Sodboy13 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Okay, I know I'm not a soccer/football aficionado like many posting in this thread, but I stand by my line of defense: When you make contrived efforts like "Real Salt Lake" and "Houston 1836" to associate yourself with Euro soccer, you come across as a pale knockoff unable to show any originality or creativity. NASL fans in the 70s and 80s didn't have an issue with "Americanized" team names - why is so crucial to have Euro-sounding names now? European teams have their own methods for naming, and we have ours. Stealing from their pool of ideas doesn't magically increase the credibility or cachet of the league stateside. Nor is it going to suddenly impress Europeans and encourage an invite to the UEFA Champions Cup.If Houston does go ahead with the "1836" moniker, let me be the first to make the yuk-yuk of many a local sportscaster: "In soccer last night, it was Houston 1836, New England 2, wow what a blowout, ha-ha-ha." (Okay, it still pales to the "Burn over the Wiz" one I got to do on a broadcast in high school. But you get my point.)Oh, and "Chicago Fire" is definitely not a goofy-sounding singular name. It's classy and timeless, with an identity package to match. Amazingly, it manages to be very "soccer" without having to resort to the likes of FC Inter Chicago or some such rubbish. And it's about a million times better than the "Chicago Rhythm" identity Nike attempted to shove down our throats initially, complete with cobra logo. On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said: For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA. PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosioux76 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I'm a big fan of associating MLS teams with European-style names. But I'm someone who gets the connection.I'm curious as to what MLS officials are thinking when they allow a Real Salt Lake. There has to be some sort of logic applied to incorporating European-styled names into American culture, where it's largely unrecognized. Do they hope that, in learning the reasons for the names, that fans study the Euorpean game and become soccer fans? I know that happened with me. I've recently become a huge fan of European soccer and, by extension, now follow the MLS and USL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordie_delini Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 what I don't get about Real Salt Lake is that "Real" is Spanish for "Royal" - there is no monarchy in Utah - forget the Spanish name - what about the lack of a Monarchy? Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VitaminD Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 NASL fans in the 70s and 80s didn't have an issue with "Americanized" team names NASL fans seemed to have plenty of other issues, seeing as how the league's gone and replaced by MLS. Even with Pele, Chinaglia, George Best, the NASL failed. Though I doubt that the style of team names is the linchpin upon which the whole MLS success or failure rests, what you see as a lack of creativity is seen by others as a nice homage to the Euro leagues.I'll concede that I like Chicago Fire. It is appropriate for the city the team is based in, and it works. But it's still a singular name, which are usually associated with smaller, less "big-time" leagues (WNBA, minor league baseball). Major league baseball and the NFL have already said no collective noun team names, and the NBA and NHL haven't had one in over a decade. Yet MLS is littered with them. I'd rather see them work in a nod to the most successful leagues in the world than saddle a new team with another crappy name. MLS trusts that its names strike a chord with the audience it's seeking: American soccer fans, who tend to get the references.As for other issues:- HOUSTON 2006 would sound as good as 1836, and would be both more accurate and less an attempt at forcing history. Although Houston Arsenal would rock!- Salt Lake is as good a place as any to use the "royal" nickname. No American city is under a royal banner, and if/when Toronto gets a team, a Spanish nickname would seem odd for Canada.- a XXXX [day of the week] would be a good idea, although I'd like to see other leagues get a nod before going back to the FA. Something from Serie A (Inter Toronto, AC Philadelphia), the Russian Premier League (Seattle Dynamo, Spartak Houston), French Ligue 1 (Olympique Baltimore) or the Dutch 1st Division (PSV Raleigh). "Start spreading the news... They're leavin' today... Won't get to be a part of it... In old New York..."In order for the Mets' run of 12 losses in 17 games to mean something, the Phillies still had to win 13 of 17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr79 Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 As for other issues:- HOUSTON 2006 would sound as good as 1836, and would be both more accurate and less an attempt at forcing history. Although Houston Arsenal would rock!- Salt Lake is as good a place as any to use the "royal" nickname. No American city is under a royal banner, and if/when Toronto gets a team, a Spanish nickname would seem odd for Canada.- a XXXX [day of the week] would be a good idea, although I'd like to see other leagues get a nod before going back to the FA. Something from Serie A (Inter Toronto, AC Philadelphia), the Russian Premier League (Seattle Dynamo, Spartak Houston), French Ligue 1 (Olympique Baltimore) or the Dutch 1st Division (PSV Raleigh). I don't see the need to pointlessly copy the names of European clubs... it comes across as very fake and well... like they're trying too hard. A simple FC Wherever is simple enough and will do the job fine. I know that probably doesn't suit the marketing gurus at MLS but the fans won't care and to be honest given past MLS efforts their names are more likely to turn potential fans away than to attract them. MLS needs to think of its teams being like college football or basketball. Having boring names like Pennsylvania State or University of North Carolina never stopped those teams from having massive support or marketing success, and the teams developed their own identity over time, and because the fans were part of it, they feel more a part of the team.European soccer clubs are very similar in their support and history to college sports in the US... tribal fanbase, simple identities, focus on the sport itself and less of the hype, and I think it'd be a great guide for MLS.Anyway... I'm rambling How about Olympic Salt Lake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawk36 Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Euro names, South American names, etc. for soccer teams are simply the proper way to name a team who plays soccer. Those who don't get it need to take off their American blinders and realize that we (Americans) do not make ALL the rules. We make the naming systems for our sports; Football, Basketball, Baseball, etc. since we invented those sports. We should defer to those who have a much longer history with soccer (Europeans) when selecting names for those teams. Design Hovie Studios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VitaminD Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 I don't see the need to pointlessly copy the names of European clubs... it comes across as very fake and well... like they're trying too hard. A simple FC Wherever is simple enough and will do the job fine. I know that probably doesn't suit the marketing gurus at MLS but the fans won't care and to be honest given past MLS efforts their names are more likely to turn potential fans away than to attract them. MLS needs to think of its teams being like college football or basketball. Having boring names like Pennsylvania State or University of North Carolina never stopped those teams from having massive support or marketing success, and the teams developed their own identity over time, and because the fans were part of it, they feel more a part of the team.European soccer clubs are very similar in their support and history to college sports in the US... tribal fanbase, simple identities, focus on the sport itself and less of the hype, and I think it'd be a great guide for MLS.Anyway... I'm rambling How about Olympic Salt Lake? A couple problems with your ideas:1. MLS doesn't have the 100 or so years to build up tribal fan bases and team histories. The league sponsors won't be that patient, and the sport is so much newer to the US than the sports it's competing with (baseball, football, basketball) that it needs to make up for lost time. The best way to do that is to appeal to people who've already followed the game. Those fans get the links more than the casual fan, who's likely to be biased against the game to start with. That said, I'm still all for emulating famous names from overseas. Upstart leagues in other countries do the same in reverse - look at teams in the British pro basketball and hockey leagues; instead of "Athletic Club XXX" they adhere to American naming conventions (city, nickname). Why? Because it's a stronger tie to the more established leagues (NBA, NHL) they're seeking to resemble. The British could've used Swedish, Czech or Russian naming conventions for hockey, but chose to go across the pond for their inspiration. So it is with MLS, except rather than settling on one monotonous design, like "FC XXX", they're picking and choosing from among all the big Euro leagues.2. Your notion that MLS is like college sports is horribly misguided. For one, MLS is far behind college sports, which have the benefit of decades of competition and the establishment of rivalries and unique traditions; MLS is still in its infancy. For two, MLS seeks to be seen as "big league", and steering them to be like a college program will thwart their aim. For three, the reason schools get away with "bland" names yet have support is because they're schools. It's that intuitive. Every person who attends that school has a tie to it. The athletic teams fielded by the school represent that school on the national and world stage, and represent every alum of the school. Most fans of a school have a personal tie far deeper than just liking a team for its name. When I went to college, I accepted that school as my favorite team, and the colors, nicknames and traditions became mine. I have no such personal ties toward any sports teams. The closest you could argue for would be liking a team my parents like. Can't say that's true either; Dad likes the Cardinals, Mom likes the Yankees, I like the Twins. Dad likes the Dolphins, Mom likes the Vikings, I like the Eagles. And so on.Schools don't need catchy names because the vast majority of them are hundreds of years old, and have established their legitimacy long before the advent of big-time, big-money college athletics. The MLS is trying to come of age in the era of instant gratification and hype and self-promotion. They don't have the luxury of starting in the 1880s and slowing building themselves the way baseball or college sports did. "Start spreading the news... They're leavin' today... Won't get to be a part of it... In old New York..."In order for the Mets' run of 12 losses in 17 games to mean something, the Phillies still had to win 13 of 17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosioux76 Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 The new jersey styles were officially unveiled Friday:MLSnet.comIt also says the new Houston team will unveil its identity next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Is this the new jersey? Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturn Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Euro names, South American names, etc. for soccer teams are simply the proper way to name a team who plays soccer. Those who don't get it need to take off their American blinders and realize that we (Americans) do not make ALL the rules. The problem with that is that we are not Europe or South America. Instead of acting as posers how about we come up with original names, which by the way, can still be classy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 For those unaware, or who are remiss in their Texas history, "1836" is the year Texas declared its independence from Mexico. They were annexed into the U.S. in 1845.That being said, "1836" as a team name would still suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puckguy14 Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Oh sure. Adidas makes a cool jersey for the Earthquakes and now have no team to use it. 2004 San Jose Sharks 7th Man Fan of the Year San Jose Gold Miners - 4x Lombardi Cup Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiddySicks Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Oh sure. Adidas makes a cool jersey for the Earthquakes and now have no team to use it. You watch, Houston's new Kits are gonna be in that exact same style too. On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said: She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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