The America League

[Midway]

Hooray for Fort Worth having a team! As if this thread weren't already fantastic enough.

[MEANS]

Gonna have to take another night off, might be the whole weekend. I'll get up what I can though! Hopefully be back at it with 3 a night Monday for sure!

slacker...

[Whittier S]

I think the only negative thing I could possibly say about this series is that you misspelt "nickel" on your website. I'm in awe of your talents.

[Perfect Zero]

I love that a) Fort Worth has a team, and I don't dislike a single set in this whole thing. Seriously this has a lot of effort behind it, and I'm glad you've shared this with us.

[pcgd]

Sorry for the delay, I had some freelance work I needed to get done as well as some activities over the weekend. I'm going to try to make up for those missed days and do a few extra for the next couple days. American One and Two have 24 teams each vs. 20 for the Premier League so I may just do the extras for 4 days so everything is even at the end.

Phila SC // Premier League

Phila SC is one of the original members of the America League founded in 1888. Their name was originally Penn Rail and they were a company team for the Pennslyvania Railroad. They had mixed results on the field finishing middle of the table most seasons. The team changed their name sometime around 1900 to Philadelphia SC and then shortened again in the 70s to Phila SC. Throughout it all they've maintained a pretty conservative feel overall but with some modern touches to their identity. They had a redesign of their club badge in 2003 but kept the overall shape (from the city crest) original drawing of the ship (also from the city crest) and the colors (from the city flag). The "Brothers," as they are known, play in The City Stadium downtown.

Their uniforms are very conservative with a simple yellow chest stripe on the primarys and a solid yellow jersey on the change kits. However there is a subtle diagonal pattern on both jerseys in the gold areas. Their sponsor is Comcast and they have 1 star above their badge representing their 7 championships in the Premier League

The biggest change from sketch to final was the change kit. Changed the design a bit and made gold a bigger player.

[pcgd]

Miami // America One

The Miami Flamingos were started in 1941 while the Nation was in WWII. German U-Boats were sighted off the shores of Miami and this lead to a buildup of of Military activity in and around Miami. A local businessman saw the opportunity to give the training soldiers something to do while on breaks and started the Flamingos. The team struggled with attendance outside of Military for the first 10 years of their existence nearly going bankrupt in 1949. After the war many soldiers and their families returned to the Miami area and the population boomed. The team flourished in this new environment.

The logo is heavily inspired by the Art Deco buildings in Miami as well as the bright neon colors of the city. The logo is very simple with few lines and only the word "Miami" included even though the team's official title is Miami Flamingos Soccer Club.

The uniforms feature the iconic flamingo from their crest blown up on the jersey. Its Pink on a teal background on the primary kit over white shorts. On the change they go all pink with a black flamingo. (I kinda saw them like Palermo who doesn't apologize about pink and just owns it)

From the sketch to the final the main thing I did was simplfy the flamingo. I saw a traditional logo style or a retro style for the illustration style at first but I decided to go more bold and iconic.

[pcgd]

Olympique De Montrèal // America One

Olympique De Montrèal is one of the Canadian teams in the America League. They were founded in 1976 as tenant for Jarry Park Stadium which saw the Expos leave that year. Because of the team and their success, the stadium was rehabbed in 76 and then again in 99. Today its barely a shell of its former self and its the headquarters for the team which sponsors other club teams like Tennis and Rugby.

The team has largely stayed in America One throughout its existence. The mid 80s saw them rise up to the Premier League and even content for a championship a few seasons. But in the 90s they returned to the second division and have remained ever sense.

The team's logo is mostly inspired by the city's flag and coat of arms which features a red christian cross and 4 symbols for each of the European Ethnic groups that settled there. A blue Fleur-de-lys representing the French, a rose of Lancaster representing the English and Welsh, a shamrock for the Irish, and a thistle for the Scottish. The team's nickname "Les Bleus" is on a banner below the shield.

Since the beginning Montreal has used a V design on all their jerseys and that continues today. The primary and the change are largely mirror opposites of each other going all blue for the primary and all white for the secondary. For those that don't speak french, "Allez Les Bleus" means "Let's Go Blues!"

When it came to sketching out Montreal, I had a pretty clear idea in the beginning. The only changes were simplifying the socks and shorts.

[pcgd]

Jacksonville // America Two

The biggest city in the US's (by land mass) entry to America League started in 1946 and they are known as the Kingfish, a popular sport fish in Florida. The team was started as part of a build up of the city after WWII in addition to a number of other city projects like a new City Hall and new public libraries.

The logo takes most of its inspiration from the city flag with the bottom half being orange with the letters JAX and number 46. The top half features a depiction of the Andrew Jackson statue in downtown Jacksonville with yellow and white rays behind it.

The primary kit mimics the crest with rays extending out on the top half and orange at the bottom. The shorts are white as are the socks with yellow and orange striped turnovers. The change kit features a bright yellow jersey, white shorts, and yellow socks.

Jacksonville's sketch is pretty much how the final ended up. I removed some piping from the change but otherwise its pretty much the same.

[pcgd]

Las Vegas SC // America Two

During the Manhattan Project in the 40s, a number of scientists and other government workers converged on Las Vegas. Various, loosely organized semi-pro teams started during these times and frequently played matches during the atomic test watching parties. In 1956, as Las Vegas continued to build up, a group came forward wanting to organize a professional team for the America League. They called themselves Las Vegas Soccer Club and they became known as the Gamblers. The team built a stadium in the late 1990s that has become known as "The Stadium on the Strip."

The logo is a combination of many Las Vegas landmarks such as the dessert and the gaming industry. The colors are a unique blue that's somewhere between royal and navy along with tan (not gold).

The team's uniforms feature a multicolored pinstripe that is inspired by the spotlights of the strip. The collar and other trim feature a pattern taken from poker chips. The primary kit is mostly navy and the change kit is all white.

Really the only change since I sketched out Las Vegas is I adjusted the pinstriping to be multicolored and tonal.

[dakotapalm]

Miami // America One

The Miami Flamingos were started in 1941 while the Nation was in WWII. German U-Boats were sighted off the shores of Miami and this lead to a buildup of of Military activity in and around Miami. A local businessman saw the opportunity to give the training soldiers something to do while on breaks and started the Flamingos. The team struggled with attendance outside of Military for the first 10 years of their existence nearly going bankrupt in 1949. After the war many soldiers and their families returned to the Miami area and the population boomed. The team flourished in this new environment.

The logo is heavily inspired by the Art Deco buildings in Miami as well as the bright neon colors of the city. The logo is very simple with few lines and only the word "Miami" included even though the team's official title is Miami Flamingos Soccer Club.

The uniforms feature the iconic flamingo from their crest blown up on the jersey. Its Pink on a teal background on the primary kit over white shorts. On the change they go all pink with a black flamingo. (I kinda saw them like Palermo who doesn't apologize about pink and just owns it)

From the sketch to the final the main thing I did was simplfy the flamingo. I saw a traditional logo style or a retro style for the illustration style at first but I decided to go more bold and iconic.

Not to be "that guy,".... okay, maybe, but I'm kinda concerned about the large bird arising from the middle of his pants.

[GeauxColonels]

Again, fantastic work. The Phila, Montreal and Las Vegas crests are probably my 3 favorites so far.

[cohenj21]

Philadelphia and Vegas are masterpieces. Your uniform design is really good but your artwork and creativity in designing the crests is just outstanding. This really feels like a real soccer league, especially with the team histories.

[Philsphan]

The crests of Vegas and Jacksonville are outstanding and the uniforms for Montreal are very classy. As a Philadelphian, I like Phila SC's uniforms, but I would be a Camden County supporter.

[Guest darkpiranha]

Not being from Philadelphia, nor knowing anyone from there or currently living there, is "Phila" a commonly used abbreviation by the locals? My outsider assumption would be that "Philly" would be what they would have shortened the name to. Granted, it's less formal than "Phila", but rolls off the tongue more naturally.

That said, all six are great, but I have to chuckle at Dakotapalm's "bird coming out of pants" comment. Of course, much like owning pink, I'm sure they'd equally own this too. "Yeah, I've got a bird coming out of my pants. And...?"

And wouldn't Montreal's hosting of the '76 Olympics have had a more lasting impact on the stadium's condition, or the sport's popularity? I'm assuming that in our world, they did indeed refurbish the stadium a bit (or built it, I don't really know how they handled soccer in the '76 games), so maybe that's the extent of how you're approaching it here.

[pcgd]

Well Jarry Park Stadium was vacated in more or less in 1976, it used to be home of the Expos. Its now a tennis stadium. In this universe, the soccer club takes it over and now it's a world class soccer stadium.

Them having a tennis team was my little nod to it being a tennis stadium today.

[LAWeaver]

Ditto on what Dakotapalm said. It looks like in your sketch the flamingo came from the side instead of the front. Maybe have it curl around. The set looks good, but in real life, after the heat Carnival is taking I don't think they would even have the money left to sponsor anyone or anything for that matter lol. Like I said Great set and a spectacular series (from a guy who hates soccer)

[pcgd]

Queens // Premier League

Originally each borough of New York had multiple teams in the America League. As we've seen, some of them combined into 1 team like New York United, while others survived intact such as Queens. Queens has won 10 championships which puts them up amongst the strongest teams in the sport and they play their home matches at Flushing Meadows. They are one of only a handful of teams that remains exactly the same as they did in the beginning with no teams absorbed or name changes.

The Queens badge is based largely on the borough flag which features a white stripe on a light blue field. There are 2 flowers on the flag and on the badge, a tulip representing the Dutch influence on Queens and the rose which represents England. The queen's crown represents the borough's name as does the Q. The team's established date is below (1888).

The team's uniforms have featured the diamond blocks for the last 30 years. They've frequently used their change kit to use a crazy alternate color and in the upcoming season its a eye blinding magenta.

From sketch to final, very few changes were made as I designed these.

[pcgd]

Newark Bulldogs // America One

New Jersey's other team is based in Newark and call themselves the Bulldogs. They are also one of the original teams in America League and just recently were dropped down to America One after spending the last 10 campaigns in the top flight. Their home pitch is at Kearny Stadium north of downtown Newark. Their history is mostly in the top flight but with some periods spend in America One. Their biggest rivals are actually the New York teams not Camden County.

Their badge features a bulldog face inside of a shield with a bold "NEWARK" text above. The uniforms feature the same bold typeface as "stripes" across the jersey. Their primary kit is silver while the change kits are stark white.

From the beginning I wanted to do a bulldog inside a shield as well as the stripes made up of bold text.

[pcgd]

Over the Rhine // America One

Over the Rhine is actually a neighborhood in Cincinnati and the namesake of its soccer club. The team has called it home since the beginning of the Great Depression in 1930. There have been some other amateur teams in Cincinnati that have had some success in the US Open Cup but none have gained traction as a professional club and Over the Rhine has been Cincinnati's team their entire existence.

They are known as the Riverboats because of Cincinnati's boating history and they play their matches in Cincinnatius Coliseum. Over the Rhine used to have a OTR initial logo but in 1940 shortly after the flag of Cincinnati was adopted they switched to their current logo that takes heavy inspiration from the city's flag.

The team's uniforms takes the wavy stripes from the flag and puts them across the chest. The primary's are white with teal accents and the change kits are teal with navy accents paired with white shorts. Inside the neck is the phrase "STRENGTH IN UNITY" which is the motto of Cincinnati.

The main change from the sketch to the final is the team name. Originally I was going to go with SC Cincy but I did some research on various neighborhood names and honestly thought it would make a cool name for a soccer team, no other reason.

[pcgd]

Long Island SC // America Two

Long Island is another of the "ethnic" influenced teams in the America League. For Long Island their strong Italian population (26%) influenced the identity of their soccer team. The club plays in Farmingdale at Bethage Park and has played there since their founding in 2002. Being a new team they haven't been able to move up the ladder too much settling in the America Two league for the last couple seasons.

Their takes some strong inspiration from their Italian counterparts where a number of clubs use ovals as their crest shape. LISC is at the top, the Italian flag in the middle and a cross is at the bottom. Of course some controversy has come from the cross but ownership has stood strong while some fans have blackened out the cross on the jerseys as a form of silent protest. It sounds like a big deal but the fan base and owners are supportive of all and each other no matter their creed, and there isn't much of a uproar either way. In fact the owners actually changed the way they embroidered the cross on the badges to make it easier for the fans to black them out if they wanted.

The uniforms have varied greatly in design over the last 10 years with the checkerboard pattern being the only connecting tissue. They've swapped colors a number of times because they typically let the fan base vote on colors and uniform designs. For the upcoming season they are moving forward with a orange and blue scheme but with a unique "exploding checkerboard" pattern.

The biggest change is in the crest. I actually needed an "Italian" club and Long Island seemed like a good bet becasue of their strong Italian-American population so I changed up the crest but kept the kit designs.