By RYAN TOLMICH
U.S. Soccer appears to be the latest entity looking to embrace the year of the rebrand.
In a year that has seen the rebranding of Major League Soccer, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Columbus Crew, U.S. Soccer is seemingly open to updating its current look. Discussions regarding changing the logo occurred in June, as USSF chief commercial officer Jay Berhalter, brother of Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter, revealed that the federation had discussions with apparel sponsor Nike.
“(Berhalter) informed the Board that staff would be working with Nike on the process of rebranding,” read the minutes from the meeting, “including the crest, with a tentative launch period of 2016 for the rebranding effort.”
However, a spokesman was much less forthcoming in a comment to MLSSoccer.com when discussing a potential full on rebrand.
“We are always reviewing and discussing our brand internally,” said the spokesperson. “It’s been an ongoing discussion for years, and something we’ll continue to explore.”
The topic of a rebrand has been a hot discussion with regards to U.S. Soccer ever since the federation debuted the wildly popular centennial logo. The current U.S. Soccer logo has generally remained consistent since debuting in 1993.
U.S. Soccer extended the federation’s partnership with Nike this past winter with the relationship set to continue until 2022.
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What do you think of the current U.S. Soccer logo? How would you react to a logo change? Would you like to see the centennial logo brought back or something new?
Share your thoughts below.
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Anything is better than the gay-ish Cuban Flag logo they have now.
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I won’t happen, but I’d love to have the Nike coiled snake. Realistically, it would be tough to beat the centennial crest…simple and classy.
we shouldnt trust Nike after the fiasco with the popsicle jerseys and the boring all-white jerseys this past summer…. Nike used a different red and blue tones… completely failed.
wouldnt surprise me if Nike has offshore their design department to india or china as well.
I’m a fan of tweeking it instead of a full rebrand…that is unless you go with something like the centennial crest which was just flipping awesome.
Just letting everyone here know that I am considering a rebrand. My apologies if you cannot focus your attention on anything else until then.
On the advice of Nathaniel Sixpence (formerly Nate Dollars, see post above), I recently did the same, and with him I heartily congratulate you on your decision…. Although I am not entirely familiar with the succession bylaws of the GoogleyEye lineage, presumably you have already been through this exercise before (as the artist formerly known as PrinceGoogleyEye)
I wish you luck and will await the results. “Real GoogleyEye FC” has my vote.
Your presumption holds true and reveals a superior intellect—one I might find useful among my nobles. Should you ever accept the responsibility, I would commission you as my Technical Director, though it would require that you change your name to “Jogurt Klinsmann.”
You would have complete control over youth and adult development as well as dietary menu. Since you noted concerns over the current health-food craze, yet recognize the enduring appeal of high calorie treat, you would have the option to market yourself as “Frozen Jogurt Klinsmann.”
Oh please. If either of you thinks something as simple as a name change can “class up” your working class roots…..
You’re just upset because I won’t let you anywhere near Youth Development.
Bald Eagle or I’m not interested.
Thank you! I cannot believe that USSF cannot figure this out. Any new crest MUST include a bald eagle,…our national symbol. They will probably hire the f!ckwits who designed (can I use that word?) the new MLS logo and end up with some crap shield.
Where do these people come from? How do they get their jobs?
So here’s what I’m thinking:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0FVbh7CIAExAqs.jpg
Give that guy Diskerud’s hair and I’ll support it.
You know, Nike keeps redesigning the uniforms and there is never a consistent theme, nothing that shows we have a past to connect to. (The started using the sash, which was great… then they tossed it aside. I think that should absolutely be part of our identity.) The only thing that has been consistent, that has connected the uniforms together is the crest.
So let’s throw that out too.
It’s not like I love the design, and if we had a consistent theme to our uniforms, I’d be fine. But really, once again, let’s let Nike dictate our history based on whatever whim they have this week…
+1 I def hear what you are saying…. it would be cool to have some sort of signature design characteristic that ran through the designs consistently…. Even if it was something basic like the white sleeves on the Arsenal home shirts, or even something smaller.
I think we should go back to the USSF badge that the boys of 1990 wore. Tradition is important to us now.
Yes, Centennial Crest please.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the “Don’t Tread on Me” crest. But we’ll have to change the hissing Nike logo tongue.
Whoops, here are better links to the crests:
Don’t Tread On Me:
link
Don’t Tread On Me / Centennial Crest fusion:
link
nike went to USSF and said those centennial jerseys sold out and are re-selling for twice as much on ebay, probably sold as much or more than the WC jerseys! –> lets talk about a rebrand!
see people – capitalism can work.
come on USSF/Nike don’t screw this one up!
I thought Nike created the current USSF crest so they actually can screw this one up too.
Beto you hit the nail on the head. I bet this is exactly what happen. Nike sees the Centenial Jersey sales and said whoa we sold how many in a non WC year we might want to do a refresh and keep that Centenial look to sell more jerseys.
Please Nike and USSF bring back that Centenial Crest it’s clean, simple, and says it all.
PLEASE change the crest. Something simple, like the centennial crest or something similar. No more clipart.
The people demand the centennial crest. Not even Don Garber can stand in the way of this movement. They can e3ven add a little “USSF” if they like. But no more “flying” soccer balls in incorrect colors. Please.
Seems like a great marketing opportunity: sell Centennial Crest patches to go over whatever Nike comes up with.
Hey, if it’s not trademarked, we could just make our own jerseys with the awesome centennial crest.
Pro: The Centennial Crest is great.
Con: The Centennial Crest is way too friggin’ big. I mean, it was almost the size of an actual shield. True fact: the Centennial Crest is the only crest that can be seen from space.
Pro: The Centennial Crest is therefore big enough to cover up whatever Nike comes up with.
Its about time Gulati 🙂 make it look tough and modern. As for the MLS logo, there’s still time to modify it.
just please let them go back to the proper shades of R,W&B from the American Flag.
I do like the idea of the Centennial Crest, however, one idea that I always loved would be to somehow tweak the Presidential crest with soccer in mind) into the national team crest:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTfoVXGIS5GVcEmrlF1oYGcxLjz0o5QO3HxcoxkObAquASts2TD7A
i really like the logo the us soccer subreddit uses,
http://www.reddit.com/r/ussoccer/
you have to scroll down a little bit to see it, its on the right side of the page.
I like it, but it is a little too busy, don’t you think!
Sign me up if the eagle’s talons hold some loose netting and a red card. In all seriousness, borrow the Bald Eagle + Shield with stars and stripes surrounded by in a double circle enclosing the words United States Soccer Federation. That’s how our country does its official crests. Think Presidential Crest, not US Post Office logo. Don’t force us to read an explanation to understand it, or make it so generic as to have no meaning at all.
that sounds really cool, kinda like what the germans have
A rebrand ?
If the Centennial logo came back on a red jersey, you can have my money!
or dark blue.
Well rebranding is all the rage, and I too must admit that I considered a rebrand during the same time period due to the waning popularity of unhealthy, calorie laden food products such as Maradoughnuts. Shortlisted ideas for the rebrand included: Maurice’s Edu-mame, Benny Kalehaber, Sashimi Traore, and Salad Zisso.
In the end, I decided to stay loyal to my roots. I think the health craze will pass in time for Russia 2018. Vladimir Gluten is counting on it.
goddamn vladimir gluten’s a great name, but benny kalehaber ftw.
Well done, Diego Maradoughnuts. I shoulda read all the comments before making mine.
Anyway, I’m still considering a rebrand to “KingGooSOCCERBALLgleyEye.” I’ll have a press release detailing the rich symbolism later.
This is excellent news. I had left you some suggestions earlier under your initial post, but I appreciate the comprehensive and richly-laden emotional content that is no doubt lurking in your exciting new handle/lifestyle/worldview. Godspeed.
Like someone said the MLS redo sucks why risk it?
Right, because if someone doesn’t make one thing that suits your taste, that means that no one should ever try to redesign anything ever.
If it isn’t broke don’t fix it is a better a analogy. However, since I posted a reply you didn’t like you came up with a stupid analogy It probably DOES means you should never come up with an analogy again.
You missed a “.” after the second “analogy”; also a few commas…
Good. A crest redesign is long overdue. The cartoon letters with the comet ball clip art is an unfortunate early ’90s relic, so whatever they come up with will be an improvement.
I’d be happy if they used the crest from the recent centennial jerseys worn in qualifying.
It would be tough to find a soccer related topic that interests me less than crests and logos. Yet I’ll comment on articles about crests and logos anyway.
Get rid of the soccer ball clip art!!
Make an updated version throwback patch used on 2013’s Home Jersey
+1 http://cdn3.volusion.com/xgogv.njkhp/v/vspfiles/photos/NK-518734-105-2.jpg
The New MLS logo sucks. I dont even see MLS use it as thier twitter profile pic. I actually prefer the old one.
As for US Soccer. Centenial Crest or Bust!
Technically they will not start using the new 2015 MLS crest until this season is over
So are you saying there is a chance this is a hoax?!?
Are you slow or a troll?
I generally like Nike’s style in branding and imaging for various sports. However, I don’t want them designing something edgy or flashy. There is only one appropriate answer and it’s needed to move past our current (and ridiculous) crest:
Centennial Crest/b>
Make it happen Cap’n.
I doubt it. If it’s real retro the rights could run out.
They need to find something classic and stick with it. You’re not supposed to be rebranding the national crest every few years. Tweak, maybe, but whole point is it’s supposed to be lasting identification not a “brand” that gets changed for marketing.
Well, that would be disappointing.
However, anything without stars. I don’t care what the reasoning, meaning or justification for it is. Unless we’ve won a World Cup, no stars should be present in, around, above, or below our crest. It looks amateur.
Tell it to Ghana.
Stars in the crest are different from stars above the crest.
No stars *over* the crest, agreed.
But this country is widely known as the Stars & Stripes, in that order. It’s kinda a thing. Gotta have ’em.
stars inside the crest are okay.
the centennial crest had 13 of them for the 13 original colonies.
the current and previous one had 3 for the three functions of USSF; men’s women’s & youth
keep the symbolism to a min and keep any stars within the crest — leave the outside for later.
We might need to wait until we start getting a little better to be pulling stuff like this, but…. behold!
http://imgur.com/E9yCwqF
New crest just in time for Copa America.
Rebranding is great.
They did that on the Titanic and it helped alot.
…something about pigs and lipstick….
I would like the new crestw to include the Great Seal of the United States of America…..
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/National_Symbols/USA_Seal.html
The BLUE stripes on the current symbol are meaningless, as are the three stars. They do not represent anything.
Good. Time to retire the flying or flaming soccer balls. As a matter of fact they should pass a law…