Colorado Rapids now the Colorado Arsenal?

[notkirkcameron]

The argument for "Oh they can rename themselves Arsenal because their stadium is on an old arsenal" doesn't hold water for me.

Honestly ask yourself. If there WASN'T a team in England called Arsenal, would the name even be considered?

[Gothamite]

So, it's the previously unveiled badge with a new name. At least this makes more sense with the new name, since the prevailing comment was why a logo for a team called the Rapids didn't have any water on it.

The current Colorado Rapids logo doesn't have any water on it, either.

[zig]

I doubt it, given the number of typos.

Probably somebody from BigSoccer.

Yeah

Well it got changed back but the new logo is still there

[DGivens87]

It looks like the logo on the homepage is gray-ed out...weird!

[OB33]

Manchester United D.C. FC. There, I said it.

Fixed

[Nick 1733]

They just announced on 9News here that the Rapids are changing their colors (we knew that) and probably a name change as well, so take that what it's worth.

[Viper]

Someone earlier mentioned that Colorado's new colors are like West Ham United's (not to mention Aston Villa's). They also bear a striking resemblance to a certain other Colorado team whose nickname begins with an A (which I presume was what they were actually going for).

Evidently they got tired of being upstaged by their division rivals (Houston beating them in the playoffs and winning the MLS Cup, Real Salt Lake acquiring Freddy Adu, the LA Galaxy signing David Beckham) and decided it was their turn to make a big splash. Although in their case, it was more like a belly-flop of Buffaslug proportions. I was thinking about doing an MLS sig series, but that would mean I'd have to do a sig for these... these... usurpers! There's only one Arsenal, and only one side called Gunners, and that's the one from London.

[TruColor]

They just announced on 9News here that the Rapids are changing their colors (we knew that) and probably a name change as well, so take that what it's worth.

Strange But Drew...

Hey Nick - you as sick of snow as I am?

[AJM]

Definately a shame...of all the remaining American-style MLS clubs, Rapids was great. Hopefully this press conference will include a moment of silence for the death of a quality name.

If the Chicago Fire ever change their name, I will hang myself.

[Krona]

Boo-Hoo Boo-Hoo. I watched the MLS when they had crappy names, I watch them now. If you really dont like the euro-centric names that much, don't watch the MLS. I'm pretty much out of steam when it comes to arguing for the newer, better names. It's just better this way, alright. American names for an American sport, international names for an international sport.

[Gothamite]

On the whole, I agree.

But if you're going to steal another team's name, ride their coattails, you should have an agreement with them.

Real Salt Lake did. Colorado ought to.

[AJM]

Honestly, it doesn't matter if a MLS team has an American-style or Euro-style name...I only care if it's unique and original and the change from Colorado Rapids to Colorado Arsenal is a definate downgrade.

[Discrim]

I woulda gone with Colorado Armory myself...armory and arsenal, in the literal sense, mean about the same thing (place where military weapons are stored), and unlike the latter name, Armory's not taken by any world-famous futbol club. It'd be Euro-sounding like MLS seems to want now, but not a complete ripoff.

on RSL: their home kit's actually modeled after the Spanish national team, not Barca (it'd be striped, not solid red, if that were the case).

[Nick 1733]

They just announced on 9News here that the Rapids are changing their colors (we knew that) and probably a name change as well, so take that what it's worth.

Strange But Drew...

Hey Nick - you as sick of snow as I am?

Yea, I'm sure I am. I'm just curious as to what people who just recently moved here are thinking.

Back on topic, I don't like soccer, but the Rapids had a very unique name and I hate that they are changing it, especially since it's already taken by a European futbol club.

[Saturn]

Wow, great! Yet another POSER team.

[-Helix-]

Boo-Hoo Boo-Hoo. I watched the MLS when they had crappy names, I watch them now. If you really dont like the euro-centric names that much, don't watch the MLS. I'm pretty much out of steam when it comes to arguing for the newer, better names. It's just better this way, alright. American names for an American sport, international names for an international sport.

I don't watch the MLS and I'll continue not to. I'd rather watch the REAL Arsenal or the REAL Chivas thank you. International sport or not, it's an AMERICAN league. Why should an American league use European club names? Just makes the MLS look like a second rate joke that needs gimmicks like ripped off names to get people's interest.

European hockey teams use similar names to European soccer teams. You don't see Sparta Toronto or Eis Hockei Klub New York or CSKA Dallas or HV71 San Jose in the NHL do you? Same can be said for Basketball and NBA teams too.

The fact that it's an international sport is a silly argument. Every region of the globe has different sport team naming traditions.

[Lee.]

By that logic then, all NFLE teams will henceforth be required to use European-styled names.

Also, opinions on the Barcelona Dragons' "name change" to "FC Barcelona Dragons" after their sponsorship with the real FC Barcelona kicked in.

[IceCap]

By that logic then, all NFLE teams will henceforth be required to use European-styled names.

Also, opinions on the Barcelona Dragons' "name change" to "FC Barcelona Dragons" after their sponsorship with the real FC Barcelona kicked in.

Exactly, American football teams in Europe use American style names. Why? Because American football with American sounding names, regardless of the location, seems right.

The same goes for soccer. It's an international game, and teams should feature international names. It just seems right.

So all of you who hate MLS adopting traditional soccer names, do you want NFLE teams to adopt more European-style names? Because it's the same concept, that is if you don't factor in the general self-centred view Americans have of their country, which is apparently what causes this MLS/NFLE double standard.

And for the record, European hockey has just as much North American style names, if not more then, European style names.

The fact remains that MLS tried to "Americanize" the sport. What was the result? TV time-outs, garish uniforms (it was 1996 after all) and some really bad names. What was the result? Traditional soccer fans were alienated and American fans who were never big soccer fans didn't tune in.

Now that MLS has come to realize that they will never appeal to the average American fan they're doing what they they should have been doing from day one; appealing to traditional soccer fans, and that means traditional names.

What's the one team in MLS today that has kept its identity pretty much intact since the early days of the league? D.C. United. What kind of name/uniform style is that?

Say what you will, but most of the European-style names are improvements over the American-style names they replaced, and teams who kept their American-style names but went to a more traditional identity have improved their image as well. Even Real Salt Lake isn't that bad considering they have a tie to Real Madrid.

As a fan of the emerging Toronto FC, I'm happy they went with a traditional name over something lame like "Blizzard" or "Northmen".

As for the potential Colorado Arsenal business, I will agree that's a little lame. Using internationally accepted elements like "Dynamo", "FC", and "United" is one thing, but to use an actual name from an other team is kind of lame. Either make a deal with the EPL Arsenal or go with "Armory" like Discrim suggested. It means the same thing, sounds like a traditional soccer name, and isn't a complete rip-off.

I will say this though, all MLS teams that use "FC" should replace it with "SC".

[gordie_delini]

so with the SC logic, should every team in Germany go with the FK? Should every team in Italy be AC? Let's think about this - when the game became widely popular, many Englishmen abroad were involved in the founding of now famous and successful clubs (i.e. FC Internazionale di Milano) - MOST football clubs around the world adopted the English tradition of calling their teams, whether the sport be called soccer in their language or football, fussball, etc., chose to name their team as "Football Club". I don't find anything wrong at all with MLS' use of the FC moniker, and for the most part, the US is the only country that refers to the game as something other than "football" - even in other languages it usually still translates to "football". It's traditional, it's the world's game, and we in the US are trying to get on board. Sure, if some teams wanted to go with SC that would be fine, but with the league trying to enhance its reputation and quality, especially in the eyes of the world football community, it would make good marketing sense to refer to the club as FC.

[Bleujayone]

It would be the height of irony if things came almost full circle and Major League Soccer's franchises opted to borrow BOTH team brands and rosters from international club sides. If that were the case, I guess New England Revolution fans would be pulling for Bob Kraft to build his club a new soccer-specific stadium in one of Boston's near northern neighbors... oh, let's say Chelsea, Massachusetts. It would present an excellent option when it came to rebranding.

Not a chance would Kraft put the team in Chelsea despite the cute name. No offense to anyone who might be from there, but Chelsea, MA is still in dire need of an urban renewal before it could ever consider hosting a professional soccer stadium.

Kraft could have rebrand the team just "Revolution" or "New England 1776" or even Foxborough Athletic but trying to force the team to be Chelsea...I just don't see it.

Since the MLS wants to go to 16 teams in the next few years, I have a few ideas...

Arizona Hotspur, Philadelphia Metro, (badge of the Liberty Bell), Cleveland Rovers, and the Rochester Wanderers

Just kicking around ideas. Not really keen on aping another team's identity, Euro or otherwise, but since we are, we might as well go full bore.