Whittier S Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 On a number of occasions, I've tried to come up with the concepts for a 50-team American soccer superleague. I'm inspired to try again. This time, I'm assuming a two-tier league with promotion and relegation, with 25 teams in each division. There will be no geographic divisions or conferences.The first step was determining which cities to award franchises. First off, I looked at a list of the 50 largest cities in the US, and compared it to a list of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the US. Any city that appeared in both lists automatically got a franchise. Metropolitan areas containing more than one of the fifty largest cities only got one franchise, with the largest city being the official host of the metropolitan area. These rules produced the following list (given in the order in which I figured out their entry, not necessarily by population):New York ApollosLos Angeles Constellation (I SWEAR it won't have anything to do with Galaxy branding...)Chicago ChillHouston ExplorersDallas Wildcats SCPhiladelphia Brothers UnitedPhoenix TrickstersSan Diego FrigatesWashington DreamAtlético San AntonioDetroit Diesels SCTechno San Jose SCCD Internacional MiamiAtlanta GrooveBoston Gaels FCSan Francisco DragonsIndianapolis Crossroads FC Jacksonville Juggernaut SCColumbus Aviators FCAustin Academics FCMinneapolis SpiritsMemphis Blue DevilsFC Baltimore CityCharlotte Gems FCSeattle RockFV Milwaukee EaglesNashville Athenians FCDenver 5280 Las Vegas SilverbacksPortland GreensOklahoma City TravelersKansas City BluesNew Orleans MysticsCleveland ForestersSacramento RushVirginia Beach NeptunesThis left me with 14 franchises to award. If one of the remaining metropolitan areas did not contain one of the fifty largest cities, but in real life hosts a MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL franchise, it was in:St. Louis ShowboatsTampa Flame FCPittsburgh Triad FCCD Orlando SalsaCincinnati FlyersBuffalo Electric SCSalt Lake City MinersRaleigh Triangle FCTo determine my final five franchises, I first looked at my nine remaining cities and 6 remaining metropolitan areas. If a city was in a state that already had a franchise, it was ruled out. If a metropolitan area bordered or nearly bordered a metropolitan area with a team already, it was ruled out. This gave me five:CD Albuquerque RamsOmaha Pioneers SCAli'i HonoluluWichita AerosBirmingham Magic FCThen I realised I miscounted! I needed another city! I had three metro areas that fit the qualification of coming close to another metro area with a team (Hartford, Louisville, Providence--not doing Riverside-San Bernardino because I don't want too many California teams). Of the three, Providence has gone the longest without a major-league franchise (yes, I'm counting the ABA), so that makes Team #50:Providence MachineI will only be doing logos, no unis. And all team names will contain the name of the city--not a state or region--in the team name, because I am dedicated urbanist. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 18, 2012 Author Share Posted March 18, 2012 I have determined which concept I will work on first:Denver 5280 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRed618 Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 This seems like a good idea, though I think you should consider the fact that a few metro areas normally have at least two teams from a given league, like Celtic and Rangers, or Galaxy and Chivas USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 I know that, but I also wanted to make sure I had broad geographic distribution. In my fantasy world, mid-market teams can compete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 This is what the distribution looks like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DolphinManatee Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Orlando is more north than Tampa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 I was making the map on the fly and wasn't trying to be 100% accurate, just more wanted to get a feel for the overall spread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Sorry, misposted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaha32 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Las Vegas (Silverbacks? Locomotive?)The UFL has a team called the Las Vegas Locomotives already. Are you really going to be able to make 50 logos? Have you started any of them yet? DesignsByHahn.com Behance Dribbble Instragram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illwauk Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 FV Milwaukee EaglesIf you want to reference Milwaukee's German heritage, may I suggest something along the lines of FV Milwaukee 48ers or FV Wisconsin 1848. The first wave of German immigrants to Milwaukee were called "Forty-Eighters" and it references the year Wisconsin became a state (1848). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 jaha32: Thanks for reminding me of the Las Vegas Locomotives. I was thinking of Silverbacks because of the silver mining history. I'll also think of other names, I'm sure.I also intend for this to be a long-term project, and I'm basically restricting my graphic design projects right now to this and PuckDrawn contests. This is just a pastime for me, but I think by taking on a long-term project, it gives me a chance to get regular practise and improvement. A logo a week will put me at a year. I'm also much faster at making logos than uniforms, which is part of why I'm not making uniforms. I've sketched a couple out, and a couple more I'm pulling up from past attempts at this project.illwauk: The reason I'm going with Eagles is that the eagle is the animal symbol for both the United States and Germany, and will be playing off that. Also, one of my rules for this project is city names only, so it has to be Milwaukee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illwauk Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Ah... I see. In that case, feel free to use this. It's a mock-up of the Milwaukee civil war flag which shows the German influence and can be found on the current butt-fugly city flag (if you ask me, the civil war flag should be the official city flag, but I digress).Here's a few other suggestions you may use if you wish.Albuquerque Sol-Sol is the Spanish word for "sun" which can also play off the Zia, the Pueblo sun symbol that's found on New Mexico's state flag.Twin Cities United or North Star FC-No team from Minneapolis has ever gone by that name unless a team from St. Paul was in the same league. Barring that, I would go with a name like Left Bank FC, which alludes to Minneapolis' place on the left side of the Mississippi River.Detroit Internationals or Inter Detroit-Detroit on the Canadian border and connected to Canada by way of the Ambassador Bridge.Phoenix Copper Stars-There's a copper star on Arizona's flag, and Phoenix is the state capital (usually designated on maps by a star).Tulsa Roughnecks-This team would replace Oklahoma City and bring back one of the best identities from the original NASL.Crossroads FC-Indiana is known as the "Crossroads of America" and Indianapolis is where four major interstates intersect.Gateway FC-St. Louis is the "Gateway to the West."Cleveland Rovers-A double entendre that plays off a traditional soccer name and alludes to the "Dawgs" that are already part of Cleveland's sports heritage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Ah... I see. In that case, feel free to use this. It's a mock-up of the Milwaukee civil war flag which shows the German influence and can be found on the current butt-fugly city flag (if you ask me, the civil war flag should be the official city flag, but I digress).Here's a few other suggestions you may use if you wish.Albuquerque Sol-Sol is the Spanish word for "sun" which can also play off the Zia, the Pueblo sun symbol that's found on New Mexico's state flag.Twin Cities United or North Star FC-No team from Minneapolis has ever gone by that name unless a team from St. Paul was in the same league. Barring that, I would go with a name like Left Bank FC, which alludes to Minneapolis' place on the left side of the Mississippi River.Detroit Internationals or Inter Detroit-Detroit on the Canadian border and connected to Canada by way of the Ambassador Bridge.Phoenix Copper Stars-There's a copper star on Arizona's flag, and Phoenix is the state capital (usually designated on maps by a star).Tulsa Roughnecks-This team would replace Oklahoma City and bring back one of the best identities from the original NASL.Crossroads FC-Indiana is known as the "Crossroads of America" and Indianapolis is where four major interstates intersect.Gateway FC-St. Louis is the "Gateway to the West."Cleveland Rovers-A double entendre that plays off a traditional soccer name and alludes to the "Dawgs" that are already part of Cleveland's sports heritage.Thanks for the suggestions, they're really clever. Digging the Crossroads name as a native Hoosier. However, one of my rules is that the name of the city has to be included in the team name.I almost went with Bayernische Milwaukee but thought that was over the top. And yes, the Milwaukee flag is awful, but so are the vast majority of US city flags. When compared with the seals of European cities, it makes me weep. I'm finding, though, as I develop my team identities, that the better flags are a great source for pallets, and city seals are good for picking up elements, as well. I plan to incorporate the seven stars of the Milwaukee city seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29texan Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 This left me with 14 franchises to award. If one of the remaining metropolitan areas did not contain one of the fifty largest cities, but in real life hosts a MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL franchise, it was in:St. LouisTampaPittsburgh Triad FCSacramentoOrlandoCincinnatiBuffalo Electric SCSalt Lake CityRaleighTo determine my final five franchises, I looked at my nine remaining cities and 6 remaining metropolitan areas. If a city was in a state that already had a franchise, it was ruled out. If a metropolitan area bordered or nearly bordered a metropolitan area with a team already, it was ruled out. This gave me my final five:Albuquerque (Lights? Rams?)OmahaAli'i HonoluluWichita AerosBirmingham Magic FCI will only be doing logos, no unis.I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.I'm pretty sure this is gonna be a big no from you, but how about something for Fort Worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Not for this concept, but definitely another one. I was surprised to learn that Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is the only Metropolitan Statistical Area to have 3 of the 50 largest cities in the country. The others having two: Los Angeles-Long Beach, Phoenix-Mesa, San Francisco-Oakland. When I get the chance, I'm going to post the lists of largest cities and metros, I think it might be a handy reference for folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29texan Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Not for this concept, but definitely another one. I was surprised to learn that Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is the only Metropolitan Statistical Area to have 3 of the 50 largest cities in the country. The others having two: Los Angeles-Long Beach, Phoenix-Mesa, San Francisco-Oakland. When I get the chance, I'm going to post the lists of largest cities and metros, I think it might be a handy reference for folks.Yeah.... 4th largest in the country. lol. But I just wanted to ask. Thanks anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Running into some problems with my computer. I'm going to have to replace it. In the meantime, I'm going to be able to work on the logos at home, but my computer is no longer accessing the internet, so I will have to put everything on a flash drive and upload things elsewhere. It also means that, if I need a reference picture for a logo, I have to upload it elsewhere onto my flash drive and then putting it on my home computer. I hope to replace my computer in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I guess I will be focussing more on team names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enio125 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Cleveland Rovers-A double entendre that plays off a traditional soccer name and alludes to the "Dawgs" that are already part of Cleveland's sports heritage.I think Force or Crunch would be a better option for Cleveland. There used to be a very popular indoor soccer team in the city with those names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illwauk Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions, they're really clever. Digging the Crossroads name as a native Hoosier. However, one of my rules is that the name of the city has to be included in the team name.What about Crossroads FC of Indianapolis or Indianapolis Crossroads FCI almost went with Bayernische Milwaukee but thought that was over the top.And there is this club in real life, which was originally founded as FC Bayern.And yes, the Milwaukee flag is awful, but so are the vast majority of US city flags. When compared with the seals of European cities, it makes me weep. I'm finding, though, as I develop my team identities, that the better flags are a great source for pallets, and city seals are good for picking up elements, as well. I plan to incorporate the seven stars of the Milwaukee city seal.Wow, I never even noticed the seven stars before, and I used to work in a government building with a huge seal plastered on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whittier S Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 Enio125: I'm wanting to use original names. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Takes me back to the old NPSL* days when I lived in St Louis and the Ambush played.illwauk: I think you've sold me on some variation on the Crossroads name. It really is central to the city's identity. Also, not surprising that there was some variation of a Bavarian Milwaukee team. Nothing new under the sun and all that.*Corrected from NASL. Too many alphabets in American soccer history, I swear.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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