NASL logos for sportlogo.net

[pollard7545]

I think the fact that we remember the NASL so fondly attest for the fact that if run right it could have suceeded. Look at the MLS. It is run right and is in for the long haul. Since the times were different then, the NASL went belly-up. Gone but not forgotten. Thanks Maxim for your continued great work!!

[Titanole]

I think the fact that we remember the NASL so fondly attest for the fact that if run right it could have suceeded. Look at the MLS. It is run right and is in for the long haul. Since the times were different then, the NASL went belly-up. Gone but not forgotten. Thanks Maxim for your continued great work!!

Agreed. I'm not sure the single-entity is the greatest model, but it has kept costs down and has prevented the usual arms race (legs race?) that balloons players' salaries and creates the haves and have nots. And possibly the most important development for MLS over NASL is soccer-specific stadia that they control. That gives a sense of permanence and stability.

The one thing the NASL didn't have was stability. I mean look at all the teams Maxim has done. The league only existed for eighteen seasons (if you include pre-merger 1967 USA and NPSL) Except for two seasons (1979 & 1980) there was always either a different number of clubs, different league structure and/or relocations. Depending on whether you call the San Jose Earthquakes to Houston Dynamo a relocation or an expansion franchise, there havs been no relocations and only two teams have been contracted from MLS. By 2011 the league will have grown from ten clubs to eighteen in their sixteenth season. At that age the NASL was starting to die.

It may not be the best soccer in the world, but it's not terrible and it is ours.

[Gothamite]

I'll give MLS this - after a terrible start, trying to "Americanize" the game, they finally realized Americans already liked soccer and that instead of trying to create a market they could just tap into the existing one.

The Seattle-Portland-Vancouver expansion is nothing short of inspired. I can't think of another set of expansion teams that was handled so well by any league. And I'm surprised how excited I am for the Union to start play.

[B-Rich]

This:

to me, is a thing of beauty.

I love the bright colors; and both the wordmark font and alternating stripes on the sleeves and socks are reflective of the name "Rowdies", evoking a sort of a Victorian, "turn of the century" feel.

And finally, the collar. Something about having an actual fold-over collar just makes the jersey so much better.....

[pollard7545]

I think the fact that we remember the NASL so fondly attest for the fact that if run right it could have suceeded. Look at the MLS. It is run right and is in for the long haul. Since the times were different then, the NASL went belly-up. Gone but not forgotten. Thanks Maxim for your continued great work!!

Agreed. I'm not sure the single-entity is the greatest model, but it has kept costs down and has prevented the usual arms race (legs race?) that balloons players' salaries and creates the haves and have nots. And possibly the most important development for MLS over NASL is soccer-specific stadia that they control. That gives a sense of permanence and stability.

The one thing the NASL didn't have was stability. I mean look at all the teams Maxim has done. The league only existed for eighteen seasons (if you include pre-merger 1967 USA and NPSL) Except for two seasons (1979 & 1980) there was always either a different number of clubs, different league structure and/or relocations. Depending on whether you call the San Jose Earthquakes to Houston Dynamo a relocation or an expansion franchise, there havs been no relocations and only two teams have been contracted from MLS. By 2011 the league will have grown from ten clubs to eighteen in their sixteenth season. At that age the NASL was starting to die.

It may not be the best soccer in the world, but it's not terrible and it is ours.

I fully agree with you. Also MLS was wise to allow teams to use NASL names. Many fans of those teams remember the old days and bringing in Seattle Sounders/Vancouver Whitecaps & Portland Timbers will payoff very well for MLS. Now if they can olny bring back the Cosmos......

[pollard7545]

I'll give MLS this - after a terrible start, trying to "Americanize" the game, they finally realized Americans already liked soccer and that instead of trying to create a market they could just tap into the existing one.

The Seattle-Portland-Vancouver expansion is nothing short of inspired. I can't think of another set of expansion teams that was handled so well by any league. And I'm surprised how excited I am for the Union to start play.

I agree fully!

By the way i'm in the Philly area and I will be checking out the Union this year!!

[Titanole]

This:

to me, is a thing of beauty.

The Rowdies kits were fantastic, especially when it was on the same pitch with this :

There weren't a lot of hoops in the NASL. In fact I can't think of any off the top of my head.

The current second division incarnation of the Rowdies tried to keep the home shirt similar to the old but it doesn't quite work as well. And they stole the Strikers' hoops for their away kit!

[EJ_Barlik]

This:

to me, is a thing of beauty.

The Rowdies kits were fantastic, especially when it was on the same pitch with this :

There weren't a lot of hoops in the NASL. In fact I can't think of any off the top of my head.

The current second division incarnation of the Rowdies tried to keep the home shirt similar to the old but it doesn't quite work as well. And they stole the Strikers' hoops for their away kit!

OK - what did I miss - who is FC Tampa Bay ???? What league are they in??? GS field? Wow!

[MaximGan]

What was formerly the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a name taken from the old North American Soccer League (NASL) team, is now FC Tampa Bay and the website that was tbrowdies.com will now redirect you to fctampabay.com. Confused? You should be.

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/01/29/tampa-bay-rowdies-change-name-to-fc-tampa-bay/

[EJ_Barlik]

What was formerly the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a name taken from the old North American Soccer League (NASL) team, is now FC Tampa Bay and the website that was tbrowdies.com will now redirect you to fctampabay.com. Confused? You should be.

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/01/29/tampa-bay-rowdies-change-name-to-fc-tampa-bay/

Wow - totally weird. You need a half-hour show just to explain all that....in the article. So they are part of the resurrected NASL, but will be playing games against the MLS teams.....that's even weirder.

[MaximGan]

This team is part of the new league-NASL 2. It is planned that the league will hold regular exhibition games and possibly compete for Super Bowl between the NASL and MLS

[Titanole]

This team is part of the new league-NASL 2. It is planned that the league will hold regular exhibition games and possibly compete for Super Bowl between the NASL and MLS

Most people aren't too familiar with lower divisions of American soccer.

The new NASL was formed when a handful of former USL Division 1 (U.S. second division) owners became unhappy with the way the USL was running their top professional league and left. But neither league was large enough to realistically be the national second division and neither side was willing to give in to the other, so the USSF decided that this season the two leagues would comprise a second division with an NASL Conference and a USL Conference.

It is still second division soccer. They do schedule preseason (and sometimes midseason) friendlies with MLS clubs just as clubs at all levels do with each other. There really is no relationship with the old NASL other than the name and I don't beleive there are any ideas to compete to be first division, at least not realistic ones.

[-kj]

Well, Vancouver and Portland (who remains USL-loyal) will be headed to MLS next season, though technically the teams won't be the same business entities as the current second-division teams.

There's also the US Open Cup, where second-division teams have been known to knock out some of the big boys.

[Titanole]

Well, Vancouver and Portland (who remains USL-loyal) will be headed to MLS next season, though technically the teams won't be the same business entities as the current second-division teams.

There's also the US Open Cup, where second-division teams have been known to knock out some of the big boys.

I know that Vancouver franchise is working on keeping their USL-1 team and moving it somewhere else in the area. I don't know about Portland. I would think that the NASL will eventually win this little soccer war and the remaining USL-1 clubs will move over to NASL. Then the USL can focus more on the USL-2 (hopefully restructure it) and PDL, which is more in line with their historical roots. Remember it was the USL that bought the old APSL and merged it with their own Select League to form the current USL-1. But historically they have been a confederation of smaller amateur clubs back to its founding back in the 1980's.

And yes, the USOC is great. My local club, Nashville Metros, playing in the A-League at the time, were responsible for one of those upsets when they knocked-off the Kansas City Wizards 3-1 in the second round of the tournament in 1998. It was brilliant. In fact they beat Kansas City in a friendly one other time too.

[MaximGan]

Team America 1983

SC Logo

Season 1983 Kits

[pollard7545]

Excellent!!!

[MaximGan]

Toronto Blizzard 1979-1984

SC Logo 1979-80

Crest logo

SC Logo 1981-84

Crest logo

Team Script

[MaximGan]

Season 1979 Adidas Kits

Season 1979-80 Admiral Kits

Season 1980 Admiral Kits (long sleeve)

Season 1981 Kits

Season 1982-83 Kits

Season 1984 Kits

[Titanole]

That Blizzard logo always bugged me a little. It looks crooked to me because of the wordmark across the middle. It's not bad looking, but it's kind of like those optical illusions where parallel lines appear slanted because of other elements in the picture. Like this:

Maybe it's just me.

[kmccarthy27]

Well, Vancouver and Portland (who remains USL-loyal) will be headed to MLS next season, though technically the teams won't be the same business entities as the current second-division teams.

There's also the US Open Cup, where second-division teams have been known to knock out some of the big boys.

I know that Vancouver franchise is working on keeping their USL-1 team and moving it somewhere else in the area. I don't know about Portland. I would think that the NASL will eventually win this little soccer war and the remaining USL-1 clubs will move over to NASL. Then the USL can focus more on the USL-2 (hopefully restructure it) and PDL, which is more in line with their historical roots. Remember it was the USL that bought the old APSL and merged it with their own Select League to form the current USL-1. But historically they have been a confederation of smaller amateur clubs back to its founding back in the 1980's.

And yes, the USOC is great. My local club, Nashville Metros, playing in the A-League at the time, were responsible for one of those upsets when they knocked-off the Kansas City Wizards 3-1 in the second round of the tournament in 1998. It was brilliant. In fact they beat Kansas City in a friendly one other time too.

Vancouver is moving the USL/NASL team to Edmonton next year.