WHEELOCK: MLS keeps scoring nutty nickname own goals

wheelock is a tool. Awful.

 

I actually agree with him in the sentiment of the message. Where a strong sense of pro soccer with respects to a name exists in a city, MLS should make the attempt to identify with that name and history. I only hope Adrian Hanauer in Seattle reads that article and realizes the folly it would be to not call a Seattle MLS club, '"Sounders". To not satisfy the diehards, your core audience, is a huge, HUGE error, that will cost the team dearly.

In a city like SLC, there is no strong association with soccer and any particular name. You might make an argument for the Utah Blitzz, but as Wheelock writes, DC United was a far better choice than Washington Diplomats. Common sense must rule the day with regards to MLS expansion names so as not to repeat the mistakes of Burn, Mutiny and Clash. I'm not sure how new names are being chosen for this round, but I belive that the uniform suppliers from 1996 had a hand in the name selection. Perhaps a poll on MLSnet.com with say, 5 different names could be used as some sort of starting point to gauge the popularity of names being tossed about in MLS HQ. Who better to ask than the soccer diehards themselves?

 

To be honest, even if it were available, I am glad that the Chicago franchise did NOT pick 'The Sting'. To me, The Sting is just a name from my youth and the same feeling for the team wouldn't just happen all over again just because the name is the same. I don't think that there would be any sort of automagic legitimacy in selected any previously used name.

[aside]I am damn glad Nike's preferred name for Chicago--Rhythm--was rejected.[/aside]

And WRT the Cosmos, I don't think Time Warner (or whoever owns the name now) is selling at any price.

 

As a matter of conjecture, i think if the Fire did originally go with the Sting name and had the same field and fan success in the first season people would feel the same way as they do about the current image. But it wasn't available, and we did better probably.

 

This is the first time I didn't enjoy reading one of wheelocks articles.

 

Can some one show me where his old articles are.

 

That would be an awesome fit, especially since the supporters group is named "Inferno"!

 

At my house they are filed away in the appropriate place....the trash can.

 

Yes, it would have been an interesting article...in 1996!

 

Hasn't he heard of FC Dallas. Thought his job was to cover MLS? Am I wrong (Is this a small hobby of his with his attention dedicated to some other league/sport)? Unbelievable. Maybe he wrote this a while back, but still.

 

Not bad at all. Hip and Latin-friendly all in one.

 

I tend to roll them onto cardboard spools and hang them in the appropriate room for use at the appropriate time.

 

I dig on "Diablos". That way you could keep the Brimstone Cup without missing a beat.

"F.C. Dallas" is such a bad idea it's a cliche.

 

Not to mention that so few english language teams put the name FC in front and almost always at the back ie Dallas FC.

 

And since the trophy between the Fire and the Dallas team is called the "Brimstone Cup", so it would still fit. I like Diablos.

Edit: Whoops--just saw that someone posted this same sentiment before me.

 

I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, or if you misunderstood the caption to that photo, but he was saying that the team name 'New York/New Jersey MetroStars was the most unwieldy name around, with a little wordplay with the Cosmos name that he believes they should have gone with instead. He wasn't saying they chose the name Cosmos, which is unwieldy.

That is what you were saying right? Or was I just misreading you. Do I need to turn up the sarcasmo-meter, or was I right?

 

110% SPOT ON! I could not agree more. D.C. United is probably the single BEST name in MLS, and most definately was in 1996, along with having the best kits back then.


I remember the "DIPS" when I was a kid, and did go to some of thier games. They were my local team so of course I liked them. However, I always HATED that name, espeically in the 3 years where they wore this total disaster of a kit.





I mean, c'mon. Really. DIPS? It wasnt bad enough that DIPS was the nickname, but they HAD to go and put it not just on the jersey, but literlly cover it with it. How embarassing. "DIPS"????????????????? One of the worst names in the history of soccer in the United States as far as I am concerend. Hell, its even worse than that old ECHL team in Macon GA, the Macon Whoopee. At least that was kind of funny. Im sure you all understand my point of view on "DIPS". I suppose though, it was a great, gimicky, yet stealthy way for Adidas to draw attention to thier logo by using it as the dot on the I. Just an awful kit to go with an awful name.

I thank the powers that be every day that we were lucky enough to have been given another pro soccer team here in Washington, and that its name/ identity that not only fits the city, but is simply a great, traditional soccer club name. The ONLY thing I might have done differently would have been to,
A. Take a page from the dips history, and use Red White and Blue as the colors ( the dips kits from the first season were actually very nice) or B. Use Red and White only, as those are Wasington D.C.'s colors. But they did Red and Black, and thats fine, very small concession to make when I consider what disaster could have been in 1996.

I also would have stuck with the first logo, but the current one is good too. Very happy that its a shield either way. I just liked the eagle holding 3 soccer balls representing DC/MD/VA all being "United" if you will. But again, I digress, I will not complain as I feel very lucky with what we have. Thank GOD KP had the balls to stand up to big companies and say NO WAY, and got us nice kits to start with, unlike the rest of MLS back then.

Personally, im glad they decided to go with what they have now. I like the name "Fire", and I like the logo system/ colors...etc.

 

"Dips"? Could be worse... you could be a men's soccer team from LA known as the "Gals". That might work in the WUSA, but MLS?

 

FC Dallas is a great name.

 

Maybe Wheelock isn't a complete tool afterall. I've never heard a more appropriate description of the New York/ New Jersey MetroStars moniker than unwieldy, even if they dropped "New York/ New Jersey," which is possibly even dumber. I can think of an explanation for every name in MLS. But what is a MetroStar?