The USL PRO has renamed itself the USL.
As part of a rebrand, they have designed a new logo. In a press release that can best be described as hilariously pompous or at at least devoid of any self-awareness, they point out their expansion into new territories.
The USL also has a new logo which, the release tells us:
… is not a corporate logo, it is a tribal mark, something to be taken to the heart of each club’s community, personalized and worn with pride.
Should one dare ask if the league will file taxes as a corporation or as a tribe? Or if it has chiefs rather than chief executives?
The release claims that its own website will be ‘THE (their capitals) destination for in-depth coverage of the league’.
It does no good to the credibility of a league if its own coverage of itself is the largest out there. Any self-awareness at all would have told them that a sentence like this merely dissuades media outlets from wasting space covering them.
Rather then help the league persuade journalists to cover and eke out every inch of media coverage available, making the league site all-encompassing will have the opposite effect. This surely makes the league less attractive to potential sponsors not more.
Don’t forget to read about how sophisticated they are in the small print. Yes, they said that. One wonders if this release was shown to someone who didn’t work in their PR department before it went out.
The USL will be well worth covering and if you have a side in it, of course they are worth your support. The individual clubs might have more grounded views of what they are doing and one can imagine a few owners and PR guys at the cubs shaking their heads when they read the release.
You can read it below but as they point out ‘You will see no sporting or soccer clichés here’.
USL Release
USL RISING INTO A NEW ERA
The rising tide of soccer across North America is unstoppable. Never before has the time been more right for the USL to rise to the occasion and be recognized as the new-generation professional league it has become.
Now is our time. Soccer is rising, and so is the USL.
A NEW SPORT BRAND RISING
Starting today USL PRO will compete simply as the USL. We have reached a point in our evolution where we can confidently call ourselves United.
We are well on our way to meeting our aspiration to be the foundation of domestic professional soccer, and the best way for players to build their careers to the top tier.
WE ARE LAUNCHING A NEW IDENTITY
Starting with our league logo, we have overhauled our identity to step forward as a league that is fit for our partners, our clubs and their fans as the dawn of a new era rises for the USL.
Not a corporate logo, it is a tribal mark!?
The new USL mark is the central pillar in a new design philosophy for our league. Inspired by the geometry of the field, its design cues are more akin to a 21st-century startup than those of a monolithic sports league. You will see no sporting or soccer clichés here.
The simple shapes of the USL lettering appear as a stencil and hint at its flexible use.
The new logo is not a corporate logo, it is a tribal mark, something to be taken to the heart of each club’s community, personalized and worn with pride.
WE ARE UNITEDThe 2015 season will feature the debuts of new USL clubs in Austin, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Montreal, New York, Portland, Saint Louis, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Toronto, Tulsa, and Vancouver. The continued expansion of the league will lead to the development of more regional competition through the reduction of travel, and further strengthen local and regional rivalries – the lifeblood of a strong professional league. We are United.
Our digital evolution continues. We have created an improved fan experience with a new online home that will serve as THE destination for in-depth coverage of the league. Increased interactive content will include videos, live games in HD on YouTube, in-game statistics, and the league’s all-new social media hub. We are United.
All aspects of our league have been elevated, both on and off the field, to the extent that the time is right for the USL to re-establish its Division 2 status. In the coming months the USL will apply for USSF Division 2 sanctioning to accurately reflect the quality of our league, our ownership groups, our stadiums and our fans. We are United.
The USL is rising.
WE ARE UNITED
WE ARE THE UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE
WE ARE THE USL
USL
The USL is the strongest U.S. men’s professional soccer league on the field and the most sophisticated one off the field below and in support of Major League Soccer (MLS). Focused on league stability and franchise performance longevity, the USL features 24 teams in 2015, including expansion teams in Austin, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Montreal, New York, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Tulsa, and Vancouver. Through aggressive and deliberate growth in adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and US Soccer standards, the USL is building a robust, national professional soccer league in a format that promotes the benefits of regional league play. In 2013 the USL began a groundbreaking partnership with MLS to grow the professional game at all levels in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to league play, USL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various domestic and international exhibitions. The USL is the longest-standing pro league affiliate member of US Soccer.
Also today:
The USMNT Player Pyramid: Zardes and Shea Rise While Woods and Rimando Drop
Taylor Graham’s Puerto Rican adventure
“They Aren’t Showing Us Any Respect,” The Latest on the MLS Labor Situation
