By Andrew Jordan
Today, the USA Soccer program re-branded itself with a brand-new logo complete with an accompanying hype video (can be seen below). The logo hasn’t undergone a major change since 1995, but the new logo just simply makes more sense. There are 13 stripes instead of 11 (remember the 13 colonies?), and the new look is sharper and sleeker (and doesn’t have that ridiculous flying soccer ball either). The redesign process began in 2014 and went through several hundred iterations before the U.S. Soccer Federation (along with Nike, of course) reached a consensus.
This redesign is coming on the heels of an emphatic World Cup Victory for USA’s women’s program in 2015 and a strong performance by the Men’s team who made it to the knockout round in 2014. USA soccer players like Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, and Tim Howard have attained national fame during World Cups. However, once the fanfare is ended, there is little interest in their club careers. Regardless, the new custom logos are a step in the right direction for not only the program, but also soccer in America. I know I would personally feel more comfortable repping a jersey with this slick new crest as opposed to the tacky 1990s one.
They have also coined a new catchphrase to accompany the logo: “One Nation. One Team.” While it’s been well established that many Americans will fervently support the USA Soccer Teams during World Cup competitions, but how much more will America be willing to accept soccer? Will the MLS become more popular? Or do we just enjoy watching America beat other countries in “foreign” sports more than the sport itself? Only time will tell.
Relevant links:
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/rumored-new-usmnt-jersey-may-be-the-worst-of-all-time-022416
http://www.goal.com/en/news/13/united-states/2016/02/29/20849532/us-soccer-reveals-new-crest
I think now is a better time than ever to try to gain more attention for soccer in the United States. Although people are paying less attention to women’s national soccer, there has still been a pretty noticeable increase in interest for women’s soccer at a professional level. A successful logo redesign could possibly (and hopefully) lead to more merchandise being sold for United States soccer! The next question much be, how much increased interest is a reasonable amount to be expected?
I think it’s really a great idea to feed off of the recent popularity of both the Women’s and Men’s World Cups and try to reinvent soccer to American’s with a new logo. After the success of these teams, the Women’s especially, people really did start to become more invested in soccer. With a new logo, I feel like people will really embrace it as their own. I for one would be really excited to get a cool new Nike soccer jersey with the new logo. Rebranding after all this success is a huge win for both Nike and US Soccer.