MLS Kits 2021

[Digby]

If I wanted every MLS game to look the same I’d just watch a regular weekend of black or dark navy versus white jerseys, am I right 

[Brian in Boston]

On 5/15/2021 at 2:38 AM, ffdb38 said:

Changing the logo without consulting the supporters right or wrong ugly or not was a choice the owner made- an owner who felt he needed to globalise the brand. He has saved the team that the supporters wanted saved he built a stadium closer to the downtown area that would help the team thrive. Have the colours changed- no. Can you still call them the Crew- yes it's encouraged. I'm not crew supporter I'm a fan of the league ( I'm a bit partial to LAFC because it's my home state) I live in England 4 blocks from Man United and see their supporters protesting against the ownership because of what they did to harm the name of the club and football in general. Supporters support the team- the colours. They should be more concerned about their strikers not scoring enough not how ugly a logo is. I can think of 2 major teams in Italy that have changed their logo recently that didn't consult the supporters in order to globalise their brand- Juventus and Inter Milan. The supporters weren't exactly happy but the colours didn't change and neither did their adopted nicknames

Spare us the Haslam worship.
 

Jimmy and Dee Haslam wouldn't have even had the chance to secure investor/operator rights to MLS soccer in Columbus if Crew supporters hadn't organized the #SaveTheCrew campaign. Said supporters agitated to such an extent that Ohio's attorney general cited the state's "Modell Law" and brought suit against both Major League Soccer and Precourt Sports Ventures over the proposed relocation of the franchise to Austin, Texas. Further, it was the #SaveTheCrew movement's lobbying of political and business leaders in the City of Columbus that induced the Columbus Partnership to approach MLS HQ and begin conversations that ultimately resulted in the Haslam and Edwards families being identified as potential new Crew investor/operators and led to a public-private partnership committing to build a new soccer-specific stadium for the team.

Now, nearly 2-1/2 years on from the dismissal of the State of Ohio and City of Columbus lawsuit against MLS and Precourt Sports Ventures that effectively resulted in the transfer of the Columbus Crew SC investor/operator rights to the Haslam and Edwards families, die-hard supporters of the team are - for all intents and purposes - once again being told to know their place, pipe down, and be grateful that they even have a Major League Soccer team to root on.

Apparently, we're to believe that the Haslams know better than the team's supporters what's best for Columbus Crew - pardon, Columbus SC - soccer. It makes perfect sense. After all, having been a part of the Columbus pro soccer scene for a couple of years, it stands to reason that a pair of carpet-bagging Tennesseans by way of Cleveland would know the ins and outs of MLS in Ohio's state capital better than the diehards who have poured their hearts and souls into the local side for two-and-a-half-plus decades. Further, when it comes to sports branding, the Haslams' track-record speaks for itself. Case in point: have the Cleveland Browns ever looked better than they did during their five seasons - 2015 through 2019 - sporting Arena Football League togs? 

Now, some folks would argue, "Hey, go easy on the Haslams! Things have been pretty damned good under their leadership. They've delivered an MLS Cup championship and a soccer-specific stadium to Crew supporters." True. Of course, it can be countered that Columbus soccer supporters had already known what it was like to see their club capture the MLS Cup championship - and a U.S. Open Cup title and three Supporters' Shields, to boot - before the Haslams arrived on the scene. As for a soccer-specific stadium, original Crew investor/operator Lamar Hunt built the first in MLS history. So, while the latest league title and the new stadium are appreciated, they're no reason to blindly swear fealty to the new investor/operators and simply accept every initiative they wish to undertake with a club that's in its 26th season of existence.

We've been told that this rebrand was undertaken in order to make the club relevant on the global soccer scene. If anyone at MLS HQ or on the Columbus management team truly believes that this new Columbus SC brand package is going to achieve global relevance simply by being introduced and aping international soccer branding practices... well, frankly, they need their heads examined.

The truth of the matter is that no MLS club was likely ever more globally relevant than Columbus Crew SC during the #SaveTheCrew campaign. The #SaveTheCrew effort stands as the moment in time when a group of American soccer supporters took their genuine, deep-seated love for the sport and leveraged it to achieve a truly significant end. And make no mistake, saving an original MLS team from being relocated to another market 1,200-plus miles away was a momentous accomplishment. If there's one thing that those who love soccer worldwide could identify with - and respect - it was the commitment, effort, and passion that Crew supporters poured into saving their club. That resonated on the global soccer stage more than any City, CF, FC, Inter, Real, SC, Sporting, or United that MLS will ever affix to a team identity.

Personally, I can't help but believe that at some level this rebrand of MLS soccer in Columbus is all about marking territory and exerting control. It's all about sending the message that the power vested in the Haslams' money and the league's single entity structure are still calling the shots. It's meant to communicate that, despite the victory that the #SaveTheCrew campaign achieved, supporters aren't truly partners in building the MLS brand of soccer at the professional level in the United States and Canada. Rather, they're merely consumers of a product who will be tolerated so long as they remember their place. MLS brass love the supporters when they're re-upping season ticket packages and providing content for photo spreads on the league and club websites. However, when the supporters have the audacity to voice their opinions about issues such as franchise relocations, ownership of rivalry cup trademark rights, in-stadium pyrotechnic displays, or team branding... well, then the ingrates need to be slapped down.    

Will Crew supporters - and, by extension, their peers who live and die for and with Major League Soccer's other member-clubs - accept such a dynamic in the relationship with club investor/operators and league executives? It strikes me that said question - which is at the heart the battle now shaping up over this egregiously tone-deaf team rebrand - represents a watershed moment in MLS history. The powers-that-be calling the shots for the teams and the league are hoping that the supporters "blink". They don't even want to think about what type of precedent it would set if they were forced to walk back - quite publicly, I would add - a second effort to change the status quo of MLS soccer in the Columbus market.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Having witnessed the overwhelmingly negative reaction from Columbus Crew supporters (as well as other MLS enthusiasts, soccer aficionados in general, branding professionals, and media outlets at large), are the Haslams and their management team willing to walk back the rebrand? What role will MLS Commissioner Don Garber play in determining the outcome of this conflict? While it's debatable just how much of a role - if any - Garber played in moving this rebrand forward, he is the figure who was apparently aware of the Austin, Texas relocation clause in Anthony Precourt's investor/operator agreement. That being the case, if the Haslams are forced to walk this rebrand back, will it be considered a rebuke for Garber? After all, this would be another high-profile victory for supporters in the Columbus market on the watch of "The Soccer Don".

 

 

[upperV03]

The kit assignment graphic showed them going red/white/white, but Dallas ended up wearing red socks yesterday at Minnesota:

 

They've now worn five different kit combos in their first five games of the season; red/blue/red, red/white/white, light blue/blue/blue, red/blue/blue, and now red/white/red.

[tBBP]

3 hours ago, upperV03 said:

The kit assignment graphic showed them going red/white/white, but Dallas ended up wearing red socks yesterday at Minnesota:

 

They've now worn five different kit combos in their first five games of the season; red/blue/red, red/white/white, light blue/blue/blue, red/blue/blue, and now red/white/red.

 

I'm not sure how to process Minnesota here...I mean, on the one hand graphite is at least unique among MLS, but on the other hand...it may be the lighting, or maybe their shade of blue is just too saturated PLUS that kit doesn't use enough of it...or maybe the whole thing looked better in USL when they had the black wing thing across the front...but man, those kits need something, anything... they're just too blah.

[DEAD!]

So Columbus puts two stars VERTICALLY? 

This rebranding really is a cluster****

 

Oh.... right never mind. I forgot how the MLS star system works.

 

[PrimalCookie]

5 hours ago, tBBP said:

 

I'm not sure how to process Minnesota here...I mean, on the one hand graphite is at least unique among MLS, but on the other hand...it may be the lighting, or maybe their shade of blue is just too saturated PLUS that kit doesn't use enough of it...or maybe the whole thing looked better in USL when they had the black wing thing across the front...but man, those kits need something, anything... they're just too blah.

They do have the wing across the front.

[tBBP]

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

They do have the wing across the front.

 

Ah-- didn't see that in the above pic. Thanks. 

 

Now that I do see it, though...why does it look like someone colored that on with magic marker??

[Saturn]

On 5/16/2021 at 1:09 AM, Brian in Boston said:

Personally, I can't help but believe that at some level this rebrand of MLS soccer in Columbus is all about marking territory and exerting control. It's all about sending the message that the power vested in the Haslams' money and the league's single entity structure are still calling the shots. It's meant to communicate that, despite the victory that the #SaveTheCrew campaign achieved, supporters aren't truly partners in building the MLS brand of soccer at the professional level in the United States and Canada. Rather, they're merely consumers of a product who will be tolerated so long as they remember their place. MLS brass love the supporters when they're re-upping season ticket packages and providing content for photo spreads on the league and club websites. However, when the supporters have the audacity to voice their opinions about issues such as franchise relocations, ownership of rivalry cup trademark rights, in-stadium pyrotechnic displays, or team branding... well, then the ingrates need to be slapped down.    

Will Crew supporters - and, by extension, their peers who live and die for and with Major League Soccer's other member-clubs - accept such a dynamic in the relationship with club investor/operators and league executives?

 

 

Yeah, if they start actually winning the CCL and being better than FMF teams on a consistent basis after 25+ years of trying. Nice of MLS to give us SOME "throwback" gear after 15+ years of people clamoring for it. I guess all the lost revenue from Corona helped them remember who pays their bills.

[Digby]

17 hours ago, tBBP said:

 

Ah-- didn't see that in the above pic. Thanks. 

 

Now that I do see it, though...why does it look like someone colored that on with magic marker??

that was a big “thing” last year for adidas and MLS, see also Dallas and New England and arguably Seattle.

[MJWalker45]

On 5/16/2021 at 12:09 AM, Brian in Boston said:

Will Crew supporters - and, by extension, their peers who live and die for and with Major League Soccer's other member-clubs - accept such a dynamic in the relationship with club investor/operators and league executives? It strikes me that said question - which is at the heart the battle now shaping up over this egregiously tone-deaf team rebrand - represents a watershed moment in MLS history. The powers-that-be calling the shots for the teams and the league are hoping that the supporters "blink". They don't even want to think about what type of precedent it would set if they were forced to walk back - quite publicly, I would add - a second effort to change the status quo of MLS soccer in the Columbus market.

 

 

We've already seen they (the fans and supporter groups across MLS) don't buy that this is how things will work, with the Save the Crew movement becoming a worldwide phenomenon that some people didn't think would end up well for Crew fans. The most annoying part of this rebrand is that the weakest logo they rolled out is the primary logo and they haven't even bothered to make a version of that badge with white lettering for when it's on a dark background. The most infuriating part of this was that the LGBTQ jerseys are made with the new badge, not the badge that the team is actually wearing this season. They'll get a few new sales from people that want to get the "new hotness" but that won't be the fans that spents a year trying to make sure the PSV didn't get it's way in 2017-2018 instead of 2021. 

[spartacat_12]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:48 AM, ffdb38 said:

Manchester United = Red Devils  Arsenal= Gunners  Everton=Toffees West Brom =Baggies........ Their supporters have chants with those nicknames. I'm sure there are chants with the 'Crew' that will still be sung by the supporters (probably even louder now) but if you are a supporter and you want to jump off the bus because of this then you really aren't a true supporter are you.

 

The difference is that those nicknames have always been organic, unofficial monikers. It's not like the club was originally the Arsenal Gunners, built up brand equity with the name in the community, then decided "We're going to change the name to Arsenal FC...but you can still call them the Gunners if you want".

 

And if you think supporters are questioning their allegiances simply because they don't like the name/badge, you need to look at the bigger picture. The few that were actually consulted told ownership that the rebrand would be a disaster, and that it would cause them to lose fans. The club completely ignored this feedback, and essentially said "we'll just get new fans instead". That's a quick way to destroy a relationship with your biggest supporters.

[officeglenn]

Wonder where this might be heading?

 

 

[aawagner011]

10 minutes ago, officeglenn said:

Wonder where this might be heading?

 

 

This is interesting because the same thing happened with Chicago and yet I thought the merchandising pipeline was already approved for ~2 years, ensuring they had to wear the new crest before being able to change again.

[AnPheitseog]

Just now, aawagner011 said:

This is interesting because the same thing happened with Chicago and yet I thought the merchandising pipeline was already approved for ~2 years, ensuring they had to wear the new crest before being able to change again.

I'm going to imagine that they have to wear the new crest for two years, but they'll fully reembrace the crew name and make it part of the legal name again.

[BrySmalls]

It's got to be a joint statement on the rebrand. Maybe they will get a do-over.

 

[AnPheitseog]

Good

[Digby]

The Columbus SC era after two games, two losses, zero goals, probably a lot of money flushed down the drain. 

[burgundy]

 

 

They're still keeping the crappy C flag logo, but we'll take what we can get.

 

[WBeltz]

It also sounds like the 96 is being added into the flag outline. Does that mean the new crest since it looks like the Ohio flag? Or a different logo with that shape?

[burgundy]

2 minutes ago, WBeltz said:

It also sounds like the 96 is being added into the flag outline. Does that mean the new crest since it looks like the Ohio flag? Or a different logo with that shape?

 

Probably replacing the random triangle with 96.