ASL Reborn: American Soccer League (Alternate History) (13/18: Vegas Football Club)

[XenonDesigns]

Background:

Following the collapse of the initial ASL (1921-1931), a group of investors sought to revive the league in 1933 but this time they would hope to emulate other successful sports leagues by making the ASL more professional and lose the stigma of soccer being an "immigrant game." In this timeline, soccer would have taken more of a hold in the US than in ours but it is still behind baseball and football in terms of popularity. Some items of this alternate timeline require suspension of disbelief so if anything seems unrealistic it is probably just because I thought it would be a cool detail, such as several clubs playing in retro-fitted jewel box baseball grounds. 

 

Many clubs carry on their real-life identities but others are my own creation, especially as we move further West and South. I'm still working on a full history for those interested. I will post a link here once complete.

 

 

Map

 

Boston S.C.

Through the real history of the ASL, Boston had several different teams, some of which were successful. None had particularly interesting team names so I chose the most generic of the bunch.

 

The logo contains a unicorn which is inspired by the statue which sits atop the Old State House in downtown. The motto is taken from Boston's city seal and the stripes represent the city's involvement in the Revolutionary War.

(why is the last image larger?)

 

Note: My initial plan is to make stadium illustrations for each club but considering how long Boston's took, I won't guarantee that. In addition, unlike other topics I have began in the past, I already have a majority of the logos complete so this is a series which will be finished at some point. 

[XenonDesigns]

Cincinnati City F.C.

 

C&C appreciated!

[tylinho_10]

I dig the repurposing of those older stadiums. Boston and Cincy crests have a classic feel to em. Great start!

[StaatsBrett]

Also dig the reposed stadiums

[XenonDesigns]

Club Libertad

Club Libertad was founded in 1964 by Paraguayan-American business mogul Cristian Jimenez who wanted to capitalize on Los Angeles' Hispanic population by marketing a soccer club specifically to them. Jimenez was inspired by Paraguayan giant Libertad when choosing the club's name, merging his amateur team into his new ASL franchise. Since its inception, Libertad has been a high spender, often bringing in South American stars which has earned them immense popularity in East Los Angeles. Their primary rivals are Olympic Los Angeles who are regarded as the more "American" or upper-class team which has led to dangerous situations and significant animosity between fans.

 

Estadio Jimenez was once the site of a small soccer ground with only a few small bleachers. After joining the ASL, Libertad constructed a 10,000 seat stadium. Over the years it has expanded to 50,000 seats making it one of the biggest in the league. Libertad ownership has on several occasions attempted to move the team from Jimenez but pushback from fans has halted those moves. Although fan protest has lead to the successful preservation of a historic ground, it also has given one of the ASL's biggest clubs an increasingly deteriorating home. Some fans take pride in this as their image as a "working-class" club is seen in their organic stadium.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[Bomba Tomba]

Love that peach color

[PERRIN]

This series is off to an amazing start! I'm loving all the crests and classic imagery so far, and the amount of detail put into stadium designs and backstories is impressive. I'll be following closely, looking forward to what you put together in the future!

[XenonDesigns]

New York Field Club

NYFC is one of the ASL's most storied franchises with a league leading 16 titles all-time. The club is a modern day juggernaut and always a high spender on world class talent. They played home games at the Polo Grounds until they became its only tenant in the 70s. The stadium was becoming unusable and decrepit so they moved to Shea Stadium before constructing their own park in Queens. Roosevelt Stadium is a recent construction meant to be flashy and modern. The crest of the team was designed at the same time, giving NYFC a sleek look in a new era of their history. Despite the new look and spectacular stadium, NYFC fans have never forgotten their roots and take delight in making sure the rest of the league know they have the most trophies in history.

[tigers]

Fantastic.

Do the teams have nicknames or fan supporter names you could include?

[XenonDesigns]

Chicago Wanderers

One of the most successful ASL teams in history, Chicago Wanderers are a club with diehard support and a perennially competitive team. The Wanderers used to share Chicago with the Chicago Stars but they left for Los Angeles in 1960. Since then, the Wanderers have dominated Chicago. In 2016, the Wanderers won their first double, capturing the League Title and Lewis Cup.

 

Construction at the Morgan Park ground began in 1941 but halted during WWII with the entrance of Chicago Wanderers as an expansion team pushed back as well. The ASL continued play through the war with many rosters significantly depleted. In order to drum up excitement for the eventual expansion team, several matches were held at Morgan Park while it was still incomplete. Capacity was raised to 45,000 by 2003 when a massive overhaul preserved the Wanderers home. Morgan Park served as a basis for many soccer-specific stadiums built in the mid-century including in Detroit, St. Louis, Brooklyn and San Francisco.

 

 

Also, here's the logo for the playoff trophy, the Lewis Cup. The Lewis Cup was the ASL's league cup for many years in our timeline. In this universe, it would have been abandoned until 1970 when it was re-introduced as a playoff tournament to generate more revenue. Chicago won the "first" Lewis Cup playoffs and are actually tied for the most all-time with NYFC (8 each).

 

The top six clubs qualify for the Lewis Cup playoffs. All matches are two-legs including the final. The winner qualifies for the Continental Cup.

It was very difficult to find any pictures of the trophy, let alone a high-quality one but I made it work.

 

 

 

On 8/24/2022 at 7:53 PM, tigers said:

Fantastic.

Do the teams have nicknames or fan supporter names you could include?

Thanks! I haven't really put much thought into nicknames. Some clubs do have actual names beyond "FC" and whatnot, like the Wanderers. Maybe as I continue to develop the lore I will be able to come up with some interesting and organic nicknames.

[PascalHugo]

I really like it! Amazing the illustration of all the stadiums!

[zoads82]

Very impressive with the stadium designs

[Bomba Tomba]

NY looks good, but I'd probably hate them IRL

[XenonDesigns]

CF Miami

Miami was one of the big markets of the NPSL, the rival league of the ASL which began play in the 60s. Initially the NPSL was viewed as an amateur league but that quickly changed as its wealthy clubs began raiding the ASL. In response, a series of mergers took place which saw the ASL purchase various NPSL franchises, including Miami in 1972. As stated below, despite a great fanbase, Miami has struggled to gain consistent success on the field. It took the team 33 years to win their first League Title but things are looking up as all three of their total trophies have come within the past 15 years. 

 

Wynnwood Park has been witness to many losing seasons and a few relegations. Ownership desperately wants to build a new stadium, an idea which is supported by the fans as the current setup with a running track makes the field distant from the stands. But, the club only leases the arena which complicates the situation. 

 

Thanks for the feedback guys!

[VampyrRabbit]

No way would a team in Miami that was playing in that leased stadium and struggled for much of it's existance have a large fanbase. They would almost certainly be playing to a half empty stadium at best.

I do like the colours of the badge, which are pretty, but the badge looks very cookie cutter. Something with Art Deco fonts and inspired by the Miami Beach Art deco district would work a lot better with the great looking pink and blue colours.

[LaGrandeOrange]

The stadia are really cool! What software are you using?

[XenonDesigns]

Brookhattan

League Titles: 1938, 1948, 1954, 1960 (4)

Lewis Cups: 1999, 2010, 2015 (3)

Brookhattan first joined the old ASL in 1933 and then re-joined the revived-ASL after the first league's collapse. In this timeline Brookhattan is not a big spender but rather focuses on building their academy and reserve team. After the New York Nationals relocated to San Francisco in 1962, most of their fans came to support Brookhattan because there was less animosity between the two teams than there was between NYFC and the Nationals. This would lead to a new rivalry being formed between the only two clubs remaining in New York which has remained contentious for decades. Following the National's departure, Brookhattan embraced a splash of red into their club branding to appeal to their newly converted fans.

 

Hawthorne Field was once home to the Brooklyn Wanderers, although I can't find its exact location today. In this timeline, Brookhattan builds the field into a proper ground, slowly expanding over time. Brookhattan is not nearly as wealthy or successful as their cross-town rivals which is reflected in the state of the stadiums. Still, Hawthorne Field is a decent stadium nestled within a Brooklyn neighborhood that is typically full on matchdays.

 

On 8/27/2022 at 10:37 AM, alexandre said:

The stadia are really cool! What software are you using?

Sketchup to model the basic shapes and get the correct perspectives. Then I trace it with Illustrator. 

 

On 8/26/2022 at 8:34 PM, VampyrRabbitDesign said:

No way would a team in Miami that was playing in that leased stadium and struggled for much of it's existance have a large fanbase. They would almost certainly be playing to a half empty stadium at best.

I do like the colours of the badge, which are pretty, but the badge looks very cookie cutter. Something with Art Deco fonts and inspired by the Miami Beach Art deco district would work a lot better with the great looking pink and blue colours.

Didn't necessarily mean they have great attendance but I think due to the city's cosmopolitan nature they club wouldn't find it difficult to advertise themselves much like Inter Miami. 

The crest did cause me some issues in terms of inspiration but I wanted to go for a sort of South American style monogram which I tried many different ways to implement. The best solution ended up being a simple roundel, despite the fact that I tend to dislike roundels lol. 

[Section30]

Absolutely loving this series so far, the crests are incredible.

 

I'm really hoping we get a team here in Minnesota

[BigRed618]

You aren’t the first one to try to revive the ASL, but I always love seeing people's different ideas on what might have been. Boston is my favorite so far

[XenonDesigns]

St. Louis S.C.

St. Louis received an ASL club in the 1936 when Fall River relocated due to financial struggles. During the 20s, a national championship game was held between the champions of the ASL and St Louis Soccer League, which shows just how popular the sport was in St. Louis. In this timeline, expansion to St. Louis would come early as an attempt to capitalize on the market. St. Louis would be the first team outside of the northeast, soon joined by Cincinnati and Chicago.

 

Taylor Park is one of the grounds inspired by Chicago's soccer-built stadium. A recent renovation effort has expanded the grandstand, added a modern glass facade, and built two entirely new stands. St. Louis initially had very strong attendances which dwindled as the team failed to produce title winning seasons until the 70s and 80s when they won five trophies. Again, the team slumped for decades however since pro/rel was implemented in 1986, St. Louis has only been relegated once and their academy continues to produce top players. Spurred on by more on-field investment alongside the stadium upgrades, St. Louis won their sixth league title in 2019 following an almost 40 year drought.

 

 

On 8/29/2022 at 12:58 AM, Section30 said:

Absolutely loving this series so far, the crests are incredible.

 

I'm really hoping we get a team here in Minnesota

Thanks! Minneapolis received an expansion team in 1978 but at the moment I have them in the second division meaning they were relegated recently. I probably will end up doing the second division as well, maybe without the stadiums and jerseys though.