Well an article quote said that SoalrWorld was thinking about resigning for 2011, although they understand that it will definitely cost more to do so. I've also heard a couple rumors: The North Face Sony, ala' Playstation The latter comes from somebody I work with who has a friend within the FO. I'm not sure how accurate it is though. If I had to guess I'd put my money on SolarWorld staying on. They seem happy with their current investment.
Lol nice use of pyramind scheme. Well the hippest shirt sponsor in MLS is Seattle's because it appeals to a young demographic. Hopefully it has something that is tech related, I find those the best and least boring. What if Portland gets sponsored by Lumber Liquidators? That would be hilarious!
It would be sick if Portland gets Playstation 3 on their jersey. Since Seattle already has Xbox 360, this could be 2 rivals vs. 2 rivals.
The USL Sounders (did I just mention them in a Timbers thread?! ) used to have Nike, which I thought was based in the Beaverton, OR postal area. As I'm writing this however, that would seem to clash with MLS' adidas contract, as I can't think of anything Nike sells that adidas doesn't. That's a bummer. I did like Seattle's mid-90's swoosh-only kits.
Flir It looks like they want to get into the consumer marketplace, they seem to have shit tons of dough as well and are currently a sponsor. It's pretty interesting the list of current sponsors the Timbers have. Flir and SolarWorld are pretty unique.
Apples and oranges in comparison though. The Union are a brand new team with no real metrics for how successful a shirt sponsor can be. The Timbers have been around for years (in the USL), has had multiple shirt sponsors, and has a lot of partners already, including SolarWorld who has gone on record as saying they are considering staying on. I'd compare Portland to Vancouver (who has Bell as their new kit sponsor) more than I'd compare em to the Union.
Is there any kind of "ban" on beer sponsors on jerseys? It might not matter since Budweiser is an official MLS sponsor, but I would love to see a local brewery on the Timbers' jerseys. A few I wouldn't mind: Widmer Deschutes Rogue Full Sail I would love to see it, but I'm not holding my breath. Actually, I'm not holding my breath on a jersey sponsor right away.
Yea there is a ban on online gambling as well as hard liquor sponsorships. Beer isn't hard liquor though, so I guess it's possible.
Mary Kay! Although that might be more appropriate for the Red Bulls. Their third jersey could be pink and then people really could call them the Pink Cows. Anyway, are there any current MLS shirt sponsors that aren't national companies? I can't think of any off the top of my head... I think I'll go investigate that. Edit: Yes, there are a couple of MLS teams with jersey sponsors who aren't nationally known No apparent shirt sponsor: Colorado, Philadelphia, New England, Dallas, Kansas City DC United - VW Red Bulls - duh Columbus - Glidden Chicago - Best Buy LA - Herbalife San Jose - Amway Salt Lake - Xango Seattle - X Box 360 Weird ones: Toronto - BMO Financial (apparently a large bank up there in Cannuckistan) Chivas - Extra (apparently a spanish-language 7-11) Houston - Amigo Energy (either an energy drink or a utility company; I wasn't interested enough to find out) So, to sum up, it seems that only Houston & Chivas have sponsors with a limited geographical range. (I count Toronto's bank as a national company because it's got locations all over Canada.) All of the others are nationwide brands, even if some are more obscure than others. I was surprised by how many teams don't have a sponsor at all.