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League du Nord redux [Finished!]


-kj

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Is Burnsville in this yet?

So, I'm going to make one request as I go forward:

Please don't ask about team locations.

I took some time pouring over the list of Minnesota cities by population, comparing that with a map of Minnesota. I'm also going to be, much like I did for the first eighteen teams, doing research on the individual cities. Trust me; I'm taking a good amount of time figuring out where these teams represent, and the chance I'm going to change my mind over someone asking if I'm doing their city is pretty much nil.

Thanks.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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No worries. You're relatively new here, so you probably haven't noticed that it's sometimes pervasive in concept series threads. Just figured I'd take the opportunity to try and head it off at the pass.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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The last three teams in the first division. Thanks to the miracle of alphabetizing, they're all Adidas teams. No changes in any of these from the original versions.

Roseau County

Roseau-County.png

Rosemount

Rosemount.png

Willmar

Willmar.png

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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Now that all of the existing teams have been posted, this is the beginning of the new teams. Since I'm still working on the teams, I'm going to cut back to a target of revealing two teams per day. I'm generally doing these in alphabetical order per league; however, there may be an occasion where I change a team name on the fly and it no longer fits in the proper order.

And now, the first two teams of the second division:

Austin FC

Austin, Minnesota

Austin.png

The Oaks' crest pays homage to the pork processing industry in Austin with two pigs under an oak tree. The club is sponsored by Austin-based Hormel, the city's biggest employer; both kits feature Hormel's best known brand: SPAM.

Austin's kits are made by Lotto. The home kit features a red shirt with orange stripes, complemented by black shorts and red socks. The blue-and-yellow away kit pays homage to SPAM.

Bloomington FC

Bloomington, Minnesota

Bloomington.png

Founded by the owners of the Minnesota North Stars, Bloomington FC shares the nickname and the colors of its old neighbors.

Made by Macron, the Stars' home kits feature white shirts, green shorts, and yellow socks. The all-black change kit is a nod to the North Stars' last years in Minnesota. The club is sponsored by Mall of America.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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for a minute, I thought it was a bad image for Austin, TEXAS, but forgot that it in MINNESOTA! sorry lol

Yeah, those are two very, very different places. :D

And, while we're on that subject...

Buffalo FC

Buffalo, Minnesota

Buffalo.png

Buffalo, Minnesota, was not actually named for the large mammal; instead, it was named for the "buffalo fish" [1]. That hasn't stopped the city from adopting the more widely-known buffalo; there are a lot of buffalo statues around town. The crest for Buffalo FC depicts this dual meaning, showing both animals in a quad-panel crest in two-tone blue bound by a charcoal shield with buffalo horns.

The kits for the Bison are made by New Balance; both feature a quarter-shirt pattern: the home in two-tone blue, the change in charcoal and black. The team is sponsored by Allina Health, a major healthcare company in the Twin Cities.

Cloquet FC

Cloquet, Minnesota

Cloquet.png

In 1918, most of Cloquet was destroyed in a fire; the team's crest and nickname pay homage to the disaster. The crest shows a stylized phoenix rising from the flames; the year "1918" appears as a reminder of those lost.

Cloquet's kits, supplied by Joma, are color inverses: red with yellow trim at home, yellow with red trim for the change. The club is sponsored by Upper Lakes Foods, a regional food distribution service headquartered in Cloquet.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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What a great series you've got here! The designs of the crests and uniforms have all been pretty top-notch!

I stay wondering how you find all these sponsors for some of these smaller towns (seemingly to me, I haven't looked up these places yet), though. For some cities in my California league, Wikipedia lends me some pretty major sponsors, though the same cannot be said for other cities. Are you familiar with these places personally?

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What a great series you've got here! The designs of the crests and uniforms have all been pretty top-notch!

I stay wondering how you find all these sponsors for some of these smaller towns (seemingly to me, I haven't looked up these places yet), though. For some cities in my California league, Wikipedia lends me some pretty major sponsors, though the same cannot be said for other cities. Are you familiar with these places personally?

Thanks. The research can be the hardest--and yet most fun--part of the process. Wikipedia is my jumping-off point, no doubt, but I also make use of Google. Wikipedia will usually have a link to the city websites, and many of those have pretty decent write-ups of their city's history. Often, either the Wikipedia article or that website will have information on the major employers in the city. (Sometimes, though, it's hard to find any historical information--just last night, I had trouble finding out in what year a city was founded! That seems like information that should be easy to find in this day and age.)

I try to localize the sponsor as much as I can; however, sometimes there just aren't any reasonably-large companies that are headquartered there, so I go more regional. For example, Buffalo is sort of an exurb of the Twin Cities; I can't find the page now where I found the info, but Allina Health is one of the biggest employers in town. So while they're technically headquartered in Minneapolis, I used them. There are plenty of companies in Minneapolis and St. Paul proper, so I don't mind a few being used for teams outside of the cities themselves.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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Here are the next two in Division 2. I won't post any new teams until Monday; I wish everyone a good holiday weekend.

Eagan FC

Eagan, Minnesota

Eagan.png

In the early 1900s, Eagan was known as the "Onion Capital of the United States"; the Eagan FC crest pays tribute to those days with its onion shape.

Made by Nike, the Eagan home kit is classic claret and blue, while the change strip features a white-to-blue fade. The Onion Baggers are sponsored by WestLawNext, a product of Eagan's largest employer, Thomson Reuters.

Edina Mill FC

Edina, Minnesota

Edina-Mill.png

Named after a former mill, Edina Mill's crest features a stylized water wheel shape. The club originally went by the name Edina FC, but after a bitter split led to the formation of rivals Morningside Village, the club added "Mill" to the name to further distinguish themselves.

The Millers are outfitted by Lotto and sponsored by Dairy Queen. The home kit is all green, a nod to Edina's settling by Irish immigrants; the chest features a stripe pattern copied from the badge, symbolizing the creek flowing through the city. The change kit is all-white with green sleeves; the stripe remains on the chest, flanked by green.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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I am trying to imagine the Adidas design team (should I say resign team) when they see things like that.

Thats farther innovation then lots of things I saw. IMHO, MLS is too much on the conservative side.

Need a balance between classics and out of the box.

Hats off for your hat trick.

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I hope everyone in the States had a good holiday, and that everyone else enjoyed their business as usual.

Speaking of business, let's get back to it. Remember when I said the alphabetical order might be disrupted? Yeah, that happened.

Como Park FC

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Como-Park.png

Como Park is a large park in the Como neighborhood of St. Paul. The badge for CPFC depicts the Como Park Conservatory; accompanying the building are two polar bears, an acknowledgement of the long-time residents at the Como Park Zoo.

The Bears' kits are provided by British company Avec. The home kit includes a clean white shirt with ice blue shorts and white socks, while the away is full black with ice blue detailing. Park is sponsored by Kemps, a regional dairy company headquartered in the Como neighborhood.

Elk River FC

Elk River, Minnesota

Elk-River.png

Elk River's crest includes a rack of elk antlers on a shield bearing the club name. The team colors of brown and bright blue represent the two parts of the city's name: the elk and the river.

The Herd's Umbro-supplied home kit is head-to-toe brown with bright blue trim. The shirt features a sublimated rack of antlers. While not truly appropriate for elk hunting, the all-blaze-orange away kit has proven a hit with the club's fan base. The kits are sponsored by Twin-Cities-based Cargill, a major employer in Elk River.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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Today's installment involves one of the more odd designs I've done for this series; I'm still not sure it entirely works, but it does match the direction I wanted to go with it when I came up with the idea.

Fargo FC

Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo.png

Fargo is the second League du Nord club from outside of Minnesota, which lends to a rivalry with fellow North Dakotan club Grand Forks. The club's crest depicts the clock tower of the Fargo Amtrak station, also known as the Great Northern Depot, in "brick red" and "mortar tan".

The kits for the Railmen are supplied by Hummel. The home kit is brick red and features a sublimated brickwork pattern on the front. The away kit is a similar look, but in mortar tan. The kits are sponsored by Bobcat, a local manufacturer of construction equipment.

Maple Grove FC

Maple Grove, Minnesota

Maple-Grove.png

Maple Grove's crest features a silver maple leaf intertwined with the city initials in green.

The Maples' home kits, supplied by Admiral, include green shirts and socks with silver shorts and trim. The away kit is made up of a white shirt with red and orange detailing and tonal crests; red shorts and orange socks complete the look inspired by the colors of leaves in autumn. Both kits are sponsored by Sleep Number, headquartered just outside of the Maple Grove city limits.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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So, hey, yeah, I'm still doing this thing, even if y'all've gone silent. Today brings two kinda crazy concepts that I'm actually a bit proud of.

Medicine Lake FC

Plymouth, Minnesota

Medicine-Lake.png

MLFC is named for Medicine Lake, both a lake and a small enclave inside of the larger suburban city of Plymouth. The motto of the city of Medicine Lake is "Where water meets the sky"; this is reflected in the club's crest, which depicts a stylized soccer ball/sun setting on a lake reflecting in the water.

The Sunsets' kits are supplied by Jako. The home kit is all navy with orange chest stripes and trim. The change kit features a orange-to-red gradient with navy trim. Medicine Lake is sponsored by Plymouth-based Arctic Cat.

Moorhead Hjemkomst FK

Moorhead, Minnesota

Moorhead-Hjemkomst.png

The name and crest of Moorhead Hjemkost pay homage to the ship Hjemkomst, a Viking-style ship built in Moorhead and sailed to Norway; the ship is now on display in the Hjemkomst Center. The shape of the crest is a representation of the shape of the Center; inside, the dragon figurehead of the ship is shown in front of a Nordic cross.

The Vikings' kits, made by Brazilian supplier Penalty, are sponsored by Fargo-based sporting goods chain Scheels. The home shirt features red and blue hoops separated by white; the kit is completed with blue shorts and red socks. The change kit is all white with blue and red chest stripes.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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I think Moorhead's my favorite of your sets so far. You absolutely nailed the design, it looks very Nordic and fits perfectly. I think both kits would look striking in action as well.

I'm a big fan of the series altogether. Very well done!

CCSLC%20Signature_1.png

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I've been silently following this since it began (from its first iteration earlier this year). My only gripe is how detailed some of the crests seem. Fargo in particular utilizes lines that would be nearly impossible to reproduce on the patches used on the jersey. The lines on the dragon's head and the beveling in the Elk River script also come to mind.

With those alterations in mind, this entire series has been nothing short of amazing. I look forward to what you continue to come up with and I hope some more comments can be sent along your way.

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Nice stuff coming through, as always!

The crests are great! Como Park reminds me of Crystal Palace in the English leagues. Medicine Lake is such a clever logo, with the ball/sun in the center. I might use your Elk River crest as I work on my Elk Grove, CA team in my CSL.

I would also like to echo macalesterscots' statement in saying that they're a bit too complex. However, that in no way retracts the high quality of these concepts!

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Thanks for the comments. You're definitely right about Fargo, and I wrestled with that as I finished it up. I might go back and revise it at some point to see if I can come up with a less-detailed version that still communicates what I was going for.

Here are the next two, Roseville and Shakopee. I realize that the latter may be a bit controversial, but I'm hoping that I can present the reasoning in a way that works.

Roseville FC

Roseville, Minnesota

Roseville.png

Roseville's crest takes the rose from the city logo and uses it in a stylized R.

The Reds' kits are supplied by Adidas. At home, Roseville wears red and white striped shirts with dark gray (charcoal? anthracite?) shorts and red socks. The change kit is similar to the new Germany away kit, with two-toned gray stripes and red sleeves complemented by white shorts and socks. RFC is sponsored by Minneapolis-based Target, whose first Target store was located in Roseville.

Shakopee FC

Prior Lake, Minnesota

Shakopee.png

Shakopee FC is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community; the team's crest is a modified version of the SMSC logo. Originally located on tribal land in Shakopee, the team moved to nearby Prior Lake after the establishment of the Mystic Lake Casino.

At home, the Warriors wear sky blue shirts with black shorts and socks; the change kit is all yellow. The kits are supplied by Ecuadorian company Marathon and are sponsored by Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

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POTD 2013-08-22

On 7/14/2012 at 2:20 AM, tajmccall said:

When it comes to style, ya'll really should listen to Kev.

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