20 - 11 Logo Article
MLS is now starting April 17, as opposed to the original April 3 date that was announced a few weeks ago. This postponement comes after MLS and the MLSPA agreed to a new CBA in the 11th hour of an extended deadline. I say that to say this, with the extra bit of the offseason, our Top 40 list of MLS crests will be extended by another article.
Today is now 20-11 with the Top 10 coming in two weeks. Don’t blame me, blame the ladies and gentlemen in their ivory tower of Brooklyn, New York.
Again, feel free to agree, disagree, or just yell at me on Twitter (@RileyJamesIAC).
On we go with No. 20…
20. Montreal Impact (old)
2012 - 2020
To be honest, I didn’t love this until the new one came out, but I appreciate this for what it is now, because this one doesn’t look like an Oreo cookie.
The French culture is shown through with the fleur-de-lis and the “tout pour gagner” (English: Anything to win) help endear the Montreal culture to a broader American audience… and to teach Americans that some Canadians speak French.
It makes Top 20 because the blue is dope and the nod to the French-ness of eastern Canadian. It’s low on this list due to the grey border around the crest, much like SKC, but it’s actually good inside, which is different from SKC.
19. Atlanta United FC
2017 -
Taking the league by storm in 2017, winning MLS Cup in 2018, and the US Open Cup in 2019... they dropped this black, red, and gold crest that is pretty cool.
All told, I don’t love the A as an identity for the club. It feels very easy, but the design makes up for most of that. Most of it.
For me, it’s bit overwhelming with the gold. The inner and outer ring can done a bit better with a nice red to tie it in together. I know half of you are going to say that I have it lower, because I hate Atlanta, which is not true.
18. Tampa Bay Mutiny
1996 - 2001
There are so many Florida teams, but this is the only one to ever win the Supporter’s Shield, which happened to be the first one in 1996.
This is baller. The light blue, black, and white is so cool, I like the way the stripes play into the overall design. All of the elements pull it together with a central Florida color scheme that reminds you of the waterfront that the Buccaneers just had a drunken parade on.
I don’t love the ribbon style that extends around the back of the crest, but I really appreciate that this was an MLS logo. This is better than the Rowdies of USL, but it doesn’t have the rich American history.
17. Seattle Sounders FC
2007 -
The staple of the MLS Playoffs for the last 12 years, the crest of the 2016, 2018, and 2019 MLS Cup Champions and higher on this list than the Portland Timbers!
Not that I care about Portland or Seattle, but someone does and I’m on your side.
Space Needles! I know something was missing from Toronto. They own the Rave Green, and they play in one of the best stadiums in MLS.
This team is one the most iconic in America, it’s longevity and consistency has brought Seattle to national forefront with this logo on the right side of their chest. It was ahead of its time on design, exotic color schemes, and good soccer, but this is one of the things in MLS that never change, regardless of how many teams they add.
16. Austin FC
2021 -
Alright, alright, alright.
Welcome to newest member of Major League Soccer.
This is really cool. The green is bold (not Austin Bold of the USL), the tree is strong, and the “Austin” in white brings your attention back up top. It’s brilliant.
The only negative takeaway is the sentiment of “setting your roots in Austin” after the Columbus Crew situation. I understand that’s a hard criticism of the designer and all the hard-working people of the club who had nothing to do with it, but the larger perception of the club will have that stain on it. Overall, I like the verde a lot.
15. New York City FC
2015 -
I really dig the circular crests, so you’re about to see a lot of those toward the top.
This has such a New York feel with the interconnection letters to pay homage to the rich history of the Yankees, to whom of which they share an ownership group and a stadium with. The font to match the subway signs. It’s unique and fresh. I like it quite a bit.
The orange and white borders add a splash of color to go along with the two blues. It’s solid but is missing the historical significance to have the recognition of a “great” MLS crest.
14. D.C. United
2016 -
It’s so beautiful that this logo has lasted the test of time, and in this league, that’s a tougher task that usual (sorry Chicago, Montreal, and Houston).
DC has remained virtually unchanged for 25 seasons, with the exception of their 1996 logo which looked like it was from the mid-1940s Germany in a non-soccer related way.
Stars and stripes on our nation’s bird. It’s a classy depiction of our country, its capital, and the soccer we have. The 1998 touch up was left alone until 2016 when they freshened up the look for a younger audience. It’s really great. The history, players, location of the team, and RFK floods my mind with unmistakable nostalgia of MLS 1.0.
Why is it not No. 1?
It’s not as cool as the other 13.
13. Chicago Fire (old)
1998 - 2020
RIP to a classic.
What else can I say about this? This is the single more beautiful tribute to a city and group of people in that city in sports history. It’s almost perfect. Almost.
It honors the Chicago Fire of 1871, which is touching, but the handling of the rebrand was a dumpster fire (forgive that awful segue).
They kept this same gorgeous logo for 22 years and they ruined everything in 2020. The word is that they’re set to change it again. I can’t wait to see how they screw it up again.
12. FC Dallas
2005 -
This is Texas. Cowtown, U.S.A.
The Dallas Burn came in at 22. This was their answer to that four-legged disaster.
Cattle don’t have stars and flames on them, but you know that. The longhorn is synonymous with the state of Texas with the help of the university.
I quite enjoy the “96” and the red outline. It’s an incredible logo and the kits from this era have been so iconic for the state of Texas and for city of Frisi… uh, Dallas. It doesn’t get much better than this… but there are some better than this and that’s why we have 11 more crests left.
11. Los Angeles Football Club
2018 -
Clean, sleek, modern, and golden. Will Ferrell and the crew crushed it with this. I, actually, own one of these jerseys solely for the crest.
An explosive start in MLS that led to quick success. The golden culture of Hollywood is already bringing big names, games, and glamour to downtown LA. More importantly, I think this was the inspiration of the newest NWSL club, Angel City, which would top my NWSL list, if that were ever to exist.
The stadium, the logo, the colors, the club culture. The whole thing is welcome addition to Major League Soccer. Lastly, the team is actually in Los Angeles.
