No. The original logo had three stars in it. That logo was used in '96 and '97. The three stars did not represent MLS Cups, obviously. They put stars on the uniform above the badge for the first time in the '00 season. They put two stars on the uniform and claimed that those two stars, plus the star in the logo, represented the '96, '97 and '99 cups. They changed and put three stars on the uniform above the badge in '02 or '03. Next year, they'll presumable put another star above the badge.
To my knowledge it is not tradition for clubs around the world to put stars above or below or wherever for league championships. Champions league maybe, cup winners cup but not the domestic league. However national teams do for world cup titles. Not saying that MLS clubs should or should not but it will look silly when DC's kit is covered in stars.
There were stars below the eagle from the start. Those likely represent adidas since every jersey they design has three stripes. Look at the first season Columbus Crew, D.C. United and Kansas City Wizards, they all had some version (the rainbow was topped with three red-orange stripes). Look at the current versions as well. Three stripes everywhere. Then again, the Wizards have had one star above their logo since 2000. Interesting.
...while the current logo represents DC United's considerable "people who drive 1970s Pontiac Trans Ams" demographic.
As opposed to the highly original and well designed Houston Tex..I mean Dallas Bur...I mean FC Dallas logo?
The FC Dallas logo looks nothing like the Houston Texans logo. FC Dallas has a flame on it, moron! The Texans logo has no flame! What's your deal!?!?
In Italy teams add a star to their uniform for every 10 scudettos they win- Juventus being the only team with more than one star. Once the number of stars becomes cumbersome (a good problem to have!) there's no reason a single star can't represent more than one MLS Cup by using a different color. For example, after we win our 6th MLS Cup in 2006, our uniforms in 2007 can have a red star to represent the first 5 championships and a gold star to represent the sixth, adding more gold stars until our 10th championship in say, 2010- after which we'll have two red stars. Just a theoretical example, but you get the idea.
It just seems a little ridiculous that different teams will be using different standards. For instance, the Chicago Fire do not have a star above their crest, even though have won an MLS cup. Peter Wilt has indicated that they don't plan to add a star untill they have won at least 5 MLS cups. That, in my opinion, is the right way to go. Making a permanent addition to your crest should be something extremely special. Adidas, along with DC United and San Jose, have cheapened the meaning of their crests.
Hello? They haven't changed their crest. The stars are above the crest, therefore the change is to their uniform, the crest remains the same. And its not a permanent addition, it would change every time a MLS Cup is won. Again, the uniform, not the crest. And how can a championship cheapen anything?
This is the DC Flag - (Its based on the family crest of George Washington that was awarded to his (great?great?)grandfather by the King of England for bravery in some battle) - It has three Red Stars over two Red Stripes (go Red Stripe Beer !!) on a field of White - But the DC Logo has three stars over three stripes - And the 3 stripes are for Adidas "DC United" - goodness only knows what this stands for - most likely some MLS front-office stiff's idea of a traditional European name - "well - uh - there's Manchesters United - duuhhhh - why not DC United?" My two cents - Emulate more closely the Washington Family Crest - Keep the traditional 3 Stars and go with Two Stripes
Well, I did once hear that DC is the capitol of some country called the United States of America. I think it might have something to do with that.
Oh sure, United States of America? And where is that magical kingdom, Mr. Peter Pan? Next thing you'll tell us is that it's a country where you can watch soccer and drink all the beer you want at the same time. A place where you can say whatever you want about whoever you want. HAH! Dream on Mr. Pan!
Here is the DC version of our name https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34747 John L, I hope you are well versed enough to know that Man U chose United for the same reason we did. It sounds good. The former Newton Heath club chair decided on the name following the models of naming that combining clubs were using.
I think the stars are really classy and a point of pride for championships. As someone mentioned, they do it in Italy (but I think they do something like gold stars for every 5 and silver for every 10, but I'm not sure) and I think it's pretty cool.
No they don't. In Italy, they award a star to any team that wins TEN championships, making it an extremely rare honor. They award another star for every ten championships won after that as well. Only one team, "the Old Lady" Juventus, has earned the right to carry two stars above it's crest. Those stars mean something. When opposing players see those stars, they see a representation of DECADES of achievement. Right now, San Jose carries two stars above their crest. Kansas City carries one above theirs, equaling the amount carried by AC Milan. That is how they have cheapened the sentiment.
Here's another bit of useless trivia (but I find interesting) that relates to the Washington Crest: - the forefather lies buried in St. Mary's Cathedral in Cambridge, England where the coat of arms is proudly displayed - a few hundred yards from there sits the pub called "the Eagle" where American pilots during WWII used to write their names all over the sealing/walls (the names are there today) when they'd come in from Duxford airfield just few miles outside of town... one famous crew was the one the piloted the Memphis Belle (made into a movie). - Cambridge's division III (or II) football team is called Cambridge United. So, there you have a cosmic link to Cambridge via United, the screaming Eagle, Washington, the crest/colors, and their beloved Yanks. Something you can share with your mates at the pub when celebrating your 2004 Cup win. While I was there for graduate school, I was impressed how proud they were of their link to the Yanks.
I wouldn't mind if the league made everyone remove the stars EXCEPT DC (and I'm not even a DC fan) and only let them have 1 star for the 5 wins... However, I think even Chivas in the MFL uses one star for each title? (am I wrong?)
some of that is pretty fun info. i didnt know about the pub thing, or cambridge's pride in that link. cool stuff
there are plenty of teams that do that. if you could get every central/south american team's crest on a single page and count up how many had stars for each one im sure people would be surprised how many do it. who cares anyway?