By RYAN TOLMICH
After 19 seasons of being represented by the now famous boot and ball, Major League Soccer has unveiled a new logo.
The league debuted a new logo Thursday, signaling massive shift as MLS moves towards a new era. Boasting a new shield logo with customizable color palettes for each MLS team, the revealing of the the league’s new emblem has caused a major stir.
With the expansion of the league and the debut of a new logo, MLS now moves into an era that the league is calling MLS Next.
However, like with any change, the MLS rebrand has received its fair share of responses, as fans have been quick to state both criticize and praise the league’s new look.
Here is your chance to cast your vote and let us know what you think of the logo. Cast your vote here:
How did you vote? Love the new logo? Hate it? Think it will grow on you?
Don’t like it.
This is a really cool article about ways to make use of the white space. I think its an excellent point and has sold me on the logo since.
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/18/mlss-new-logo-reddit-yes-reddit-may-have-a-way-to-solve-the-leagues-new-problem/
I think it looks great in Galaxy colors.
Ugly girls?
Uhmm, i could like it similar to how I could like ugly girls if there were no cute ones around.
You’re asking for opinions on appearance right?
It looks like a deprecated nation
The fixation on the league’s logo is an extension of the single-entity mindset. Does anyone buy NFL merchandise for the NFL shield? No – they buy it for the *team* it represents. From the logo to the “no criticism of the system” rule, to the strange allocation system, it all has a “Big Brother” aspect to it.
They would have been better off using the Clint Dempsey sourpuss face in it.
haha
So when are they going to unveil the other half of the logo?
Its hard to believe someone got paid to make that. I could crap out a cooler logo.
yum yum!
I dont think of a league logo when i see this. I think of some sort of corporate logo.
Somebody with photoshop skills needs to take the new MLS logo and put the infamous LD waterfountain pic in the white space! OMG LOL.
Going with the pride, boldness, confidence, assurance and balls theme we only need to make a couple adjustments to the new logo. Replace MLS with League, throw away the 3 stars and simply insert the number 1. Also, I would not extend the line beyond the border on the southwest side of the crest, extent it on the northeast side and put an arrowhead on its tip. There you could put a bunch of stars of varying sizes, fading out to infinity. That would cement our boldness and assurance that our league is heading to the heavens and beyond. Beyond all other leagues, including the best league in the world, the Preemie!
This idea is so good that I have filed a copyright on it.
Haha, great post. I actually really love your second proposal.
I love it. You are born again hard, Sachel….
Not to meddle with brilliance, but is there any way we could work a middle finger into it? In my experience, sometimes Europeans are a little slow on the uptake.
Truthfully, I new it was a great idea, thus the copyright filing. The inspiration hit me while I was at the pub after more than a few dark amber drafts watching several Europa matches, going back and forth between between SBI and UEFA updates on my IPhone . But later I kept having misgivings about the empty white space. Let’s talk Ali Dia. What say you and I co-file another, this one will include a hairy middle finger inside that area.
Your unmistakable style is your charm, my friend… So yes, I am in. Godspeed.
So the concept logo with Ives’s face on it didn’t get a lot of votes?
MLS (major league soccer). Why even mention the sport? None of the top soccer leagues in the world do that. They simply call it the league. i.e. La Liga, Series A, Bundesliga I, etc.. no mention of soccer or football. That gentlemen, is confidence. (Discounting the pompous Brits of course, who name their league the Preemie.)
So, I propose we take pride and with boldness,confidence, assurance and balls rename ourselves “League I”.
Nah. A decent argument, and I like the bravado, but you can’t call yourself the best/most prominent league, when you are in the same country as the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and even the NHL.
I like it.
Funny how the comments don’t match the poll results. You’d think this thing would have been blown out of the water on the not so favorable side – based on the comments.
That’s almost always the case with any issue. The hysterical and the complainers of the world are always the loudest. Judging from the news stations…. unfortunately, a disproportionate number of the above seem to go into journalism.
+ 1
Not enough people saying WHO CARES?
The league logo is irrelevant. I couldn’t sketch any other leagues logo if you asked me (that is including the american leagues, EPL, etc.)
We have much bigger issues to whine about in regards to this league 🙂
At the end of the day, it’s not going to change how I feel about the league or keep me from watching the games or enjoying the sport. That said, I do think for a league that is struggling for recognition domestically, and wants to be “One of the top leagues in the world” I think they really screwed up this opportunity to make a better impression with their marketing, and it’s really disappointing since I want the league to do well .
I don’t see point changing the logo, seem more like a waste of time and money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS8ztWZuGQk&feature=youtu.be
I don’t like it. It looks like a Russian league logo.
Be thankful it’s not the Russian Premier League Logo
http://www.sportslogos.net/teams/list_by_league/137/Russian_Premier_League/RPL/logos/
Reminds me too much of the UPS logo.
its the league logo.. don’t really care too much.
but it looks like one of generic shields that you start with in FIFA Creation Center or just a quick clip art they chose to use as an interim logo. refuse to believe they actually spend any time or money on this!
at best its neutral; not going to improve the league’s brand or hold it back too much.
changing a few clubs’ shields is a much more important task. NE and Columbus need a refresh ASAP. SKC and San Jose just did but could use some help.
It’s better than the dated old one. Clean and modern. The tail or appendage represents the fact that nobody is perfect, so dont judge. We cant all be perfect like Jurgen or Beckham. We’ll get used to it, root for our local teams and our USMNT and recall with mild amusement that tacky old logo with cleats and a 1960 ball.
Was anyone really talking about the old logo before now? Now that we are up in arms about the new logo, it seems to have already done its job: get everyone to talk about the relevance, direction, etc of the league.
Was the goal to create the most boring logo in all of sports? If so then they succeeded
I love it! Clean, simple, modern. No fluff and extra crap. Club, Country, Community are the things we all love about soccer. I think it’s going to look fantastic customized in team colors, broadcasts, whatever. Even when customizing colors, it’s still instantly recognizable as the MLS logo, just personalizes it a bit.
Huh? So you think people will know, without any explanation, what the 3 stars are for? Especially when the 3 starts have no meaning other than the three parts of an MLS marketing slogan? Stars mean a very specific thing , especially in the USA (states) or soccer (championships). It just doesn’t make any sense. For example NFL has 8 stars for 8 divisions divided in half (2 conferences east and west) by a Football, because it’s a Football League. You would think a soccer league would want some sort of indication of soccer in the logo.
Whinner!
They better fill up that white space.
Who really cares about the league logo? Are there that many fans of the league as opposed to the teams? Get some lives if this is what you get riled up over.
Whinner!
I can’t quite figure which word you misspelled there….
Sorry Im using the Iphome
Agreed, idk what the Dutch, Italian or Mexican leagues logo looks like and I watch clubs playfrom those leagues every week. Individual clubs should be the more recognizable brands; the league just a patch on the sleeve and the organizer of the games.
Unfortunatly, with single entity and all the league plays a much more centralized and prominent role in this country. Personally i think the logo sucks but if this is the beginning of cleaning up this process then i am a fan!
Well said & so truth!!
Finally someone who speaks my language!!
Agreed.
I tough you liked MLS?
OK. The first time you did it, I thought you had mistakenly misspelled thought…. now I have to conclude you either don’t know the meaning of tough or how to spell… heck, maybe even articulate a thought.
Huh? I don kno wha u talkng about…
U kno?
When will the rest of it download to this site?
haha nice
It would not be too bad if they enhanced it a bit more. The NHL logo isn’t too complex but its not bad with enhancements such as popped out boundary etc…
Dirk, let’s be honest, it’s a butter face.
I am sure you’ve had plenty of those.
Wow, how should i start with MLS that keeps breaking my heart.
First of all, the logo is a mess and has no soccer influence.
Second of all, why create a new logo when the name stays the same. This was the chance to rename the league.
Third of all, MLS should tell teams to rebrand now and take advantage of the new era.
They can rename the league whenever they want although I’m not sure why they would. What would you suggest?
Yeah!! They can do whatever they feel like!!!
“It’s my league! They’re my teams!!”
Northamerican International Professional Players League Extravaganza!
or NIPPLE for short.
I think they should put a picture of Klinsmann in the white space.
LoL
+1
Diving I hope.
Upon first seeing it as a stationary graphic, I thought it was bland and boring. After seeing the MLSNEXT video and the ways they intend to use it in fluid, morph-able animations and cutaways, I liked it. It seems versatile in a good way for most platforms going forward aside from the patch on the jersey, but at least it should blend in using the team specific coloration on the kits
.
indifferent. i think it’s a bit boring and random. the explanations for some of the features are really out there. i thought they would do a better job to be honest. to me it seems like they went too far to the side of a club crest. this doesn’t make me think of a league when i see it.
Add a soccer ball or something to all that white space and it’s fine.
The last thing we need is another soccer related logo with a literal soccer ball in it.
I tough this was a “Soccer” League…
I prefer literal to unidentifiable.
So you take issue with BPL, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, etc etc etc ???
I chose indifferent because I can see it growing on me. It works better in the context of a kit, promo etc. My initial reaction was that it was just a round 1 version. It is a step up from the old one so if that’s the baseline then it’s an improvement.
Totally agree about it working better within the context of a kit. Here’s a mockup of how it could look in a 2-color treatment on the Sounders 3rd kit:
http://i.imgur.com/aBxyhQs.jpg
Growing on You?!?!
LoL…
Yup, does look good on a arm of a shirt. In general, I find it inoffensive. The asymmetrical nature of it is a bit annoying.
+1 Neruda great comment. Best/Worst thing of all time has become a tired analytical standard around here. It’s been a few hours!
I think it’s a huge step forward and great progress. It reflects the direction I feel the league is going in, and it sets itself apart from other league’s logos well. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but I see it as being very effective.
LoL.. Are you going to the Moon…?
“Huge step foward for man Kind…!”
i would be fine with it if it only had a soccer ball so that it was identifiable to more than just those who know the league already.
Premier League, Bundesliga, and La Liga all have a soccer ball in their logo. What made MLS think they didn’t need any reference to the game in their logo? It seems lazy and changing the color for each team is a weak excuse. Flattening the current logo would easily achieve the same purpose. Even a website called Soccer by Ives knows it needs a soccer ball in its logo.
If I cover up the dangling appendage, I actually kinda like it. I also thought it looked really good when placed on a jersey in the FIFA video presentation.
One thing I thought it was interesting was that in the press conference they mentioned the the white space could be used by TV networks to do something. I think it’s weird to create space in your logo for people to get creative.
That aspect is the most forward thinking part about this logo. I think its brilliant. You already see people creating memes within the logo. Brands, networks, teams, fans can all use that space how they choose.
Love it!!!
-10
+10
This would be a good logo if all it were meant to do was represent the three Canadian teams, in red, north of that border/ up arrow thing. Otherwise I just don’t get what they are trying to do. It’s so simple it’s basically meaningless.
Instead of 3 Stars I would have liked 1 star (USA) , 1 small soccer ball, 1 Maple Leaf (canada)
Interesting note on the stars and Canada. I think the MLS should be more to promote the fact that its the only major league that crosses over national boundaries.
Unless you count Wales that is.
Ligue 1 crosses Monaco and French borders..
Except for MLB, NBA, or NHL your right.
At first glance, I don’t like it. Too much white space with the red space providing a visual tension like something dangling over chasm. The dividing line breaking the confines of the shield is also problematic. Lastly, why the three stars in the red zone in the upper left?
So I went to the MLS site and found their explanation. At least the fact the clubs get their own version of the crest makes some sense. However, the generic version unveiled above looks water-down. I think it will grow on me. See the link below for the ‘splanation.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/next
D’oh, I should have read it SBI’s article better. It has a link already.
32% like it? That’s crazy talk! At best, you should be indifferent, but this looks like it took someone all of 5 minutes to create, and probably not even that long to think up. If MLS wants to be taken seriously, they must ditch this and present the fans with 5 options. Let us vote and use that.
So you want everyone to think like you do? It’s better than the old logo, and the logo makes a bit more sense after watching the animated piece MLS released with the announcement.
Enough people took MLS seriously despite the old logo. This new logo won’t change that.
Go change the system!!
Who needs a new logo!!
Is that all MLS “needs” to do? Cmon if its not this its the calendar season, the international dates, the officials, the promotion and relegated, etc…. You people are always going to find a reason to bitch about something. Get a grip people!
hahah Sensitive girl…
And you root for a third rate league.
You disagree with the poll results yet you want to have a people vote on a design.
Yes, but not an internet vote or a twitter/phone/American Idol type thing…poll people that go to the games, give extra weight to their vote if they’re a season ticket holder…make the people who’ve already bought in partially responsible for taking it to the next level in some way other than forking over their cash.
To me, it looks like the same designer and/or decision maker for the new SJ logo.
This logo belongs on a piece of tracing paper.
I don’t mind the change but am bothered by the neglect of white space. Also, I kinda wish there was a better reason for the dividing line than what has been provided thus far.
The shield is transparent. The “dividing bar” is actually a kickstand. The whole thing is a metaphor for “MLS can stand alone”
Duh
sounds like it would go over well in a boardroom pitch. Not so obvious when looking at it. With a line to nowhere dividing the logo on one side and nothing on the other it’s kind of confusing overall.
I agree. The extension of the line is unneccessary. Not sure what they were going for. The shield by itself would have worked fine.
I also thought it was a kickstand. But I thought it represented how MLS is ready to fall over and collapse at any moment.
I kinda like it… I like that it’s different than other pro sports in the US. The old logo was clearly meant to be in the same vein as the MLB and other logos.
You mean the vein that has shields (NFL, NHL) and player silhouettes (NBA, MLB)? ‘Cause I don’t know what a foot kicking a ball has to do with those.
Don’t like it
Me too.. I don’t like it!
You’ll get used it.
No need to get used to!!
Come join NASL!!!
They have a way better Logo!!!
Well in sir!
Nah the NASL has a soccer ball in their logo, that’s soooo stupid, they should replace it with a white space, get with the 21st century NASL!
They traded in the ball for the earth with north america surrounded by 3 stars. Either way it is still better then this piece of crap logo mls is trying to sell.
You should really take your handle to heart. Lots of winning out of you lately
You’ll get used to..
That wasn’t me….but I don’t like it either.
I don’t really care though, much more concerned about Sea-NY
And the game tonight.
Oh that’s easy!
Sounders will Win!
Meh