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MLS Philadelphia’s Nickname to be Union

PhiladelphiaLogo 

The MLS Expansion team in Philadelphia finally has a name.

Major League Soccer's 16th team will be named the Philadelphia Union, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Friday. Union beat out four other proposed nicknames, including AC Philadelphia and Philadelphia City.

For those who recall, SBI's informal poll on choosing a Philadelphia nickname back in January drew more than 3,800 votes and saw Philadelphia City (30 percent) edge out both AC Philadelphia (27 percent) and Philadelphia Union (26 percent).

Philadelphia Union will officially unveil its new team name, logo and colors on Monday at a ceremony at Philadelphia City Hall.

My initial thoughts? The logo and colors are great and while I wasn't a fan of Union out of the four finalists, I don't think it's terrible. I also like the idea of the team informally adopting "The Snakes" as a nickname.

What do you think of the name? Should Philly have gone with AC or SC? Like the logo? Just glad I won't have to run that tired photo of the shovel?

Share your thoughts on Philadelphia's nickname and logo below.

Comments

  1. Very cool.

    I like the Blue. I like that it’s not a faux European name. I love the snake. It’s by far the best marketing for the USMNT. I wonder how Nike will feel about it, but since they just stole it anyway, I don’t think they’ll have much to complain about.

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  2. Philadelphia Athletic would have paid homage to the old baseball team. Independence would have been an interesting choice as well.

    At first look the Union name seemed odd, but it’s starting to grow on me. Especially as I see the symbolism behind it.

    About the only tweak I would consider is bringing the colors more along the lines of those for the Sons of Ben. Either way, they will be welcomed at Fortress BMO next season.

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  3. Philadelphia City would have been the dumbest name in MLS. You deserve the name “City” if you play in the city of your name. If they went with City, it would have to be Chester City to make ANY sense.

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  4. I like it. I’m glad we didn’t go w/ a stupid Euro rip off name like “AC” or “City”. MLS needs to be our own brand. There are ways to connect to the global football community w/out ripping off names (Real Salt Lake….cough cough)

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  5. The colors are based on the Philadelphia flag which the Sons of Ben adopted. I like the name. I wish the following teams had these names:
    Salt lake city SC
    SC Dallas
    New York Metros (with the Red Bull logo as their sponsor. Europeans never get it right here)

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  6. It sounds a lot better when you just say, “Philly Union”.

    I hope no one ever uses ‘AC’. A new country needs new names. It would also be kind of a joke when you consider that the real teams with “AC” or even “SC” (in German) really started as simple men’s athletic clubs or sport clubs, then evolved into more soccer-oriented professional institutions.

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  7. I’d rather us, the Philly supporters, prop up the nickname “Zolos” for the team rather than “Snakes.”

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  8. Well said jpc. A lot of people say similar things about the Fire’s name.

    With regards to the logo, here are Inter Milan’s previous logos searched on Google Images: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z6FRaYD8N2I/SUVBXpKtrzI/AAAAAAAAA2I/0CV3uOJmk_k/s320/inter+milan+logo+badge_04_1024x768.jpg.

    Someone earlier in the blog mentioned the similarities and I find this really intriguing. The logo is so in tune with Philadelphia’s history that it can’t be called a copy, but it’s still interesting.

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  9. Jesus, stop it w/ the pro or anti Union political views. The cities history is what it is. Its a nickname, all you can ask for is that it accurately represents the cities history. “Union” does represent Philly, whether you think its “labor union” or “union” as in the original construction of our nation. Their both accurate and representative, so shut up w/ your views, nobody cares

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  10. I’m still digesting this, but, is this the BEST LOGO in AMERICAN SPORTS?

    What team has a better logo??

    The Yankees?

    Red Wings?

    Red Sox?

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  11. I’m from Philly and look forward to the games. The name isn’t great, but I think they nailed the logo and the kits should be sweet too.

    I a tee shirt with PHILLY Soccer and the snake wiould be cool.

    Go snakes!!!

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  12. I voted for the “Union” name when it was floated here on SBI some months ago. I really do think it references Philly’s roots in the shaping of our country. The logo is great, as well. Barca used to have some khaki uniforms some years ago and I hope that the Union will bring those back. All in all, well done.

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  13. Union is not my favorite, but I never liked any of the other choices any better. Philadelphia Independence FC would have been a great name.

    But I love the logo and colors. Awesome.

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  14. ehhh. Philadelphia City or Philadelphia Athletic were my 2 favorite choices. I don’t really like the logo colors, I don’t know why it just doesn’t seem philadelphia-ish. The snake is good because of its historic representation. I like the SOB logo, I think they should have taken those colors and formed something like that.

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