Revisiting the California Soccer League! (SERIES FINALE)

[Sidney]

Amazing! love the design

[MDTrey4]

Really like the idea of the citrus tree running through the middle of the crest. It's a subtle tie back to the area that would go unnoticed if you didn't bring it up.

[vtgco]

It looks good either way re: the banner on Encinitas's crest, but the one thing that I'd suggest is thinner stroke weights, since rn the merlons' (new term for me) outlines leave those lonely yellow triangles. Jerseys look solid; no complaints there.

 

Another really excellent design for Riverside! I agree with MDTrey4, that away is elegant. Did you consider solid orange polka dots at home?

 

Also, fair enough about Roseville; I was mostly just spitballing... The update to the home jersey looks good.

[TheGiantsFan]

On 8/10/2021 at 5:50 AM, Sidney said:

Amazing! love the design

 

Thank you very much, and thanks for the design inspiration!

 

On 8/12/2021 at 9:44 AM, MDTrey4 said:

Really like the idea of the citrus tree running through the middle of the crest. It's a subtle tie back to the area that would go unnoticed if you didn't bring it up.

 

Thanks a bunch! I'm a huge sucker for the tiny details that go unnoticed by 95% of people, so I'm glad that you like that little bit about the Riverside clash kit!

 

On 8/12/2021 at 4:30 PM, vtgco said:

It looks good either way re: the banner on Encinitas's crest, but the one thing that I'd suggest is thinner stroke weights, since rn the merlons' (new term for me) outlines leave those lonely yellow triangles. Jerseys look solid; no complaints there.

 

Another really excellent design for Riverside! I agree with MDTrey4, that away is elegant. Did you consider solid orange polka dots at home?

 

Also, fair enough about Roseville; I was mostly just spitballing... The update to the home jersey looks good.

 

Thanks for the feedback as always! I went ahead and tweaked the Encinitas sand castle crest for you:

 

Spoiler

 

 

As far as Riverside is concerned, I did consider solid orange polka dots on the home kit, but it ended up looking really muddy against the brown

 

---

 

Western Division

Pinnacles SC

Soledad, California

Founded: 2006

 

 

The Salinas Valley's second team in the CSL ecosystem is named after Pinnacles National Park  (the fifth-newest national park in the US). The extremely horizontal crest prominently features the California condor, as Pinnacles is a crucial habitat for the reintroduction of this once-extinct species.

 

The pinstriped home kit features a stylized silhouette of the jagged peaks of Pinnacles. The clash kit is inspired by this retro-style sign that welcomed motorists into Soledad along Highway 101 until 2013. The kits are supplied by Adidas, and the sponsor is Scheid Vineyards.

[MDTrey4]

Really like the logo for Pinnacles. I like using the shield but still having the eagle wings going outside of it. Could be some good corporate speak for "breaking down barriers" or something like Adidas would always say.

 

For the Home, I think the lighter silver color would work better on the shorts. I don't think those two kits contrast enough to be able to play against each other.

 

Gonna be a sad day when this series ends.

[TheGiantsFan]

On 8/23/2021 at 10:11 AM, MDTrey4 said:

Really like the logo for Pinnacles. I like using the shield but still having the eagle wings going outside of it. Could be some good corporate speak for "breaking down barriers" or something like Adidas would always say.

 

For the Home, I think the lighter silver color would work better on the shorts. I don't think those two kits contrast enough to be able to play against each other.

 

Gonna be a sad day when this series ends.

 

Thank you very much!

 

I could already imagine the BS marketing-speak that would come with this unusual crest . You're right about the home kit, and I never realized how sloppily I'd exported it (late night exporting is prone to little mistakes like that). I went ahead and fixed the home shorts to make some better contrast!

 

Spoiler

 

I still have no idea about what I'll be doing next once CSL2 is done, but I can assure you that it will be worth it!

 

---

 

Before the next team, I made a few changes to the remaining unfinished teams:

• Turlock's team will be moving up a little north to Manteca
• Goleta's team will be moving next door to Isla Vista
• Poway and El Cajon's teams are now combined to form the singular Kumeyaay Rovers, which makes room for...

---

 

Southern Division

Rangers of Balboa Park

San Diego, California

Founded: 2006

Affiliated with: Real San Diego

 

 

Founded during the 90th anniversary of the San Diego Zoo, the Rangers of Balboa Park celebrates one of San Diego's biggest landmarks. The "BP" monogram is fitted into a shield that is shaped like the nearly-a-perfect-square shape of Balboa Park. The San Diego area was lacking in green-colored teams (with a ton of brown, blue, and gold teams), so this was the perfect excuse for a green team in the Southern Division!

 

The Rangers' annual home kit represents a different animal at the San Diego Zoo, and 2019's home kit honors the final year of the Zoo's giant pandas. The green clash kit (which has remained more constant than the home kits) features the curves and grids of the Balboa Park Botanical Building. The kits are supplied by New Balance, and the sponsor is the San Diego Zoo*.

 

*These kits are set in the 2019 season, so these kits do not have the Zoo's new logo introduced in 2021

 

---

 

Up next, Isla Vista!

[vtgco]

Thanks for that Encinitas update; a small change that makes a big difference.

 

I like the what you've got for Balboa Park; I think I'd prefer rearranging the name to "Balboa Park Rangers" ala Swope Park or Queens Park. The logo is solid, but I wonder if it might benefit from one more element... Maybe something on top or in that corner space below the P... A little sun from Casa del Prado, perhaps? I dunno. I love that away kit; the colors and design are great and should be the official primary, I think! The panda kit is fun too.

 

Pinnacles also look great; the jerseys give me some nice Sporting KC vibes. The wingspan on the crest is a bit much for my taste, but that's mostly a non-issue since you've centered the crests (I always like that!)

 

EDIT: Funny timing! Isla Vista looks good too! I might ditch the blue shoulders on the away jersey so that it reads more as a tower than a T; but otherwise everything looks great.

 

Good work as always!

[TheGiantsFan]

Southwest Division

Isla Vista XI

Isla Vista, California

Founded: 2000

Affiliated with: Riviera SC

 

 

The rowdiest and most vocal supporters group in CSL2 can be found in the college town of Isla Vista (located right next to UC Santa Barbara). I wanted this team to carry the rebellious vibe of FC St. Pauli, so this team's crest is a rugged, marker-style "IVXI" wordmark. The red is taken from IVXI's parent club in Santa Barbara, and black is added to further the rebellious vibe of the team.

 

The home kit is a rugged, black/red take on Riviera's hooped home kits.  The clash kit is more in-line with UCSB's athletic logos and features the university's Storke Tower. The kits are supplied by Puma, and the sponsor is McConnell's Fine Ice Creams (I had it a few years ago, and it was pretty good!)

[MDTrey4]

I definitely agree with @vtgco on the clash. Without the blue shoulders, the building would be more readable.

 

In terms of the home, have you considered going full on wild with the theme? Something like this year's USMNT navy jersey with the added texture that you used? From far away, it just looks like a hooped kit because the texture gets lost.

[TheGiantsFan]

On 8/24/2021 at 4:43 PM, vtgco said:

Thanks for that Encinitas update; a small change that makes a big difference.

 

I like the what you've got for Balboa Park; I think I'd prefer rearranging the name to "Balboa Park Rangers" ala Swope Park or Queens Park. The logo is solid, but I wonder if it might benefit from one more element... Maybe something on top or in that corner space below the P... A little sun from Casa del Prado, perhaps? I dunno. I love that away kit; the colors and design are great and should be the official primary, I think! The panda kit is fun too.

 

Pinnacles also look great; the jerseys give me some nice Sporting KC vibes. The wingspan on the crest is a bit much for my taste, but that's mostly a non-issue since you've centered the crests (I always like that!)

 

EDIT: Funny timing! Isla Vista looks good too! I might ditch the blue shoulders on the away jersey so that it reads more as a tower than a T; but otherwise everything looks great.

 

Good work as always!

 

I'm glad you like them!

 

I was gonna name it "Balboa Park Rangers" at first but then switched the placement of the names around, just as a personal preference and to be somewhat unique. I had considered making the green the home kit up until the very last minute, as I thought that the animal-inspired kits would be fun things to see at the home games!  You are right about the emptiness of the crest, though, and I'll definitely revisit or even rebrand it in a future update before this series ends!

 

Pinnacles was indeed an awkward crest to work with because of it's horizontal-heavy orientation, but I'm glad that it still worked well!

 

On 8/25/2021 at 8:57 AM, MDTrey4 said:

I definitely agree with @vtgco on the clash. Without the blue shoulders, the building would be more readable.

 

In terms of the home, have you considered going full on wild with the theme? Something like this year's USMNT navy jersey with the added texture that you used? From far away, it just looks like a hooped kit because the texture gets lost.

 

Y'all are both correct about ditching the blue shoulders on the clash kit, so they are now yellow. I also went ahead and enlarged the hoop pattern to make it more "rugged" and randomized!

 

Spoiler

 

Thanks for the suggestions, y'all!

 

---

 

Basin Division

Inglewood SC

Inglewood, California

Founded: 1995

 

 

To add to the league's visual variety, I gave Inglewood a rather generic, Sounders-style double shield that incorporates both the Inglewood city seal and a stylized version of the SoFi Stadium roof (this particular element was a very recent addition with SoFi Stadium opening up in 2020). The colors are a combination of the pre-2020 color schemes* of the Rams and the Chargers, both of which now call Inglewood home. The Art Deco text is inspired by the old signage seen on the Hollywood Park Casino.

 

*These kits are set in the 2019 season, and the team colors were adjusted after the 2020 rebrands of the Rams and the Chargers

 

The home kits are a classic striped design featuring a gold/blue version of the crest stripes. The freeway-inspired clash kit references the grooved concrete pavement found all over southern California. The kits are supplied by Nike, and the sponsor is The Marathon Clothing store owned by the late Nipsey Hussle (who passed away during the 2019 season).

[MDTrey4]

The new hoops on Isla Vista are perfect. Much more unique.

 

I also actually like Inglewood's crest as well. Sometimes coming up with the more generic crests are the hardest ones and you knocked that one out of the park.

[TheGiantsFan]

11 hours ago, MDTrey4 said:

The new hoops on Isla Vista are perfect. Much more unique.

 

I also actually like Inglewood's crest as well. Sometimes coming up with the more generic crests are the hardest ones and you knocked that one out of the park.

 

Thanks a bunch for making Isla Vista look better, and I'm glad that you liked Inglewood!  It was definitely a bit difficult to ensure that the Inglewood crest look too cliparty 

 

---

 

Valley Division

Porterville Packers

Porterville, California

Founded: 2005

Affiliated with: Visalia SC

 

 

Another citrus-related team, this time in a region that's very much still growing citrus! The "Packers" name in this context refers to the citrus farmers and packers in this part of the Central Valley. This modern-looking crest takes cues from historic citrus labels and the Porterville city flag. I also borrowed elements from the Snapchat Geofilter that I created for Porterville last August. 

 

The home kit is a modern striping take on the Porterville city flag, complete with the two-tone green. The orange clash kit is inspired by the mesh bags that supermarket oranges are packaged in; the red mesh is intended to make the oranges look more appealing! The kits are supplied by New Balance, and the sponsor is the Tulare County Federal Credit Union.

 

[MDTrey4]

The supermarket mesh is such a good idea. I think the crest on the clash could use some green in it too. Could be the sticker on the orange if you will

[TheGiantsFan]

On 8/31/2021 at 10:28 AM, MDTrey4 said:

The supermarket mesh is such a good idea. I think the crest on the clash could use some green in it too. Could be the sticker on the orange if you will

 

Thank you very much!

 

Just for you, I tried out a version of the clash with the regular green crest and honestly, it doesn't look quite as good to me as the monochrome, orange-crest version

 

Spoiler

 

---

 

Western Division

Club Watsonville

Watsonville, California

Founded: 1990

Affiliated with: Salinas CF

 

 

A coastal farming town with a majority-Hispanic population, Club Watsonville team has a naming style seen in a few Mexican clubs (namely Club León and Club América) with its full name being the "Club Deportivo de Watsonville". A strawberry-growing region similar to my hometown Salinas (which is also Watsonville's parent club!), the crest is shaped like a strawberry and has four dots that suggest a strawberry seed pattern. The right half of the crest features a double chevron pattern that spells out a "W" for the city's name.

 

The home kit is a very simply red/white kit that features the chevron pattern across most of the front torso. The clash kit revives the "831 Stripe" design (the area code for the Monterey Bay region) that Salinas used for their clash before their post-2015 rebrand. The kits are supplied by Adidas, and the sponsor is Martinelli's (you've likely drank their apple cider and/or apple juice!).

[RasmV]

Yet another stunning design.

 

I would love to see this series turned into a Football Manager database at some point 

[TheGiantsFan]

On 9/2/2021 at 8:43 AM, RasmV said:

Yet another stunning design.

 

I would love to see this series turned into a Football Manager database at some point 

 

Thank you very much!

 

I've heard some people take interest in having the CSL ecosystem in Football Manager and if anyone is able to get that set up, I would be happy to help provide graphics!

 

---

 

Work has been pretty busy the past week, but here is the next team!

 

Capital Division

Amador County SC

Jackson, CA

Founded: 2007

 

 

This was honestly one of the teams I knew I was going to struggle with, as this team hails from a rural, mountainous part of California that I have never been to. Wikipedia and Internet research also came up a little dry for this place, as I had already done a Gold Rush-themed team up in Grass Valley.

 

After a bit of artist's block, I stumbled onto one of the rejected Minnesota United FC concepts (specifically the one on the top-right corner of the linked graphic) and thought that it would be a cool tie-in to the region's Gold Rush history. Because Grass Valley already utilizes the pickaxe in its crest, I decided to give Amador County shovels instead! I wanted to break away from my usual design style (thick outlines or none at all) and went for a more traditional-style, thin outline on the crest elements. The colors are taken directly from the Amador County flag.

 

The Sierra Nevadas are one of the few places in California that showcase fall colors, and the home kit features an autumn leaves pattern consisting of the aspen, dogwood, and black oak found in the western Sierra foothills. The clash kit* is supposed to visualize the inside of a gold mine tunnel. The kits are supplied by Adidas, and the sponsor is the Harrah's Northern California casino.

 

*I struggled a bit to make this clash with the white home jersey by making it more red-heavy, but please let me know if you have ways to pull this off while still keeping the mine tunnel theme

 

---

 

Only seven teams left (one left for each division), and we're at that point where we'll be wrapping up the divisions!

[MDTrey4]

Really like the ideas of autumn leaves and the mine tunnel.  I think making that center red even darker would help with clashing and it would make it look more like you're looking into a mine. I think even adding one more layer of inset with a super dark red (talking like 80-K red on CMYK), that might drive home the theme. Overall another great design.

[FlyingLamprey]

Been a while since I've commented but nice work on Amador!  I've been working on and off on a project to redesign the county flags of California, and Amador has been a consistent thorn in my side there.  It's comforting to know that it's not just me who couldn't dig up anything on the place.  Nonetheless, you definitely made it work with what little you had to go off of.  The logo is classy, and the shovels are a nice touch for sure.  The jerseys I'm not completely sold on - like you said, the clash is rough and it's not immediately obvious that it's a mineshaft.  I can't think of a good way to make it work other than simplifying it to a yoke and vertical gradient stripe, and even then that's a small fix at best.

Instead of the mineshaft, however, hear me out on something insane and stupid.  For the home, I think head-to-toe white with red accents might be a little more striking than a mix of white and gold (they can get a little muddled together).  For a pattern to break it up, maybe Chaw'se could work: it's a Miwok place that was used to grind up nuts and seeds into flour, and as such the limestone there is full of small holes formed by years and years of grinding and milling.  I don't recall seeing a polka-dot themed team yet, so it'd certainly be different.  Maybe something more subtle for the polka dots though (the grey from the shovels feels like a safe bet).  For the clash?  Go crazy with the leaves from your home kit.  Red base, all sorts of different transparencies of yellow for the leaves, and just all over the place.  I'm thinking of something like the Adidas Condivo template that was used for MLS's last round of Parley kits.  It's a little crazy, and I don't know if it would be able to be put on the back, but it's definitely unique and eye-catching.  I also wouldn't worry about gold and white clashing - if Colombia and Argentina can both wear their home kits at the same time, you can probably get away with having gold on your clash kit here.

Other than that though?  Excellent work!  I haven't been commenting much because there hasn't been anything that needed input - your designs and inspirations are solid, and you execute them very well.  I'll give extra praise to Isla Vista because you definitely nailed that St. Pauli vibe with the brush strokes!  It honestly reminds me of some of their Under Armour kits where there was a painted effect.  Great work as always!

[TheGiantsFan]

On 9/9/2021 at 11:48 AM, MDTrey4 said:

Really like the ideas of autumn leaves and the mine tunnel.  I think making that center red even darker would help with clashing and it would make it look more like you're looking into a mine. I think even adding one more layer of inset with a super dark red (talking like 80-K red on CMYK), that might drive home the theme. Overall another great design.

 

On 9/9/2021 at 8:59 PM, FlyingLamprey said:

Been a while since I've commented but nice work on Amador!  I've been working on and off on a project to redesign the county flags of California, and Amador has been a consistent thorn in my side there.  It's comforting to know that it's not just me who couldn't dig up anything on the place.  Nonetheless, you definitely made it work with what little you had to go off of.  The logo is classy, and the shovels are a nice touch for sure.  The jerseys I'm not completely sold on - like you said, the clash is rough and it's not immediately obvious that it's a mineshaft.  I can't think of a good way to make it work other than simplifying it to a yoke and vertical gradient stripe, and even then that's a small fix at best.

Instead of the mineshaft, however, hear me out on something insane and stupid.  For the home, I think head-to-toe white with red accents might be a little more striking than a mix of white and gold (they can get a little muddled together).  For a pattern to break it up, maybe Chaw'se could work: it's a Miwok place that was used to grind up nuts and seeds into flour, and as such the limestone there is full of small holes formed by years and years of grinding and milling.  I don't recall seeing a polka-dot themed team yet, so it'd certainly be different.  Maybe something more subtle for the polka dots though (the grey from the shovels feels like a safe bet).  For the clash?  Go crazy with the leaves from your home kit.  Red base, all sorts of different transparencies of yellow for the leaves, and just all over the place.  I'm thinking of something like the Adidas Condivo template that was used for MLS's last round of Parley kits.  It's a little crazy, and I don't know if it would be able to be put on the back, but it's definitely unique and eye-catching.  I also wouldn't worry about gold and white clashing - if Colombia and Argentina can both wear their home kits at the same time, you can probably get away with having gold on your clash kit here.

Other than that though?  Excellent work!  I haven't been commenting much because there hasn't been anything that needed input - your designs and inspirations are solid, and you execute them very well.  I'll give extra praise to Isla Vista because you definitely nailed that St. Pauli vibe with the brush strokes!  It honestly reminds me of some of their Under Armour kits where there was a painted effect.  Great work as always!

 

Thank you both very much for the very detailed suggestions for Amador County's kits! 

 

I went ahead and switched the designations of each kit, with the leaves being the new clash and the mine tunnel being the new home. The leaves look miiiles better on a red base, as it really makes the autumn colors stand out a lot more. I kept the overall vibe of the mine tunnel kit, but I changed the red gradient to a grayscale pattern and added a very subtle nod to Chaw'se on the golden parts of the home kit.

 

Spoiler

 

I'm also glad that you really enjoy the concepts (IVXI in particular) there, @FlyingLamprey! I'm intrigued about your California county flag project, have you posted those anywhere yet even if it's incomplete? I would love to see those!

 

---

 

Finishing up the Southwest Division, here's Thousand Oaks!

 

Southwest Division

Thousand Oaks SC

Thousand Oaks, California

Founded: 1989

 

 

The overall look for Thousand Oaks is a new adaptation of my Thousand Oaks Geofilter from March of last year, which creates a "1,000" out of three oak trees. For this adaptation, I moved the trees closer together (although I think it looks more like the cliche glasses disguise now) on a duotone color scheme to add some elegance to this design (Thousand Oaks and its surrounding cities are rather affluent).

 

The home kit is a simple, mint green kit with a pinstripe pattern inspired by the crest. The clash kit features a snakeskin pattern as the late Kobe Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy (now just known as "Sports Academy") is located in Thousand Oaks. A black sash* on the sleeve memorializes the thirteen victims of the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting as well as those affected by the Woolsey Fire that began the day after the shooting. The kits are supplied by Umbro, and the sponsor is Amgen.

 

*It's quite unfortunate that I've had to put too many black sashes on these 2019 kits across the CSL system

[MDTrey4]

I really like the Thousand Oaks logo after reading the explanation. On first glance, I thought it read as a Quidditch logo or something. Then I saw the 1 hiding in the shield. Kits are class.