The America League

[ElTeduardo]

This entire thread is just... amazing. I love every jersey you've made.

[illwauk]

2/2/2 actually unless I screwed something up!

Was checking out the map on your site for the Premier League, and there were three stars you hadn't done in the map (Milwaukee, Minnesota, Toronto) but there were already 18 teams...

Three of my favorite places in the world.

Though I'm guessing that the actual teams are called Toronto, Twin Cities, and Wisconsin; if alphabetical order is any type of clue.

[cohenj21]

Just realized that there are only 23 stars on the map for America One, I'm assuming that one of the stars on the Premier League map was meant for that one, correct?

[ChuckDownfield]

I've been following this thread, and let me say it has been nothing short of breathtaking! My only complaint is the uniforms of Tampa Bay United. Being from that area, I love the color scheme and the badge, I'm just not a fan of the primary. I think the colors are out there enough, and a bit more classic jersey style would work to kind of calm the set down.

[pcgd]

Just realized that there are only 23 stars on the map for America One, I'm assuming that one of the stars on the Premier League map was meant for that one, correct?

Yeah Minnesota is America One, I screwed it up on the maps.

[pluggerplugger1]

Suspense is killing me!!! Anyone else?

[ElTeduardo]

Come back! Pleeeeaaaase come back!

[KyleMakesConcepts]

I never thought I would say it, but I am a hardcore fan of a fictional team. Nickel City SC is amazing. Well done with everything, but I love Nickel City because I live in Buffalo. Keep it up!

[Philsphan]

Yeah. Me too. I hate to be a nag, but we love our series!

[Guest darkpiranha]

Come on.. just a couple of more teams. They're wafer thin......

[pcgd]

Sorry I've been working on a big project for the last few weeks. It's taken up all my free time, but ill get these last couple done soon!

[abqryan]

I'm totally new to the site, just found it a couple days ago and honestly have spent probably 95% of my time reading through most of this thread, simply amazing work!

I have long been a fan of sports logos in particular, as well as a fan of soccer and hockey. The work you've done here is simply splendid and I think the very few things I have seen and not been a fan of are still considerably better than some of the ugly logos and looks the real world has forced upon us (Buffalo's slug logo and the Mighty Ducks jersey with the full duck flying out of the ice immediately springing to mind).

I used to have enough free time to play Championship Manager (the football/soccer management simulation game) and would always try to edit it to create an American league with promotion and relegation, though I often gave up on even attempting to make actual logos and I am sure yours would easily blow any of mine out of the water.

Overall I am really very, very impressed and I hope to see the last few teams getting posted soon.

[abqryan]

Albuquerque 1976 // America Two

I think this may be one of my favorite logos in the whole collection. (I reserve to change my mind of course!) If you are familiar with the flags of New Mexico and Albuquerque, you'll know the inspiration. I wanted to keep it simple and bold. Albuquerque's team was founded in 1976 and they play at the (fictitious) Los Ranchos. Nicknamed the "Runners" they have one of my favorite change kits with the flag motif carried throughout the uniform but a number placed in the circle. Plus, check out those socks!

The Primary kit is fairly traditional but has a bold gold chest stripe featuring the their sponsor Visa. The team's crest is embossed throughout the uniform giving it some depth.

The actual logo changed a bit from my sketches as did the change uniform. The primary uniform is pretty much what I envisioned from the beginning.

And finally the blog post for all of these:

http://pcgdstudios.c...s-alburquerque/

Thank you SO very much for including my all too often overlooked home city! (even though I don't live there now)

I love all your designs and this one is one of my favorites for the local connection as well as the overall amazing quality.

Those secondary uniforms are simply amazing and similar to ideas I have had for incorporating the Zia symbol into a uniform for years, though I lack any skill to bring them further along.

One rather small nitpicking sort of issue is the little bird. I know it is included in the city flag and I know many cities use their flags a lot (Chicago's for instance seems to be all over the dang place), however I was unaware Albuquerque even actually had a flag until pretty recently. Putting it simply, the flag is rarely used or seen and I have no idea where the designer of the flag got that idea anyway. It claims to be a stylized thunderbird, which certainly is a symbol associated with the region, though I have never seen it looking anything like what is on the flag. The more traditional thunderbird look that I am aware of is something like these:

Or the logo (current and past) for Sandia National Labs (one of the city's largest employers):

As I said it is a very nitpicky point and one I am sure the fans would have no problem overlooking, especially as it does come directly from the official city flag.

Overall, I love it and thank you again!

[pcgd]

I promise you all I'm going to finish posting the remaining teams. Just wanted to let everyone know that Extra Time Radio interviewed me about this project in their podcast today:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/extratime

Enjoy!

[pcgd]

So there will be 2 more posts in the America League. Tonight will feature a team from each level and then I'll finish up with the last 3 sometime soon!

Toronto SC // Premier League

Toronto SC is one of the older teams in the America League and its pretty successful. They get more with less, with a moneyball approach to the game. Their crest and uniforms flow right into that mindset.

They were founded in 1910 and played in the Canadian Soccer League for many years. The CSL was losing prestige and money to the NHL in the 40s and Toronto jumped ship to the America League. They started in the 2nd Division, quickly won promotion and have been a member of the Premier League ever sense. They have won the league 4 times.

The team's crest is a altered crest which is best defined with "form follows function" meaning, the shape was dictated by the elements within. A large T is broken by a C and then S with a stylized maple leaf at the bottom.

The Leafs (what else) play their games at the East End Grounds near the Rogers Center. The kits are pretty basic and again no nonsense, almost template like. The change kit is Green which honors a former team in another sport, the Toronto St. Pats. The primary is in red and white which is of course the color of the Nation's flag.

The team ended up looking pretty close to how i initially envisioned them to look.

[pcgd]

Twin Cities // America One

The Minnesota entry comes in the form of Twin Cities SC. They are based in Minneapolis but represent St. Paul as well. The team was founded shortly after the great depression and has bounced around from the top flight to the second pretty frequently. They have gone deep into the US Open Cup many times and are always a threat in that tournament. Their matches are played at the Dinkytown Grounds just north of the University of Minnesota campus.

The team's crest features a TC lockup and has been modernized in recent years. The two tones represent each city while the blue and yellow are for the large Swedish population of Minnesota. The uniforms feature some of the same design language with a 2 tone body representing each city and simple striping on the shoulders and cuffs. The team is sponsored by local/regional/national company Target.

This sketch is one of the closest to the finals that I had!

[pcgd]

The Ville // America Two

Louisville's soccer club is known as The Ville and they were started in 1996. They haven't really been much of a player nationally as they just recently reached America Two. They have a ownership team that is very hands on, and they've blown up the team on more than a few occasions. They play their matches at Churchill Park, right next to Churchill Downs.

They attempted to get a retro vibe with their badge to some minor success. The Ville had a name the team contest and "Barrels" won which is a nod to the region's Bourbon production. 3 barrels are featured on the crest with a Fluer Di Lis at the top on a green and red crest.

Like a few other teams, the Ville was one where I wanted to have a "What the..." reaction to the uniforms especially. I imagined the team having an owner that liked to take the lead when designing uniforms and hence, the crazy pattern on the cuffs of this uniform. Primary is green over red over green, Change is all cream.

The crest changed ab it and so did the uniform but the colors and the "crazy owner" was apparent even when I was sketching these.

[raysox]

Man, this is my favorite series. I was going to do something similar, you did it first, and now I'm questioning my logo masculinity.

[sparkychewbarky]

I think that I can speak for all of us by saying that your hard work on this series is MUCH appreciated.

It's a complete reference file for every combination of colours; every style of sweater and logo design.

Fantastic.

[illwauk]

I also had a similar idea that I simultaneously feel inspired to flesh out, but also discouraged from doing so because this series has set the bar ridiculously high...

...AND I've had to wait until the very last update to see my hometown team.