, black shorts, and the striped socks. The team is currently outfitted by Umbro after refusing to switch to Nike several year ago, and lack any uniform sponsor or name on back, as they have their entire history. The primary and clash uniform each features three stars, two black and one gold/white, representing the 7 championships the club has won (gold/yellow equalling 5 championships).

SOCKS

A brief aside to discuss the socks. No matter the uniform worn, the Stingers have always worn striped socks. These are the single most recognizable feature of the uniform, and if the socks aren't black and gold, the team isn't the Stingers. For instance, in 1967, owner T.C. Garrett, an avid hockey fan, purchased double blue clash uniforms to celebrate the introduction of the Pittsburgh Penguins into the NHL, who were owned in-part by close personal friend Peter Block. The players initially refused to wear the new uniforms, only agreeing if they'd be allowed to sport the uniforms with their normal striped socks. Garrett relented, and the Stingers sported the look for the next two seasons on the road. This uniform is currently used as a special event throwback/third jersey.

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HOME

The home uniforms feature the signature hooped shirt and socks paired with white shorts. The shirt features white numbers with black numbers on the shorts.

CLASH

The clash uniforms are white with sublimated hoops (a rather new innovation for the team, initially met with mixed reviews). The shirt features black accents and gold numbers outlined in black. The black shorts feature plain white numbers.

THROWBACK/THIRD

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This uniform, as discussed above, features the normal clash design, but in double blue. These uniforms are historically accurate, featuring the original version of the team's crest, as well as three gold stars, each representing one championship (the team had only won three in 1967). As previously discussed, the primary striped socks remain.

C+C is welcomed and appreciated.

I've got a dribbble, check it out if you like my stuff; alternatively, if you hate my stuff, send it to your enemies to punish their insolence!

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So excited you decided to make a league. Absolutely LOVE Pittsburgh, good job on telling the history of the team. Also, I don't know if you're doing this intentionally, but these both have a very English feel to them, I would stick with that style for all of the clubs.

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I love the history you have about Pittsburgh and great to see you have decided to make a league. The primary or home kits are great, love the gold and black hoops...nice touch!

Can I ask how you do your concepts? Through Photoshop, Inkscape, or Illustrator? I am a fan of the shorts template you are using...wish I could find a template like that with the draw strings.

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I'm not too big on the logo itself because it's very simple, but on the jerseys and as a whole, it looks great. A very vintage looking logo and I love the history too.

Glad you gave a whole league idea a change, it's gonna be great, especially with your great presentation!

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So excited you decided to make a league. Absolutely LOVE Pittsburgh, good job on telling the history of the team. Also, I don't know if you're doing this intentionally, but these both have a very English feel to them, I would stick with that style for all of the clubs.

Haha, I'd definitely say a European Style was intentional. I much prefer that style of crest.

I love the history you have about Pittsburgh and great to see you have decided to make a league. The primary or home kits are great, love the gold and black hoops...nice touch!

Can I ask how you do your concepts? Through Photoshop, Inkscape, or Illustrator? I am a fan of the shorts template you are using...wish I could find a template like that with the draw strings.

I use Inkscape for my designs. I don't exactly remember who made the template I use, though. I got it a few years back. If I figure out, I'll let you know.

I'm not too big on the logo itself because it's very simple, but on the jerseys and as a whole, it looks great. A very vintage looking logo and I love the history too.

Glad you gave a whole league idea a change, it's gonna be great, especially with your great presentation!

Glad to see you're all excited! It'll be nice to know I have some followers!

---------------------------

With that, I present the league's third team, the Queen City Emeralds. Founded in 1991, Queen City plays in Charlotte, as the name suggests. In a fan vote, the name Emeralds was chosen, inspired by North Carolina's rich gem mining history as well as its ties to royalty and the nickname, the Queen City. Despite being relatively successful in regular season history, finishing in first place 4 times (1998, 2006, 2008, 2009), the Emeralds have never won a championship, losing their only appearance in the finals to Pittsburgh in 2009.

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CREST

Queen City's crest features a double green roundel. On the sides of the roundel are two Emeralds in dark green, which as discussed before, represents the history of gem mining in the state. Within the roundel features a soccer ball surrounded by the needles of the longleaf pine tree, the State tree of North Carolina. Above the logo is a version of the crown of Charlotte.

UNIFORMS

Queen City is outfitted in Puma, and feature a dual green color scheme. Each uniform is identical, featuring a curved chest stripe, as well as a similar striping scheme on one leg of the shorts, and both socks. Both uniforms feature white numbers with dark green outlines. The Emeralds are sponsored by Lowe's, a company founded in the state.

The biggest difference between uniforms is the contrasting trim on the home jerseys.

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I've got a dribbble, check it out if you like my stuff; alternatively, if you hate my stuff, send it to your enemies to punish their insolence!

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