Can't remember what thread started this. There was a discussion about where the name DC United came from. One person thought it was a tribute to Manchester United (which everyone agreed was not the case). I sent a note to the team to see if they could provide an answer. They did: "Team executives and league representatives worked together in order to create names and brands for teams in all ten original MLS markets. In Washington, our organization, Adidas, and the league wanted to establish a club that a) focused on the traditional values and branding of a soccer team and b) would be represented by a moniker that brings the people of our region together in support of a team and the sport. D.C. United was ideal in both scenarios." Most of the teams in Europe that have the name "United" attached used the same kind of reasoning with regards to bringing people together in support.
My understanding is that after the fall of the NASL, Gordon Bradley sought to get people to give money to fund a publicly owned soccer team which would be called "Washington United". My understanding was that he persisted with this effort and then eventually the money that had been donated got returned. But the point is: prior to MLS, there had been an effort to associate "United" with this town. I then recall a press conference where Payne talked about the difference between "Washington" and "DC". Payne's point (and it's one I agree with) is that natives/residents (especially those who live in the city) refer to the area as "DC" and not "Washington" (which could also mean the state that Seattle is in).
Wasn't there a name competition that the pubic voted on. I remember hearing such names as: Washington United A.C DC Washington Force DC Force DC United ... DC United won the vote and the rest is history. TS.
I think there was something thrown in about DC being "United" with Maryland and Virginia. Wouldn't want to leave any market share out when you're selling merchandise...just ask Peter Angelos.
DC United started back in 1928 when the Washington Diplomats, FC Bethesda, Alrlington Hotspurs, and Takoma Park Rangers decided to pool their resources and form one team. Following the model of other small football teams who combined into one larger entity (see Leeds United, Newcastle United, etc) the founders chose the name United, representing the fact that there were formerly four teams. DC was added since they were all form the DC Metro area. They thought about DC Metro United, but felt that that would confuse fans with the MetroStars.
Not that what you say is incorrect, but to further that thought: Most of the teams in Europe that use United do so because two or more clubs merged into one. Many of your more annoying Euro-poseurs will tell you that DC United is a silly name, their reasoning being that United wasn't a merger so the name is overly contrived. I, for one, think it's a brilliant name, given the fan-basing derived from MD-DC-VA. My order of names: DC United (used unconventionally, but at least a nod was given to the purists.) CO Rapids (Eh. Pretty good. Ties into the local flavor and is pretty derivative of other franchises in Denver -- nuggets, ave's, rockies, broncos.) NY/NY Metro (if you drop the stars, it's a lot like the Knicks or the Giants in terms of the image it provokes. With the 'stars suffix, this name is pretty stoopid.) New England Revolution (Again, I guess. Not horrible, not great). Chicago Fire (I guess. at this point, I start to hate the names. I mean, naming your team after the regions greatest tragedy is a bit odd. I hope 100 years from now, sporting team names aren't derived from 9/11.) San Jose Earthquakes. (Egads. Not the worst name out there, but certainly starting to move into cheese mode. I know it's rooted in history, but that's NASL history, folks. Columbus Crew (OK, I admit that the problem I have with this name is more about their logo/shield than with the actual name. Still, they couldn't come up with something better than this?) Dallas Burn. (Bad. Simply a crap name. They could've looked around at their youth leagues and come up with much much better). Kansas City Wizards. (What. Were. They. Thinking. Seriously, a rainbow? The Wiz? Ugh. There's no place like home, indeed.) LA Galaxy. (Who's in the what now? Wtf? Someone, please, explain this name to me. The. Worst.) And, just to finish things off: Tampa Bay Mutiny -- Pretty cool, actually. I kinda liked this name. I'd put it 3rd on the list above. Miami Fusion -- Again, not bad, in my opinion. It's original without going completely XFL in its cheesiness. I'd place it middle of the pack. It's still not a great name. Panthers - good. Dolphins - Great. Heat - ehhhh. I think they could've done better.
If you were to drop the name of the city from most of these teams and add FC after their names things would improve dramatically.
It was my understanding that "United" typically refers to a merger that had taken place. For example, two Manchester clubs that merged in a business deal that resulted in one team.
Re: Re: Team Name Origin... Read the previous reply. That is a myth. They picked Manchester United because they liked the way it sounded.
Re: Re: Re: Team Name Origin... Correct. Ardwick FC, seeking to associate itself with the entire city, changed its name to Manchester City on 1894. Newton Heath began losing some of its popularity and they wanted to incorporate the name of the city somehow, so they changed their name. Ironically, it was Man City that was originally merged in 1887, when Gorton Athletic and West Gorton combined to become Ardwick FC. Dave
Re: Re: Team Name Origin... Right, that's why I said most. It's also why Europoseur's are so annoying on this issue -- they're freakin' wrong.
Dang, the things you learn! Now that we're digging up the history, how about someone share the name that United "almost" was. Zak hinted that it was very very close to being something early in the year, but never told us what it was. Not being so privy to that stuff back then, I have no clue. My "guess" was that it was something like the Freedom or Metros, because those two would have been the funniest near-misses I could think of. Anyone know? If you want to PM me too, that's OK as well. Man, two things I did not know, Thanks Mike! Arlington Hotspurs eh? Hmmm, maybe we should resurrect that one on a rec level. -Tron
Yeah I remember Zack hinting at those things saying that he'd save them for "another day", well, any day this offseason would work for me!
I love how in "DC United" the "DC" echoes the "FC" of Spanish/latin teams like "FC Barcelona" and how the "United" emulates the British style of teams "Manchester United". It just feels like a soccer name. Then add the simple geographic fact that DC is the captital of the United states... What could have been simple mimicry or something boring becomes something brilliant!
Or that the District itself is actually the uniting of two different states land. It's the perfect name on so many levels.
And D-C-U are the 4th 3rd and 21st letters, get it - 4321. BTW, Virginia took back their part of DC at some point - greedy batards.
Extending this out to it's natural conclusion: D-4 C-3 U-21 N-14 I-9 T-20 E-5 D-4 Thus 43211492054 which in Fantaxidecimal notation equals: "The Greatest Football team"
The origin of MLS names from Bergin's site: http://www.ussocceruk.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=49 I'm happy we're not named after an animal. "Bears", "Cardinals", "Lions", "Tigers", "Orioles",.....what a lack of effort and no sense of reality it takes to name a team of human beings after a bunch of animals United is a great name. Black, white, and red are great colors. I'm happy about it
Re: Re: Team Name Origin... It couldn't possibly have anything to do with Cobi's "heavenly body," if reports from Coventry are accurate...
Re: Re: Re: Team Name Origin... Yes, in fact there is a thread (or was one before the crash), and I'm too lazy to go look for it if it still even exists, that pretty muched showed that most Euro "United"s were named because they liked the name, not because of a unifying of two or more clubs. I think people frequently mistake the reason United Airlines got its name for why all organizations are named 'United'. That is one of the few true cases where a unifying of organizations produced the name United (Verney Airlines, National Air Transport, Boeing Air Transport, and Pacific Air Transport)