U.S. Soccer Shields: Would You Change The Crest?
By Doug Smith
It is the centennial for U.S. Soccer and there is much potential for new images to represent 100 years as a federation. Obviously some of these will come through as new profits streams rather than a celebration, but it is a good time to capitalize on various options. Those fans that join the supporters club have been given a sneak peak of a special edition scarf coming this year. The shield is the most noticeable image and most prominent when you land on the U.S. Soccer website. What do you think are the options the Federation has for branding the crest this year?
The centennial shield is not much different from the general shield we have seen over the years. Basically a banner was added to the bottom to show the years in existence. The colors and imagery are basically the same with the colors a no-brainer.
I am not sure a revamped shield was something most fans were not thinking of, but some may have been disappointed with the new look. It is obviously only for a year, but the crest did not take much time to redesign. There a plenty of people that may like the idea of reusing the Gadsden Flag. We hope you know your history but it is the famous image of a snake with the words ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ in bold type. No we are not talking about an album by 311. We are talking about American independence and freedom. You can see more about the Gadsden Flag here.
The image that some of you may have seen is to the right. It came from Nike or so the story goes. It is simple but makes a clear connection with the past of the United States. In 1775 the Pennsylvania Journal spoke of military insignia with a similiar look.
"I observed on one of the drums belonging to the marines now raising, there was painted a Rattle-Snake, with this modest motto under it, ‘Don’t tread on me.’ As I know it is the custom to have some device on the arms of every country, I supposed this may have been intended for the arms of America."
If you would rather not have the snake there are variations that still capture the famous words. If you search around sportslogos.net you will find many shields designed for the U.S. Soccer Federation. The one shown here captures the history of ‘Don’t Tread on Me,’ while also incorporating imagery that most fans are familiar with nowadays.
From SportsLogos.net
Nicholas Burroughs, a graphic artist from Nebraska, thinks that the crest needs to be more iconic, something that most in the country can identify with no matter their connection to the sport. Kckrs.com has a profile of the artist that presented a unique take on the shield with inspiration from the Dutch. It is heavy on the gold, but definitely stands out.
By Nicholas Burrows
We did get another new crest this year with the National Women’s Soccer League. It is very heavy on the NBA-influence and leaves much to be desired. To my knowledge we still do not know the inspiration for the silhouette.
Finally we look at the shield for the U.S. Open Cup. It still relies on some old logo art with the rising soccer ball, but it does have a classic feel with the added touch of the founding year thrown in. This is the 100th anniversary of the competition that begin with matches in 1913, but there has been no word from the USSF if a special crest will be designed for its centennial. Well no word about much of anything involving the U.S. Open Cup to be honest.
What do you think? How would you change the crest/shield? Have any designs you would like to share? Let us know.