[Soccer] Europeanized American Soccer - Amateur Divisions (Huntsville and Little Rock added!)

[Naoned Pride]

Here are two more, a slightly young one and an waaay older one. Though you can note that the latter has never won a damn thing in over one century of existence. Way to go !

Orlando FC

Philadelphia FC

[VictoriaGooner]

Welcome back Naoned, another two nice clubss. I like Orlando's mockup especially with the lion on the lower portion of the kits...nice touch.

[Fullarmor]

I find Philly pretty good, but I have more difficulties with Orlando, the font looks really strange.

[Naoned Pride]

What precisely ? The colour scheme and stroke ? The placement or the font iself ? It can easily be changed.

[Fullarmor]

Maybe that the Orlando's border's touching the FC's border.

But don't change a thing, that's just a little personnal impression!

[VictoriaGooner]

I like the blending of the borders of Orlando and FC. It looks like they are meant to be together. But that's a personal opinion

[Go Red Sox!]

The Washington Nationals and the Washington Capitals organizations might not like that. Need to plagiarize? C'mon...

[Go Red Sox!]

I think Columbus AFC's crest would look better if you kept the letters in the white area instead of having them extend past it. Also is the eagle you used for Washington DCFC's crest taken from the Washington Capitals current alternate?

Definitely is taken from it.

[TrueYankee26]

A Europeanization of the MLS? You know, a lot of people have made a lot of complaints about what Europeanization has happened up to now.

Playoffs create a climactic end to the season. If you just crown the top dog at the end, there's a good chance of someone running and hiding, causing everything to just end in one big anticlimax. A playoff system also battle-tests a team. Sure they could beat up on whatever crappy teams they had to play during the season, but can they do it against the best of the best? Not to mention the parity that is created. People here love an underdog, an upset, a Cinderella story. If a team has the talent, the heart, or the guts to make it to the end and secure a spot, then they have the ability to make it. Of course, the regular season is not nearly useless, as seeding can be a very important factor in whether one can win or not.

Professional teams in America are multi-million-dollar corporations. Minor league teams depend on gimmicks, a small local fanbase, and a contract to serve as a farm team in a professional team's system. I do not know if a relegation/promotion system can work in this environment, at least not unless the tiers are very small (perhaps 10)

I'm glad you realize the indefensibleness of the team name point. In American sports the team name is one of the strongest parts of a team identity. One of the things people complain most about when it comes to the Europeanization of the MLS is the shift to blander names and identities that don't say anything about a team except where it lives and what sport it plays. While using city names does link a team to the city, a different team name can just as easily link to a city (Mets, Celtics, Steelers, Islanders), or over history can become synonymous with a city or region (Red Sox, Lakers, Bears, Red Wings). I notice you include some nicknames with your teams. I think a middle-ground can be reached by including a nickname for each team that doesn't already have one.

Now onto the concepts... I too saw the Liberty Bell in the original NYCFC concept, much to my confusion. Yeah, people making a connection between an Arabian airline and September 11th may be a little stupid, but that doesn't stop people from making the connection, and that means bad publicity. My main issue with it is failing to make the connection. When I was planning homes for expansion franchises, I looked to local corporations for names, and I'd suggest the same for your sponsors. Find the big corporation from that hometown. For New York, Chase, Citigroup, Hess, Macy's, Pfizer or Time Warner could work.

While I agreed the twin liberties was a bit odd, I rather liked your second version. I disagree with attacks on the Liberty green. I think it's a pleasant color, and I find it close to the Fenway green that is much beloved, so I don't think it's beyond any love at all. It does need a good color to offset it. You mentioned red and blue, which are certainly very well-represented in New York sports, but did you ever give a look to orange? It's a very major color representative of the City, steeped deep in its Dutch roots. The warmth of orange may make a nice contrast to the patina. Or it may look horribly ugly. I don't know. XD It's just a thought.

One question I have is that of your representation of the New York skyline. I understand given your comment on the eagle image that you're using some existing imagery to help you with this. I wonder where you got your skyline from. The skyline has three iconic buildings nowadays, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the new 1 World Trade Center (Freedom Tower). And that doesn't include the less iconic but all the more recognizable Citibank Building. In the first version of the logo, none of these appear (I think the UN Secretariat might be somewhere in the middle), and the second version seems to have the Chrysler Building, the Bank of America Building, and I think I see the old Metropolitan Life Building in there. To be honest, I think your first attempt may actually be the Philadelphia skyline. Although it certainly looks nice, I'm surprised at your choices of buildings. Take a look at the Mets logo, which includes a church, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building, and the United Nations Secretariat to represent numerous parts of the City.

I certainly to love the look you've given them. I agree with you on the FC being straight. It definitely is retro-looking in a 40's-50's sort of way. That works for New York, though. Although I think the new version is cool, I actually did rather like the font from the second version. While it's not oft seen in logos, I thought it fit what you were going for. It seemed like the kind of font you'd see on the gold plaque at the bottom of a monument much like your gift to us.

Also, I'm curious as to why you went with the nickname "The Citizens".

But let me move on from the hometown team. I love the look of LA. The only question I have is what's with the odd wings on the sides? Doesn't seem to fit with the bear motif.

DC looks nice, although you'll have to find a new eagle, as already mentioned. It would also be nice to see the DC flag as a motif somewhere. Perhaps a bar with stars on top across the chest of the 3rd where you currently have the red/white stripe. Also, VW is another confusing sponsor. That's an awfully German sponsor for a team in America's capital.

Seattle looks beautiful. I think the pale green gets a bit lost with the white and could instead use a navy or black to contrast against instead, but besides that I have nothing much I can say about it.

Columbus is great. I love the mirrored look for the homes and aways. I don't agree with the third, though. I dunno. Too Brazilian for me. I suppose some looks are just too iconic for anyone else to use.

San Jose is also great. My only question is why you chose San Jose out of all the cities to go with the Spanish naming. I'd expect it from a Texas team or LA, or San Diego. Why did you choose to only do this for San Jose?

Cosmos would have been doomed if that was the case.

New York club, Arabian airline... but the Cosmos are doing fine.

[Nyk33]

A Europeanization of the MLS? You know, a lot of people have made a lot of complaints about what Europeanization has happened up to now.

Playoffs create a climactic end to the season. If you just crown the top dog at the end, there's a good chance of someone running and hiding, causing everything to just end in one big anticlimax. A playoff system also battle-tests a team. Sure they could beat up on whatever crappy teams they had to play during the season, but can they do it against the best of the best? Not to mention the parity that is created. People here love an underdog, an upset, a Cinderella story. If a team has the talent, the heart, or the guts to make it to the end and secure a spot, then they have the ability to make it. Of course, the regular season is not nearly useless, as seeding can be a very important factor in whether one can win or not.

Professional teams in America are multi-million-dollar corporations. Minor league teams depend on gimmicks, a small local fanbase, and a contract to serve as a farm team in a professional team's system. I do not know if a relegation/promotion system can work in this environment, at least not unless the tiers are very small (perhaps 10)

I'm glad you realize the indefensibleness of the team name point. In American sports the team name is one of the strongest parts of a team identity. One of the things people complain most about when it comes to the Europeanization of the MLS is the shift to blander names and identities that don't say anything about a team except where it lives and what sport it plays. While using city names does link a team to the city, a different team name can just as easily link to a city (Mets, Celtics, Steelers, Islanders), or over history can become synonymous with a city or region (Red Sox, Lakers, Bears, Red Wings). I notice you include some nicknames with your teams. I think a middle-ground can be reached by including a nickname for each team that doesn't already have one.

Now onto the concepts... I too saw the Liberty Bell in the original NYCFC concept, much to my confusion. Yeah, people making a connection between an Arabian airline and September 11th may be a little stupid, but that doesn't stop people from making the connection, and that means bad publicity. My main issue with it is failing to make the connection. When I was planning homes for expansion franchises, I looked to local corporations for names, and I'd suggest the same for your sponsors. Find the big corporation from that hometown. For New York, Chase, Citigroup, Hess, Macy's, Pfizer or Time Warner could work.

While I agreed the twin liberties was a bit odd, I rather liked your second version. I disagree with attacks on the Liberty green. I think it's a pleasant color, and I find it close to the Fenway green that is much beloved, so I don't think it's beyond any love at all. It does need a good color to offset it. You mentioned red and blue, which are certainly very well-represented in New York sports, but did you ever give a look to orange? It's a very major color representative of the City, steeped deep in its Dutch roots. The warmth of orange may make a nice contrast to the patina. Or it may look horribly ugly. I don't know. XD It's just a thought.

One question I have is that of your representation of the New York skyline. I understand given your comment on the eagle image that you're using some existing imagery to help you with this. I wonder where you got your skyline from. The skyline has three iconic buildings nowadays, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the new 1 World Trade Center (Freedom Tower). And that doesn't include the less iconic but all the more recognizable Citibank Building. In the first version of the logo, none of these appear (I think the UN Secretariat might be somewhere in the middle), and the second version seems to have the Chrysler Building, the Bank of America Building, and I think I see the old Metropolitan Life Building in there. To be honest, I think your first attempt may actually be the Philadelphia skyline. Although it certainly looks nice, I'm surprised at your choices of buildings. Take a look at the Mets logo, which includes a church, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building, and the United Nations Secretariat to represent numerous parts of the City.

I certainly to love the look you've given them. I agree with you on the FC being straight. It definitely is retro-looking in a 40's-50's sort of way. That works for New York, though. Although I think the new version is cool, I actually did rather like the font from the second version. While it's not oft seen in logos, I thought it fit what you were going for. It seemed like the kind of font you'd see on the gold plaque at the bottom of a monument much like your gift to us.

Also, I'm curious as to why you went with the nickname "The Citizens".

But let me move on from the hometown team. I love the look of LA. The only question I have is what's with the odd wings on the sides? Doesn't seem to fit with the bear motif.

DC looks nice, although you'll have to find a new eagle, as already mentioned. It would also be nice to see the DC flag as a motif somewhere. Perhaps a bar with stars on top across the chest of the 3rd where you currently have the red/white stripe. Also, VW is another confusing sponsor. That's an awfully German sponsor for a team in America's capital.

Seattle looks beautiful. I think the pale green gets a bit lost with the white and could instead use a navy or black to contrast against instead, but besides that I have nothing much I can say about it.

Columbus is great. I love the mirrored look for the homes and aways. I don't agree with the third, though. I dunno. Too Brazilian for me. I suppose some looks are just too iconic for anyone else to use.

San Jose is also great. My only question is why you chose San Jose out of all the cities to go with the Spanish naming. I'd expect it from a Texas team or LA, or San Diego. Why did you choose to only do this for San Jose?

Cosmos would have been doomed if that was the case.

New York club, Arabian airline... but the Cosmos are doing fine.

Don't forget that the majority owner in NYCFC owns Etihad Airways.

[TrueYankee26]

A Europeanization of the MLS? You know, a lot of people have made a lot of complaints about what Europeanization has happened up to now.

Playoffs create a climactic end to the season. If you just crown the top dog at the end, there's a good chance of someone running and hiding, causing everything to just end in one big anticlimax. A playoff system also battle-tests a team. Sure they could beat up on whatever crappy teams they had to play during the season, but can they do it against the best of the best? Not to mention the parity that is created. People here love an underdog, an upset, a Cinderella story. If a team has the talent, the heart, or the guts to make it to the end and secure a spot, then they have the ability to make it. Of course, the regular season is not nearly useless, as seeding can be a very important factor in whether one can win or not.

Professional teams in America are multi-million-dollar corporations. Minor league teams depend on gimmicks, a small local fanbase, and a contract to serve as a farm team in a professional team's system. I do not know if a relegation/promotion system can work in this environment, at least not unless the tiers are very small (perhaps 10)

I'm glad you realize the indefensibleness of the team name point. In American sports the team name is one of the strongest parts of a team identity. One of the things people complain most about when it comes to the Europeanization of the MLS is the shift to blander names and identities that don't say anything about a team except where it lives and what sport it plays. While using city names does link a team to the city, a different team name can just as easily link to a city (Mets, Celtics, Steelers, Islanders), or over history can become synonymous with a city or region (Red Sox, Lakers, Bears, Red Wings). I notice you include some nicknames with your teams. I think a middle-ground can be reached by including a nickname for each team that doesn't already have one.

Now onto the concepts... I too saw the Liberty Bell in the original NYCFC concept, much to my confusion. Yeah, people making a connection between an Arabian airline and September 11th may be a little stupid, but that doesn't stop people from making the connection, and that means bad publicity. My main issue with it is failing to make the connection. When I was planning homes for expansion franchises, I looked to local corporations for names, and I'd suggest the same for your sponsors. Find the big corporation from that hometown. For New York, Chase, Citigroup, Hess, Macy's, Pfizer or Time Warner could work.

While I agreed the twin liberties was a bit odd, I rather liked your second version. I disagree with attacks on the Liberty green. I think it's a pleasant color, and I find it close to the Fenway green that is much beloved, so I don't think it's beyond any love at all. It does need a good color to offset it. You mentioned red and blue, which are certainly very well-represented in New York sports, but did you ever give a look to orange? It's a very major color representative of the City, steeped deep in its Dutch roots. The warmth of orange may make a nice contrast to the patina. Or it may look horribly ugly. I don't know. XD It's just a thought.

One question I have is that of your representation of the New York skyline. I understand given your comment on the eagle image that you're using some existing imagery to help you with this. I wonder where you got your skyline from. The skyline has three iconic buildings nowadays, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the new 1 World Trade Center (Freedom Tower). And that doesn't include the less iconic but all the more recognizable Citibank Building. In the first version of the logo, none of these appear (I think the UN Secretariat might be somewhere in the middle), and the second version seems to have the Chrysler Building, the Bank of America Building, and I think I see the old Metropolitan Life Building in there. To be honest, I think your first attempt may actually be the Philadelphia skyline. Although it certainly looks nice, I'm surprised at your choices of buildings. Take a look at the Mets logo, which includes a church, the Williamsburg Savings Bank, the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building, and the United Nations Secretariat to represent numerous parts of the City.

I certainly to love the look you've given them. I agree with you on the FC being straight. It definitely is retro-looking in a 40's-50's sort of way. That works for New York, though. Although I think the new version is cool, I actually did rather like the font from the second version. While it's not oft seen in logos, I thought it fit what you were going for. It seemed like the kind of font you'd see on the gold plaque at the bottom of a monument much like your gift to us.

Also, I'm curious as to why you went with the nickname "The Citizens".

But let me move on from the hometown team. I love the look of LA. The only question I have is what's with the odd wings on the sides? Doesn't seem to fit with the bear motif.

DC looks nice, although you'll have to find a new eagle, as already mentioned. It would also be nice to see the DC flag as a motif somewhere. Perhaps a bar with stars on top across the chest of the 3rd where you currently have the red/white stripe. Also, VW is another confusing sponsor. That's an awfully German sponsor for a team in America's capital.

Seattle looks beautiful. I think the pale green gets a bit lost with the white and could instead use a navy or black to contrast against instead, but besides that I have nothing much I can say about it.

Columbus is great. I love the mirrored look for the homes and aways. I don't agree with the third, though. I dunno. Too Brazilian for me. I suppose some looks are just too iconic for anyone else to use.

San Jose is also great. My only question is why you chose San Jose out of all the cities to go with the Spanish naming. I'd expect it from a Texas team or LA, or San Diego. Why did you choose to only do this for San Jose?

Cosmos would have been doomed if that was the case.

New York club, Arabian airline... but the Cosmos are doing fine.

Don't forget that the majority owner in NYCFC owns Etihad Airways.

That too!

[ujju2]

For Philly, the only problem I have is that I love the current colour scheme of navy and gold. Looks good, though.

[Naoned Pride]

The Washington Nationals and the Washington Capitals organizations might not like that. Need to plagiarize? C'mon...

I knew about the Capitals alternate which i've taken the eagle from, but I didn't know about that one, it's a real coincidence here.

But a new one's coming, this was only a prelude.

Cosmos would have been doomed if that was the case.

New York club, Arabian airline... but the Cosmos are doing fine.

Yeah that's basically what pushed me into putting it back. I found the whole explanation quite unreal in the first place.

For Philly, the only problem I have is that I love the current colour scheme of navy and gold. Looks good, though.

Me too, I looked up the origins of the colours and found it pretty darn cool ! But I wanted to apply my own touch.

[Naoned Pride]

Here's a new one: FC Portland. I've changed its name a little just for esthetic reasons. Montreal is next but I need to gather a couple of informations first.

FC Portland

[VictoriaGooner]

Like the rose in the middle but not a fan of the the mixtures of those pantones of red, green and black. They just don't work, its like s distraction.

[Soarindude]

Like the rose in the middle but not a fan of the the mixtures of those pantones of red, green and black. They just don't work, its like s distraction.

Agreed with above. The weird line doesn't look great with the colors you used. The crest you used is solid though. Id avoid black and maybe use a different striping. Maybe something that resembles thorns on a Rose or Petals?

[Naoned Pride]

I'm not surprised, I myself hesitated with the kits, can easily be changed soon.

Like the rose in the middle but not a fan of the the mixtures of those pantones of red, green and black. They just don't work, its like s distraction.

On the crest or only the kits ?

[Naoned Pride]

I've considered the color scheme problem on the kits and came up with three brand new for Portland.

And the following cost me a couple of problems. I wanted to share a record for the Canadian League and Cup, but it was really hard to come up with something. The first leagues only featured two provinces (Ontario and Quebec if I'm not mistaken) until 1968 and the establishement of the NASL (and my fictionnal league).

Same thing for the Cup, as the Open Canada Cup was at first played on invitation, then it became canadian-wide (somehow) BUT amateur, and then disappeared to give the current Canadian Championship in 1998, which is my base as of now.

Talking about Canadian teams, the addition of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal made me go through my title history and I spotted one small win for a canadian team (gladly for me): Vancouver in 1993, striping away Denver's second title. With that being cleared:

Les Québécois de Montreal

Salt Lake City FC

[WideRight]

Not sure about the crest on the SLC team. The aureolas (tee hee) look like Mickey Mouse ears, which makes the tabernacle look a bit like the Cinderella castle at Disney. I am also not sure if you want to use what is essentially a church as the symbol for a secular organization. Would this offend Mormons instead of pleasing them? Would it annoy non-Mormons? or is the tabernacle building so essential to the city's identity that no one would be concerned?

[VictoriaGooner]

I'm not surprised, I myself hesitated with the kits, can easily be changed soon.

Like the rose in the middle but not a fan of the the mixtures of those pantones of red, green and black. They just don't work, its like s distraction.

On the crest or only the kits ?

The colors on the third kit.