Why Are MLS Teams Obsessed With Rebrands?
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- čas přidán 10. 03. 2021
- MLS Eastern Conference side Montreal Impact will return in the 2021 season as CF Montréal, with a new name, logo, and branding.
From LA Galaxy to the New York Red Bulls though, the Canadians are just the latest in a long line of Major League Soccer teams to have discovered a new identity.
So, in this video, HITC Sevens takes a look at the history of MLS rebrands, whether they have been successful, and why the league seems to be so obsessed with them when compared to European leagues like La Liga and the Premier League. - Sport
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"its better to be original, than a cheap imitation" shows real salt lake 😂
As an RSL fan, I agree our name sucks so bad. But I would take it over Utah United or Salt Lake City FC any day of the week.
Honestly, I find Real Salt Lake's name hilarious. Not even in a bad way. In their case, it's so bizarre it's brilliant.
i used to think it meant Real salt lake as in 'not fake'
I wish they Americanized it with “Salt Lake Royals”, though it might mean paying Major League Baseball copyright fees
@@sdeepj Salt Lake Slopes could have been a good name though.
The Royals name sounds like a bad idea, because the thought of paying money to Kansas City makes me sick
If Hull City were in the mls, they would be called Hull Tigers
Edit: I am aware that the owners tried to do exactly that a few years ago. I’m saying it wouldn’t look out of place in the mls
For about a week, and then they would change to club de foot hull
🤣
The MLS has started naming clubs the European way like Kansas City Wizards became Sporting Kansas City.
Their owner wanted to change the name to hull tigers
Unfortunately all the expansion teams have generic names now. The last new mls team to not have a “European style” name was the impact a decade ago. If Hull City joined mls today they would be Hull Fc or Hull United
@@olivermorrison2342 or Real Athletico Sporting Inter Hull United Tigers FC 🤣
I found the rebranding of Impact de Montréal to be a disgrace. They took away the Impact name, which symbolised the club, the city and the province, and replaced it with some generic, boring 'FC' style name. They didnt even consult Ultras Montréal or any other fan group.
In the photo shoot for the new CF Montréal jersey, Samuel Piette, who was born and raised in Quebec looked heartbroken. And I dont blame him.
I just wish American/Canadian owners would know that football(or in this case soccer) isnt the same as NFL, basketball, baseball or hockey. Doing something like this is like taking a giant shit on the club identity and their fans. I stand with L'Impact.
Dark soy sauce
Thats what.
The MLS is trying too hard to be European by rebranding them like united,city etc.
I wish they kept their name similar to NBA like rockets,Rapids etc cause thats something unique to the american culture and what makes it different.
Don't try to be something else.Just be yourself MLS
At least they are still in Montreal. Could easily have moved city
@@Sam-gf6ue it could have MONTREAL WANDERERS for all we know😂
@@lalitthapa101 that would be awesome if they called themselves the Wonderers or the Maroons.
If you listen right to the end of the video you can actually hear the Chinese government assassinate Alfie midway through his outro
😂 Love it.
@@HITCSevens Who are you and what've you done with Alfie?
More like the FBI
The Chicago Fire rebrand was the worst rebrands in sporting history imo... they had a classic (not cheesy) badge with history and turned it into something an 8 year old made on fifa pro clubs
Well at least they listened to the fans and are changing it after this season.
@@johnglue1744 Go back to the Fireman Cross and everyone will be happy. It was peak MLS in an overwhelmingly positive way
Thank God we got a new owner who actually gives a shit about our team. Not only that but the former Club president (the guy who came up with the badge) was forced to resign. Hopefully the new badge is either similar or just as good as our old one.
@@sirkubz4771 The original badge was the best in the league.
@@de132 They asked over 15 000 fans about what they want, and I think people wanted the Florian Cross, the city flag, the star and the old C.
Montreal’s and Chicago’s different crests look like if fifa lost the rights to them
Lol
This comment gave me a good laugh. I needed that😂
the chicago logo look more like a gang symbol more than anything, which is why the fans are mad at the change
Thank goodness Chicago walked that back after it was made known that literally nobody liked it.
Nobody:
HITC Sevens: Your keeper couldn't even catch the corona virus
^
Reasons why one MLS team should sign Loris Karius for the lols
@@TheNewChevyRoll48 he would be one of the keepers in the MLS probably
Lol never felt so real until that comment
@@BreckinU It's tough to say, but after thinking about it for a while, I agree. If Karius was signed by an MLS team, I too think he would be one of the keepers in the MLS.
@@BreckinU so would I
If I signed for an MLS team as a keeper, technically I am one of the keeper in the MLS 😂
I went to the mls cup final for Atlanta United and all the flares and cheering in Spanish reminded me of being back in Argentina. It’s so cool to see how my city is setting an example of how the beautiful game should be played and admired in the states!
I really hope the mls becomes like that and the embrace for soccer/football and becomes successfull
13:01 looks like Alfie got attacked by FBI after talking about American stuff
😂 😂
He will be remembered
Bro you heard to much
@@HITCSevens hey you are supposed to be in the jail ce---
It'd be the CIA, actua-
As a primary MLS/American sports supporter, there are 2 other reasons for this trend
1. American sports fans are used to rebrands. For example, in the NFL, at least 1 of the 32 teams usually changes its logo every year. That doesn’t mean no one protests it, but our fans are used to it.
2. There is a growing pressure to europeanize from MLS management and owners. Almost every rebrand or new team adds an FC or an SC (I still don’t know why we need SCs) or a CF, and the names are becoming more generic. Especially for a league that is bullish on keeping a salary cap to me, it doesn’t make much sense.
In my opinion, I think it is ok to europeanize as long as it doesn’t become too generic. As an Inter Miami fan, I like how we didn’t just go FC and have unique colors and a badge. However, if we went sharks, vice, or manatees, I would have been much happier as a supporter.
I'd argue that I don't know why we need FC's in the US... Because we don't have football clubs. We have football teams/franchises in the NFL, but in the US we call it soccer, just like they used to call it in England before they decided to stop calling it soccer out of snobbery. It makes no sense to name a club in the MLS a "football club".
CF makes more sense at least (moreso than the "Inter" part) since it's a hispanic focused club and area.
@@sixshotsniper3095 and as u said they are franchises and not clubs anyway
Does SC in the US mean Soccer Club or Sports Club?
@@dominikmanthei4546 although technically they are franchises in the MLS as well...
@@dominikmanthei4546 soccer club
It's such a breath of fresh air when someone from across the pond looks at mls and covers a subject with some actually maturity and research. Unlike 99% of europeans who just go: "f*ck mls it sucks" this guy actually put things into perspective
Love this channel. Keep it up
I mean, it kinda does suck relative to foreign soccer, which is why the sport didn't take off on television until NBCUniversal got the rights to Premier League. That said, it is nice when the Europeans don't harangue us with "your football sucks and you're stupid for calling it soccer" and then ask "why hasn't the American market accepted football?" What do they expect? If the European soccer world tells us we're stupid and we also have bad soccer that isn't worth watching, they shouldn't be surprised when we decide not to watch it.
@@Good100 well Americans never really gave soccer a chance either. Americans tend to be very small-minded over the dumbest things. "Ew you like soccer? That's a sissy sport. Watch a REAL sport with REAL athletes like Baseball or the NFL"
@@TheReddShinobi13 your over generalizing Americans , most are indifferent to soccer. Same way your indifferent to maybe American football or baseball. Also no one calls it a sissy sport. I’ve never heard anyone call it that. Football is ignored, not disrespected.
There are several factors: Originally the teams were named by Nike, and targeted a young demographic. So in the 1990s that meant skateboard culture. In addition, there were a lot of horrifying singular abstractions used for team names in the era. The resulting names and badges were consequently Bart Simpson-y and mostly awful. However, the brand people most responded to was DC United, with its traditional look and badge. So, yes, there was an effort to seem more mature and traditional. Montreal Impact to CF Montreal is the latest in this longstanding trend.
The league originally wanted to present itself as unattached to Europe and The Things Average Americans Hate About Soccer. Then they found the people actually coming to the games were hardcore fans who followed European and South American soccer and wanted that sort of experience. So the names re-branded to more familiarly European and South American styles.
A third factor: The league originally wanted to avoid associations with the NASL and the collapse of that league. So it avoided rejuvenating NASL team names. As it turned out, a lot of MLS fans had fond memories of going to NASL games. So in some markets, they adopted/updated the old teams' look, colors, names, and even history. Like, the Sounders maintain the enjoyable fiction that they are the same team in a spiritual sense. Hence San Jose changing from Clash to the Quakes, and the Whitecaps, Timbers, and Sounders took their NASL names.
It seems to me that there's a balance to strike between being Europeanized and being imitative. Some of the international fans seem to look down on even the rebranded MLS teams' names and logos because it's obvious that "United," "Real," and "FC" are just hollow mimicry without the meaning they have for teams like Manchester United and Real Madrid.
well said.
It looks like the Montreal rebranding have made an Impact on their fans
Nice one
at least the revs haven't changed their name. We're still crayon flag fc.
Tbh, I love that logo. I know a lot of people don’t, but it has character and it’s very unique!
The soccer market changed a lot in the US from when the league started to now. Back in the 1990s, very few Americans followed professional soccer. There was no longer a domestic league, and leagues from around the world had no media coverage. All American sports fans knew was their own domestic sports, so team names and logos were created with that in mind. Also at the time, soccer was considered a child's sport. Lots of suburban kids would play recreationally until they reached their teens and that's about it. The original target audience of the league was the suburban "soccer mom".
Fast forward to recent years, and soccer is an extremely popular spectator sport among people about 35 or younger. European and Mexican league games are now easily available and mainstream sports media have dedicated coverage. With this expansion in soccer popularity, now the MLS has to compete with international leagues for attention. The target audience shifted from the suburban "soccer mom" (who we found out wasn't interested in becoming a fan of an MLS team) to the millennial living in a large urban. MLS teams originally played out in the suburbs, but now frequently play in their own downtown stadiums. When the teams moved downtown, they took the opportunity to rebrand towards a more European style in an effort to attract the new American soccer fan.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Professional_Soccer_League
FWIW, the APSL still exists to this day to some extent, as it (then known as the A-League) merged with the Select League of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, but kept the A-League moniker. A few name changes later, and the league is now known as the USL Championship, the de facto second division of American soccer.
Ive been a lifelong Galaxy fan and I remember going to my first games when Beckham was still playing. My dad was a huge soccer(football) fan his entire life and since we live in Orange County, galaxy was our home team. watching those games as a kid and later as a teenager made me fall in love with the sport and even though we aren't in a top league I still remember being mesmerized by Robbie Keane's ability, Gyasi Zardes pace, and many many more. Although, when I went to the most games it was when Galaxy was nearly unbeatable and had back to back MLS titles before Portland ended that.
I agree that they initially thought the soccer moms and dads and their soccer-playing kids were the core audience they were going for. Something those of us among the initial MLS supporters clubs tried to convince the league of without much early success was that they could create an atmosphere in the stadium that would resonate with international fans through giving wide leeway and even encouraging and promoting supporters club/ultras activities. In my mind, though I'm not involved in those activities any more, I still believe that is where the future of MLS lies, and that branding of the league still needs to morph towards an image that meshes franchise and supporters club more than it does now.
@@BroadwayJoe99 it isn't a defacto 2nd division, it is the 2nd division in US Soccer. They rank leagues from divisions 1 to 3. Anything under that (so all the amateur clubs and leagues) are not ranked by USSF. Now be it those rankings mean shit as if you have enough money you can just pay your expansion fee and move up, but they do exist.
@@jldch26 I said what I said because the American soccer pyramid is not a proper pyramid, where there is promotion and relegation between the divisions. Of course, there are multiple divisions within USL (Leagues One and Two beneath the Championship), but again there is no proper promotion and relegation between divisions. Teams can move and have moved between divisions, but not because of wins and losses on the field as is the standard everywhere else. The ugly truth is that the American soccer "pyramid" more closely resembles Major League Baseball's farm system instead of the pyramids of just about every other soccer-playing nation on the planet.
Thank you for making this video! I really appreciate that you don't slew the MLS like many other football youtubers do. Obviously I know that we aren't a top league and won't be one for many many years, but the MLS keeps improving over the years, Going to LA Galaxy games with my dad as a kid is what made me fall in love with the sport, I remember watching David Beckham play and at the time I didn't know that I was watching an absolute legend of the game even though my dad would tell me, later on when he retired though I realized. I remember going to games and behind where we would sit we would always see Beckham in his box watching every Galaxy game. That was incredible to me and I will always love him for supporting the club way after his departure, I also got a picture with him and Romeo which is pretty amazing to me.
Also Robbie Keane will always be one of my favorite players since he was absolutely class at Galaxy. Also I got to see Steven Gerrard play but he was utterly useless for us.
Chicago Fire, what a nice badge and colour scheme you once had :(
And the kits too. As heartbreaking as the new logo was, the real disaster was changing the home shirt from the traditional red with a white hoop to the plain navy blue. Fire sorta got reverse Cardiffed. Let’s hope this’ll play out the way Cardiff did with a return to the original.
Funny the new logo is just like a 0
@@pjkerrigan20 fire supporter here. Trust me. We want nothing more than to get back to the old badge and kit designs.
As an alternative to the rebranding we've seen for a lot of MLS clubs recently I'd like to offer the contrast of the three Northwest teams, the Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers. While none of these were original MLS clubs they were all NASL and later USL clubs and all three consider their founding dates to be 1974, 1974 and 1975 respectively. Now none of them still have their original NASL colors or crests but since joining MLS there have been no changes to colors or crests for any of the three teams. The rivalry between the clubs is the most intense and long-running in US soccer and goes way beyond just competition in MLS. Ask any Sounder fan about our team's worst day and everyone will point to the US Open Cup "Red Card Wedding" game against the Timbers that ended up with 7 players on the pitch for the Sounders. Ask any Timbers fan about their worst day and they will point to the 2009 US Open Cup where the Sounder's Roger Levesque scored on the then USL Timbers just 48 seconds into the match.
Hell yeah Cascadia Cup
They probably rebrand as the league is very young and teams are trying to find an identity. Also rebranding brings in more money as in North America sports fans spend a lot on merchandise so if a team changes logo, colours, name, or kit it’s a cash cow.
Good luck to the Caps. Hope you enjoy the RioT, and our signature Utah hospitality.
All they have to do is change the badge. Changing the name to some generic garbage is not the answer.
Also rebranding is done frequently everywhere else, its just that all the clubs arent 20 years old and doing it simultaneously. many clubs that have been aound a while have like 7 iterations of their badge
Also rebranding is done frequently everywhere else, its just that all the clubs arent 20 years old and doing it simultaneously. many clubs that have been aound a while have like 7 iterations of their badge
IMFC was founded pre-MLS. It's now a new team. 28 years of history was flushed down the drain.
1:55 rebranding: exists
New England Revolution: *no*
As a revs fan we gota keep that badge forever
@@ayedonp9484 I'm sure they'll change the badge when they build a new stadium...so, you get your wish.
@@billpenna lmaooo Boston real estate is expensive
My team 😤
@@billpenna bruh our owner rob Kraft can’t find a piece of land for the stadium bc there’s no space
As a Ghanaian,nice of you to mention Abusua Dwarfs. The Abusua means family,just to inform you
That just makes it better.
I definitely appreciate the mls coverage, Alfie. My team (Houston) also recently had a very unpopular rebrand
Houstonian here, agree.
That one was definitely unnecessary but the original logo wasn’t great to begin with.
The Dynamo are a a mess all around, but so are all Houston teams. Houstonian here.
@@elninobritish Cougs are good and Stros are favorites to win the division again. It's really just the texans and dynamo that are dysfunctional
@@___________________. What about the Rockets?
It's too bad MLS teams didn't keep their kitschy old school branding. Now everything is so generic and boring.
australia has kept theirs which is good
USA is generic and boring.
Tbh Kansis City Wizards, NY Cosmos etc sounds way cooler than Sporting KC and NYFC. They are basically de-Americanising football over there, which is a shame
The old Columbus Crew logo is one of the greatest ever.
@@bigmaguire9714 Well that's likely heavily influenced by the highly prevalent european and english attitudes towards American football/soccer and the MLS in general.
It's them putting on a more European face for marketing purposes
I don't think that's going to work as they intend. Making it more generic and watered down surely makes it less appealing, especially to Europeans who already have tens of thousands of "FC" clubs
10:16
A good example of this is the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that since 2008 have been hugely successfull, making 2 World Series and several playoff appearences, yet constantly have to operate on a shoe string budget due to external factors. Thats part of the appeal of US sports for me, you dont have to support the largest clubs to experience a winning team
Why don't y'all call it the US Series, since 'World Series' indicates that it features/takes place all over the world.
@@brandonhey7797 It's called the World Series for historical reasons, it was named that around the turn of the 20th century when the US had the only pro baseball league. Sort of like how the English FA is just "the FA".
@@brandonhey7797 In addition to what @L Grismer said, it also has to do with that MLB is so far and beyond the rest of the world's baseball leagues that an international tournament isn't really viable financially. Nobody seriously thinks that the winners of the Japan Series, Korea Series, Mexico's King Series, or any of the other regional championships are serious contenders to the winner of the World Series in a best of seven. And if nobody thinks they're serious contenders, they're not going to be able to sell tickets for people to see it regularly. Notably, the last time the #1 baseball league had serious competition (#1 being the National League and #2 being the American League), the two of them started the World Series and eventually merged. If, say, Nippon Professional Baseball ever becomes so good that it can viably compete against MLB and draw international viewers, you probably would start something like a Club World Cup of baseball.
I live in Dallas, so FC Dallas rebranding from the Burn was fine, but what would really help the team grow is if they got a designated player, in which we never had. Also it would be nice if they played there games in the Cotton Bowl stadium in Downtown and not in Frisco which is like almost a 45 min drive w/ out traffic.
Just want everybody to know that the MLS is the 10th most valuable league in the world. Ahead of some surprising leagues!!
Great video Alfie! Nigerian-American here, and I have to add that one big factor in this you didn’t mention is American sports culture. Teams having “unique” names and rebranding themselves is far more common in American sports in general than in other countries. A quick look the NFL, NBA, and MLB will show that almost all of them have “unique” names(this is just the American cultural way of naming teams. Even holds true down to college and grade school teams. Team names like ‘[location name] United’ or ‘[location name] [sport] club just seem very strange to most Americans) and several teams have changed their names, logos, and even locations over the course of their history. Most of those changes came within the last several decades and are thus within many people’s living memories unlike the most of the much more infrequent changes of that sort which occurred in European football.
Therefore, both American club(we prefer to say team, I’ve never heard an American use the term “club” in this context btw) management and fans are much more receptive to rebrands than European football fans. This is why even tho the American fans you mentioned protested their club rebrands, the backlash is nowhere near as severe as when say Wimbledon FC moved and changed their names to MK Dons. Therefore, on a cultural level, clubs can get away with rebrands. As you noted, the tendency to rebrand with less “unique” names is down to pressure to get respect from global football fans since, as I mentioned previously, the less “unique” naming style is basically unheard of in American culture. P.S. RIP Diego Maradona!🙏🏾❤️(ending all my comments with this as a tribute to the late great for the entire year after his death btw)
Actually lots of teams in Europe rebrand frequently. much more than south america but less than others. of course some havent changed in 50 years, but many teams have 7-8 former logos and often 2-3 within the last 4 decades
Don't think this was mention but kit manufacturers were in charge of naming and branding the original MLS Teams which might explain why the shirts and badges were a bit "out there".
IIRC, it was a marketing firm hired by MLS to work with the shirt manufacturers who came up with the names and original logos. The teams had little to no say as to what they were going to get. The owners had bought a franchise in the league, and were then handed a package that they had to find a way to work with.
The whole thing was done as a campaign with 90’s advertising sensibilities driving the bus. They were going to “re-invent soccer” to be more palatable for the American sports fan. The whole campaign was predicated on the assumption that the American public needed to be force fed this “new” game.
Nowadays, the prospective expansion team builds the package, and tries to sell it to the league for the privilege of paying hundreds of millions of dollars for a slot. Then the league takes over.
Great video, you should do one of Portland Timbers rivalry with Seattle Sounders. Both teams have been around since 1975 and had a true rivalry
1974 for the Sounders and don't forget the Vancouver Whitecaps which also date to 1974.
Day 1: I want to see a video where you explain the difference in the landscape of football in India, China and The USA and which one would be a force of nature in the future!!
That's such a brilliant idea!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Very informative too.
Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers are the best branded teams in the MLS. Their club names and badges show maturity and seriousness but also character and originality.
And they have both had on the field success, consistent crowds, and a serious rivalry with one another. That doesn’t stop PTFC from the awesome traditions like Timber Jim/Joey tho. The whole MLS should be taking notes on the Pacific Northwest.
Don't forget the Vancouver Whitecaps as well, as part of the Cascadia Cup.
Interesting sign off Alfie😂
Went looking through the comments to find someone mentioning this. Glad its not just me that watches right to the end 😅
Chicago fire badge to the crown was so bad. Hopefully y the stay the “Chicago fire” and not some stupid name like Chicago United or Inter Chicago....so silly
Don’t give them ideas lol
incoming A.C. Chicago 🤣🤣🤣
Chicago München ;)
they are already changing the badge to something more similar to the older style
Inter Chicago sounds nice
i was scared this video was gonna end without a eddie howe joke, thanks for sneaking it at the end alfie
What does this refer to?
@@summitsummit3634 Eddie Howe sounds similar to anyhow. That's the joke.
Sporting Kansas City rebrand is the best the league has ever seen, they went from last in sold merch even behind General MLS merch and playing in a baseball stadium with no one in attendance to one of the most successful clubs of the decade consistently selling out games in one of the best atmospheres in MLS
I still find the name kind of strange because unlike the European sports clubs the name is based on, Sporting KC only plays one sport.
im a Montreal impact fan having season tickets from 3 years by now and im completely disgusted by the rebrand. No one here supports the rebrand!
The rebranded logo honestly looks like something a bank would use lol
@@danielhuynh9368 a hockey amateur team lol
Even as a Toronto fan, I hate Montreal rebrand, it feels like they took away the club's history (dating back to it's years as a non-MLS team). The rivalry between TFC/Montreal doesn't feel the same after the rebrand.
@@omaroo7969 I really hate Toronto as rivals but respect for winning the MLS cup and hopefully u guys won't rebrand as we did cuz this is pathetic
The new logo is trash but not sad to see that stupid name go. Impact, Galaxy, Fire, Quakes, Sounders...all terrible names. Revolution would be cool if it was just Revolution FC, but it's not.
Thank you for this video!! I love youre channel and appreciate the MLS attention
It’s just like English football 125 years ago, it just seems strange because we’re actually witnessing it live
Thank You for mentioning what the name “ United” originally represented.
Only those that study the history of the game know what it truly means. Historically anyway. Now it’s just a popular name to add on to a club name because of the appeal of Manchester United as they were showcased in limited PL games shown in US in early 2000’s majority of the time. Before coverage grew, until NBC Sports bought all rights for every game shown in 2013. Its great that the MLS is not only thriving, but growing more fans, leading to more investment- - Leading to Ultimately the talent level increasing: from better development to identifying young exciting South American players too.
The MLS was doubted to succeed, and based off of previous US leagues, you could understand why some believed that. But I remember a few experts, wish I could remember who it was ( 2 British , 1 American , & 1-2 others from Europe, maybe Italy ) were the ones who said look at the league when it reaches 20-25 years old. Despite a few thought times; it has been a Success & more Successful each new season.
I'd argue for Atlanta United's name standing, it brought together a bunch of fans in the Southeast that had no real team. Orlando City popped up right around that time, but Atlanta United really brought together the community. Just look at their home games, it's wild
Orlando City isn't even on TV outside of Orlando itself. Even in Florida, I couldn't really watch it if I wanted to, so it's not surprising that Atlanta ate up the South.
as an american into football, I give u massive kudos on ur research about the MLS.
btw I sometimes wake up at 5 or 6 just to watch premier league games. there is an 8-hour time difference between california and the UK
I'm from Malaysia, and I'm used to waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning to watch Prem games.
LA Galaxy fan here great vid man
I like the MLS because it’s not just one or two big teams that compete but there is just like many “okay” teams and it’s very interesting to me
Never a dull moment in MLS. Unpredictable league and very fun to support.
Day 39: Top 7 ranked National teams' golden generations if they were compiled into a league format
That’s a mouthful
Number 7 1920-1937 USA
@@ak47groupAKM China from the same period wants a word.
@@brandonhey7797 Which one
Great video mate! Loving the videos dedicated to your Yank viewers across the pond! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙
I LOVE your channel. And your MLS coverage makes me admire your work event more. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take note that us Americans and partially hearing impaired people have difficulty understanding you when you drop volume on the last word of almost every sentence. I actually noticed you did a MUCH BETTER job several times. It's wild that you never do it before a comma. You are a top class narrator with an easy to understand accent. You don't need to have a sing-song cadence at the end of every sentence. The writing is excellent too.
Day 3: Rank all CR7 strike partners.
Give them a chance to make it first. They're not just going to make video because you commented it.
@@georgebroadhurst5483 Tell that to the whole comment section.
The old Columbus Crew badge goes hard
There is still a fair amount of love for the old "Village People" crest. Though I don't much mind the new one (colors haven't changed).
The problem with copying international names is that these teams have no relation to any club (I give DC United a pass for being clever). It's a sure sign that your marketing hire is listening to the wrong set of hard-cores.
Real would have been ok for San Jose, the old Spanish "Royal Road" (El Camino Real) goes right through town and up to San Francisco (and all the way down to Mexico City).
Thank goodness for Portland and Seattle.
Really interesting video, Alfie. As an American, but not really an MLS fan, I had realized these changes but never considered why they occurred. Glad to hear your take on it
Thanks for the upload on this. I think the first person you need to look up and do research on to understand the origin of PR and marketing in American sports is Bill Veeck. I know his story is of a baseball owner, but he really defined what sports marketing in the US was all about.
Interesting take on the etymolygy of the word 'United'. I always thought of it meaning that the club was uniting the city/community. Apt in places like Leeds and Newcastle where there is only one professional club and the locals are passionate and loyal when it comes to their local club. (Not always the case of course, and it doesn't make as much sense in places like Manchester and Dundee where there are more than one club)
I don't know about others but Newcastle is called United because Newcastle West Side and Newcastle East Side merged into one club
I recall the reaction when Everton changed their crest ahead of the 2013/14 season.
Appreciate the compliment about the old Columbus Crew logo :) Cheers from Ohio!
9:35 did anyone else get deja vu at this point? I swear he has waffled about this before. Side note. Great video mate. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of my favorite things about being a Revs fan is that we’re the exception to this trend. If they ever change the name or the logo, the fanbase would riot
What fan base? LOL, don't they like...barely draw 5,000 people per game?
Day 5: Lionel messi’s teammates from his final barça b game: where are they now?
This video gave me my daily dose of football news and existential crisis. Liked. Subscribed.
it's funny cause all the fans hate it when a team is re-branded
The MLS is losing its identity. They're trying to be more like Europe, when part of their appeal was the cool names and unique origin stories for those names
The original team names didn't have unique origin stories, they were just created and designed by Nike, original uniform supplier of the league. The Unique team names are the old NASL ones(Sounders, Timbers, Quakes, Whitecaps and formerly the Impact)
are you implying MLS had an identity to begin with? I thought everybody made fun of those names, and alot of the branding was from the 90s or early 2000s which is... unfortunate
@@hawkinsstern5356 Of course MLS has an identity
@@Caswell19 no it doesnt, its a franchise league with zero organic teams besides the nasl adds
@@xpln LOL. the NASL entrants are, outside of the Loons, the least organic teams in the league.
Not a request
But live the content alfie!
GREAT STUFF THE ROAST I WAS EXPECTON
you’ve got a point with the league’s history & longevity. you rarely see rebrands in the NFL, NBA & MLB, but rather an update to modern times if needed. i personally don’t mind rebranding. it’s publicity for the mls & love seeing the criticism between supporters
the way Alfie ended this vid hahahahaha
The original logos in the MLS were gimmicky because we were trying to sell a sport to a country that hadn't ever taken it seriously. I think this video does a good job explaining the first wave of rebranding. After that, teams keep rebranding because that's just how things work in pro sports over here. Teams rebrand every few years, mainly to sell more crap, but sometimes it's to try to reinvigorate the organization and fans.
As far as teams taking on European names, I don't have a problem with teams using FC, but I'm not a fan of teams using European style names that actually mean something in Europe, but not here, such as Real Salt Lake
Side note: Nashville's team is called Nashville SC, not Nashville United
And the original names and logos made people take it even less seriously, hence all the rebranding. Say what you will about the old NASL, but Cosmos, Rowdies, Sounders, Whitecaps, etc., were as much institutions in their towns as Liverpool, Man U, Aston Villa, Wolves, etc., are in theirs. That's why several MLS teams either rebranded or used those names for expansion teams.
Some of the original MLS teams actually considered adopting the branding of the local NASL club, but declined because they didn't want to associate with the failed NASL. The fact that some later expansion teams use the NASL identities is basically a perfect indication of how bad of an idea that was. Like you said, the original MLS branding actually made Americans take the league less seriously
One factor in the rebranding frenzy is the rapidly increasing popularity of European soccer in the United States. In the past decade, the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 became available to cable and streaming services. On the last day of the Premier League season, you could watch whatever game you wanted, which you couldn't do in England. As the popularity of European soccer increases in the United States, the clubs here are attempting to get some of the mojo from their counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic.
Otherwise, you pretty much nailed it.
It’s a good video, can you do a video on the Wimbledon and MK dons. How they were both formed pls ?
It’s good to follow the MLS sometimes
Colombus Crew and Chicago Fire were so perfect...😞
Ironically, the team that didn't change their logo - Revolution - is also the team that has the most 90s looking badge and probably should update it.
Prefect timing as I move to a new job in Washington DC in May.
Your time in Brunei over? Hope you enjoyed Southeast Asian hospitality.
@@3dsaulgoodman43 I have loved my time here, thanks. Shame I couldn't see more over last 12 months but will be back in future.
Want to see more of Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
Failed to mention the three Cascadia Clubs that all took their names from their old NASL days like 40 years ago . Meanwhile, wayyyyyy before ATL was a glimmer in Uncle Arthur’s eye, Portland Timber’s and more importantly Seattle Sounders have been the benchmark on commercial success matching success on the field. Seattle hasn’t missed the playoffs since they joined in 09 and their trophy cabinet since then is only full with 4 US open cups (American FA Cup), 1 Supporters Shield (Regular Season beat record), 4 Western Conference Championships, and 2 MLS Cups. While also smashing the attendance records every year until ATL joined but let’s see them keep up that pace for 11 years like Seattle has.
The Sounders would have been an interesting team to bring up in this video. When the team moved to MLS they tried to give it a more generic name, but the fans pushed back against it and used the Sounders name.
This is not just an American thing, Leeds United changed crests 5 TIMES between 1973-1984 (13 YEARS).
Hope we don't change again the current one is sick
@@Liverpool-Thedirtyredteam I wish they just change the LUFC font. It's horrible
Day 18: 7 worst players who scored a hattrick in either the premier or champions league
Hahaha nice
@@HellO-rh3kc spoiler friyer
The first Charlotte fc game broke the attendance record again with over 70,000 attendees.
And then came Nashville SC. Still baffled how they had a better season than Beckham's Inter Miami.
Walker Zimmerman almost carried the whole team from defense. Massively underrated.
because they are extremely organized and defend fantastically. They put a lot more resources in defenders and midfield spine than attack, but they'd score a goal or 3 and concede less. Meanwhile Miami was not a tough team to play. Defense never got established, soft midfield, signed expensive players while lacking good options in certain positions, and poor as a team
What was with that random cutoff at the end?!
Glad I'm not the only one to notice that
Just checking who still watches the full video.
Congratulations, you passed the test.
@@HITCSevens San Jose Clash is a brief aberration. it's more the San Jose Earthquakes became the Clash when they joined MLS rather than the Clash became the Earthquakes. It was always a mistake to change the name as SJ had been the Earthquakes for 20 years already and George Best played under the name as well.
As an American and MLS fan since the beginning, I hate that the teams got hate for their names at the beginning and now they're getting hate for using "FC" "SC" "United" etc. We can't win. We use a nickname, it's considered corny, we go traditional, it's considered boring.
The nicknames might be a little corny but it has it's charm. The rebranding takes away the identity of the club as it's just a marketing move. Look at Columbus' old logo, it represents the area, but now it's just a generic logo that means nothing. My club Ajax have modernised our logo in 1990 but it hasn't lost it's overall vibe.
As a fan for so long I got a club FC Cincinnati in my home city. We played in lower division USL and then to MLS. This year we are opening our own stadium in the city. It has been an absolute dream to see the sport I love grow here. If some random person online wants to lecture me about the name, crest, or anything else as to why they won't watch my club? I don't care. I get to be with 26K singing and supporting a local side. That means more to me than buying a top for a club halfway around the world I have zero connection to.
It's trying to appease people who don't want to be appeased. Nobody actually didn't watch MLS because the names were "too American", they just want to look for reasons to mock it. scroll threw these comments and you'll see people saying stupid shit like they don't watch because we don't have pro rel or because we have a draft, salary cap, conferences, playoffs, etc.
Great video and very true, some teams can have a terrible season and still be the “cool” team to wear and rep. The only thing I will point out is that the LA Galaxy play in the Western Conference not the East
Probably one of my favorite team names from the US was the Chicago Cats during the mid 70’s. They literally lasted two seasons but have one goofy mascot. Or even the Chicago Sting that featured a bunch of British players for some reason. Namely Gordon Hill and even got managed by Malcolm Musgrove
I really hate how bland and generic FC City United names are.
Alfie wants all MLS clubs to have 'interesting' names but complains when the Allam's wants to do it at Hull 🤣
Those sorts of names aren't part of English sports culture like they are the U.S. and Canada, or at least in English football culture they aren't.
I like having the nickname in the club's name, personally. (I'm biased, though. Go Hounds!) But evidently, hardcore soccer favs tend to embrace names like "United" in the U.S., though. The only original MLS club to get named by fans from the start was DC United.
It's a balancing act for sure. England has a lot of City, United or plain F.C., which can get a bit boring and makes you yearn for the occasional Plymouth Argyle or Sheffield Wednesday. Then again, being inventive just to be different, when there is no backbone to it, can easily feel very off. Especially if names convey meanings that are just wrong. You shouldn't have "Miners" in a seaside resort (unless there is a peculiar reason why it makes sense just this once), you shouldn't have a "Real" if you're not royally allowed by the Spanish Crown.
But more importantly regarding the "Hull Tigers" is that traditionally, while many teams have nicknames, they are just not part of the official name. Just like some William Smith might be called "Rocky" by his friends, his name doesn't change. Emphasizing the Tigers theme is something else than renaming an old club yoúr grandfather remembers. And that for me is the main reason: sometimes there are reasons to drop a traditional name other than marketing but it's very rare. So people like what they have (and even if they disliked it couldn't agree on a new name in any case). You can mourn the relative uniformity of English team names, but you cannot just change it like that, and also probably not in a way that sounds like it is inspired by foreign cultural traditions (American team name style) when English football culture is strong. A renaming United to City or vice versa may be stomached more easily. Though certainly not in Manchester.
Great job HITC FC
Chicago Fire's first crest was very nice
The main gap between the MLS and the leagues it seeks to imitate is the lack of promotion/relegation. Football doesn't work with the absence of that jeopardy
Agreed! There's no punishment for an eventual shameful season from a club. That makes the league more predictable. It becomes obvious that a team fighting for the title will beat the living shit out of a club in the last positions of the table. That's not what happens in South American and European leagues. If a club is desperate to not get relegated, the match becomes way more complicated. In the MLS's case, they don't really care, they'll have a bad season anyways, so they're already planning their next year.
@Ploke Newo78 the thing is, there are over 60 million latinos in the US. And for them, soccer is by far the most entertaining sport (except for cubans). So I'm sure 2nd tier clubs would get enough support, simply because the fans want to see their club playing in the 1st tier. My club here in Brazil is currently on the 3rd tier for the first time in history and what keeps us going is the hope of returning to where we previously were and regain our respect. That's what the game is about. It has its ups and lows and when you take that out of the equation, it just isn't the same.
For me the game is interesting. I wouldn't want to have to keep track of what league or division a team is in. That's what college athletics are for. They are constantly moving around and changing in position. Just let the game be the game.
I honestly just wanna see the leagues take a traditional structure, relegation and promotion etc for me to actually be interested in following mls. That's just me idk who else might feel the same, always love seeing how newly promoted teams get on
Yes
Same for me
Pro/Rel is never gonna be a thing cause it’ll never work in the US. Just not how it’s set up to be
Good way to compare this video to past times rather than the current game elsewhere
How many subscribers are in Wales? Looking forward to a Cymru Leagues video dedicated to them 👍🏴
For the club that is local to me, Sporting KC sometimes are just called Sporting or even by our old name the Wiz. A lot of chants will use Wiz to pay homage.
First, good to see a fellow SKC supporter in the comments. Second, if I remember correctly, the “Sporting” rebrand was also supposed to involve partnerships with a rugby and lacrosse team in KC under one “Sporting” club similar to Sporting CP’s set up in Portugal. I’m not sure if that partnership ever happened.
@@jasonwilcox9328 It unfortunately never did happen. I've still been a fan of the rebrand regardless, as the identity of the club changed from amateurish to more professional
@@Mindcrackings absolutely a fan of it. I know some folks at the beginning were like “Sporting? What does that mean?”, but for all of us that follow European football, it was cool to see the club go in that direction
Video idea: What on earth is going on at Deportivo La Coruna?
They’ve gone from Spanish champions to potentially playing in the Spanish 4th tier next season
I believe it's already out there. If not this account, someone else did it.
awesome vid
Columbus Crew SC
We did the rebrand in 2014, and while I love our old badge, I think our newer one is brilliant. Maybe it seems more generic at a glance, but the badge actually is spot on.
Its german style reflects the bundesliga, sure, but it also represents the strong german heritage of the city (just like our supporters union, the NORDECKE, german for the North Corner where we sit).
The only name change was in adding the SC to the end of "Columbus Crew", which I find totally acceptable. SC is the only suffix an MLS club should be using (mild exception for CF, if it's a hispanic focused club then Club de Football makes sense). We don't have Football Clubs in the US because Football is the NFL here. We call football soccer here, and we have Soccer Clubs.
And before those of you comment who I know are going to,
The English came up with the name soccer first. They called the sport both soccer and football (stemming from association football) before the term was phased out by British aristocrats after Americans started picking the sport up. It's always been nothing but snobbery.
Proud to be a supporter of Philly Uni
Best crest and first round crest in MLS, first to have a supporters club exist before the team, no interest in rebrands.
Your mascot is dope.
If the DC logo modification is included as a change than so would the Unions
The stadium in Chester is unfortunate, but Philly U has great scouting and youth development.
I wonder if money has a lot to do with this. Clubs may find it strange that fans don't buy a new version of the same jersey with a little tweak or badge moved here in there every year... so re-branding is a good way to erm, "sell it to them" literally.. I mean make a new brand and badge and then suddenly it really is a new shirt + scarf + all the other accessories that are for sale. Would be interesting to see any data on this if there is a financial boost, or if it costs the club more to rebrand? Just thinking, clubs must be losing a lot of money these days due to fan lockouts, and voila - all these rebrands! I just wish it would be done at the fans wish and will, and not cause some exec wants it. As a Dynamo fan, will never get used to this new design...
No way. A rebrand costs way more then the extra shirts they sell. Especially if everyone hates it.
Can't really afford to buy sports merchandise. That always came across as a suburban upper class kind of thing. But soccer is a cool game so it is nice to have around.
OG MLS teams started with an American style logo and decided to rebrand to have a European style team crest. I remember when Colorado FC chose the colors for their new crest to match the burgundy with the Colorado Avalanche and sky blue to match the Denver Nuggets. These are the types of decisions teams need to make to stay interesting.
the ending was great
didn’t mention my petition against the Chicago Fire rebrand last year which got the backing of the Fire’s biggest supporters group and was apparently one of the reasons they agreed to change it again 😉
I can't speak for literall everyone but I'm from Montreal and an Impact supporter and haven't seen or soken to a single person that likes the change
Not surprising. #ToujoursL'Impact
Why d they do it if everyone dislikes it
@@dominikmanthei4546 Well in Chicago their rebrand to that stupid badge was not received well so the owner publicly acknowledged it and indicates they will go back to something more like before soon. Hopefully the Montreal owners acknowledge the feedback and value it
Could you make a video about all the players that played under Ferguson that also went onto manage after please!
Video idea: I was watching the CL match with Justin Kluivert yesterday, not long after reading about Rangers' title win with Ianis Hagi, and it got me wondering - what is the best current World XI of players with more famous (or even as-famous) fathers? Other possible inclusions would be Kasper Schmeichel or Erling Braut Haaland (although the latter may already be close to eclipsing his father)...