Columbus Eagles: Player-Designed

Soccer shirts are a really unique confluence where design and function collide – sometimes its catastrophic and sometimes, in this case, the results are downright soccer-couture. Columbus Eagles are a WPSL side, founded in 2014, who came out of the gates wearing Adidas and showing a fun eagle logo which, nobody would bat an eye at. Who knew that just four years later it would be redesigned, and that it would come out even better! Columbus rocked brand new kits in 2019 as well, and we wanted to get the lowdown on their design and the motivation behind the soaring rebrand. Mark Wise, Owner & CEO, was happy to answer a few questions and he was kind enough to put us in touch with graphic designer Larissa Najjar, as well as Chief Operating Officer Grant Burkhardt – I hope you love good content, because this episode of Uniformity is chock-full.

Your new club crest designed by Larrissa Najjar is strong and simple - what inspired the rebrand and how important is it to you to give your players non-soccer professional experience, whenever possible?

The rebrand was entirely Larissa and Grant Burkhardt's idea. Larissa being a graphic artist and Grant is my brand manager (among many other roles). They wanted something that was fresh and in line with our target audience. We love to bring our players into the back office whenever they want to. They come from various business fields and their experience along with their soccer IQ is great for any club.

Not only has Najjar nailed the new crest, but she was also tasked with custom designing your 2019 kits - what led the club to pursuing a custom kit and how popular has it been? Have there been enough sales to help with operational costs?

Again, Larissa and Grant proposed the custom kits. I think the idea was if we want to grow into a professional club, we need to look and act like a professional club. The custom kits were an instant hit. Many positive comments and a large increase of sales over the previous year of jerseys. The volume is still not enough to help offset operational costs, but we will see how that goes this year.

In the US, there are a handful of apparel providers who work with grassroots clubs, but I've never seen anybody work with Diadora. Why them? Would you recommend them to other clubs?

Diadora was (they have been replaced this year with Erris) our uniform and equipment supplier for a couple of years. They gave us a good discount and a link from their web-page. When we wanted to do a custom jersey, they quoted a price that we could not afford. So, we went with another label for the custom jerseys. We kept our Diadora sponsorship by adding the Diadora logo on the jersey tops, but the design was all ours and the production was sub-contracted.

Some clubs offer new kits every year, some go every-other year; how long will these beauties grace the pitch and are there already new designs in the pipeline?

Right now we have plans to re-use the design for 2020. After that, who knows? Custom designs are much more difficult to deal with, but very much appreciated. We will have to see how much our fan-base grows in the next year.

Thanks for making a men's cut of this gem, I bought one! But what made you think to do so? Was there already a demand and has it sold well enough that you'll continue to have quantities available to “kitnerds” like myself?

The kits were designed to be comfortable for our players (after all they were designed by a player). However, you don't want to limit your potential customer base to just women, right? I think there should always be both options.

Do you feel any effects of marketing apparel and merchandise in an MLS market? Have you carved out your niche? Or are Columbus soccer fans generally supportive of both clubs and maybe it's actually beneficial? What do we have to look forward to in 2020?

I think Columbus soccer fans support soccer in general. We are much too small a footprint to be any competition to the MLS market. We definitely are working on a membership campaign for 2020. I want to double our average attendance from last year (paid seats, not free tickets). Kit's will have slight alterations to the design. Custom kits will need to be pre-ordered this year so expect that push early in 2020. Other than that, you will have to wait and see! Creative ideas are always flowing here!

Former player, Larrissa Najjar, professionally a graphic designer, not only redesigned the club’s crest, but also designed 2019’s gorgeous Columbus Eagles kits

We had a few extra questions for the Ohio Statue University grad, Larissa Najjarr, who earned her Master of Landscape Architecture and lent a huge hand in the designs of both the rebrand of Columbus Eagles, as well as the beautiful kits they rocked in 2019.

What other projects, soccer or otherwise, have you worked on? Is your work for Columbus a one-off or do you hope to leverage that into more opportunities?

The Columbus Eagles project is the first soccer-specific design project I have worked on. It was so much fun because I have played soccer for my entire life. Grant and I worked closely on the project and found we share the same design sensibilities and passion for bringing communities together with design and soccer. We both believe that women's soccer can be an amazing gathering point for building community and effecting change, so we are working together to build a company of our own that will hopefully provide great designs to the women's soccer community and also empower teams to give back to other communities.

Other than these projects, I work in illustration and design. I love the opportunity to work on any sort of creative project, built environment or digital.

How important is it to have clubs, like Columbus, around for women to extend their soccer careers or even get a foot in the door for non-athletic opportunities? What's next for you?

I have found that when a player from the Columbus Eagles must move away from the Columbus area (for work or school) and therefore can no longer play for the club, they always say they will miss three things: their friends, their family, the Eagles. I think having teams like the Eagles is so important for communities and the women playing. The Eagles in particular is really cool because we encourage players to take an active role in building the business using their professional skills. I am a good example of this. I played for the Eagles for several years but had to retire from soccer because of ankle injuries. After I retired, I started working on rebranding the club almost right away. It certainly helped the transition to not playing much easier.

What's next? The project I mentioned above that Grant and I are launching is next! We also hope to release a new design for the Eagles before next season. As I said, soccer is a really important piece of my life, so I hope we get many more opportunities to rebrand clubs to empower their players and get communities excited about their teams.

- Joshua Duder

For more information about the Columbus Eagles: https://www.columbuseaglesfc.com/wp/

To pick up one of these beautiful shirts: https://www.columbuseaglesfc.com/wp/shop-home/

Napa Valley 1839 FC’s 2019 Home Shirt

Founded in 2016 by Josh Goss, Arik Housley, Jonathan Collura, and Michael Hitchcock, Napa Valley 1839 FC began play in 2017 outfitted in kits by Adidas. Then then moved to Stimulus in 2018 and this year, the club was wearing custom kits made by FBT, or Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co, Ltd. The new shirts are absolutely stunning so we reached out to Napa to get the story on their threads—Daniel Morales, their marketing and social media contact answered our emails.

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First Adidas and then Stimulus, now FBT - what led you away from the big-name kit supplier and into the realm of custom design? FBT is not a well-known brand in the US, why did you go with them?

It’s been three different kit brands we’ve worn. As you mentioned we started with Adidas. Ownership decided for such brand to keep the consistency between Napa Valley 1839 FC and our youth development club Napa United. This consistency continued with Stimulus and our Napa United 1839 Academy teams. Stimulus allowed us to design what we wanted and not go with generic designs that top brands offer.

The two tones of green make the new shirts by Thai manufacturer FBT really pop on the pitch (Photo: Don Lex)

This year's shirt is phenomenal, does the design come from within the club or do you let FBT know what you're looking for and they come up with something? What's the story of Napa 1839's aesthetic? Who designed the badge, what are the meaningful elements and why are the vivid colors such an important part of your branding?

One of our part owners, Joshua Goss is a big fan of jersey designs. He wanted even more creative freedom and FBT offered that to us. Mr. Goss wanted our kit to represent the Napa Valley, just like our crest. And indeed, it does, Chris Payne is not only the designer of the 1839 FC crest but also our current jerseys. Chris did in amazing job in bringing the Napa Valley vineyards to life in our kits. You see two tones of green and the patterns vineyards take all over our Valley.

We love our kit! By far we all agree that the 2019 kit designed by Chris Payne is our favorite out of the three so far. It represents our Valley very well and pays honor to all those who work very hard to maintain the vineyards looking beautiful. If it wasn’t for them, perhaps this jersey wouldn’t exist today. Our away kits have the same design but in all burgundy to represent the red wines.

The kids of Napa United, their affiliated youth soccer organization, look great in green (Photo: Don Lex)

What are some other clubs from around NPSL, UPSL or other leagues, whose kit YOU love? Does seeing other clubs rock unique shirts inspire you to do something even more special with Napa 1839's?

I’d have to say that I am also a big fan of the FC Davis kits, it’s a very unique design that I haven’t seen anything similar anywhere else.

The new Oakland Roots kits are also very nice, it’s simple but very clean and the numbers have that wonderful vibrant design.

Some clubs have found ways to get their shirts on consignment into local retail shops - it’s a clever way to sell a shirt when it’s not matchday. Do you have any arrangements like this? How can fans and kitnerds get their hands on your shirts and other gear?

Our kits at the moment are only sold online and at our home matches. We had not discussed with any merchants about selling our products.

The kits are only available on matchdays and online

For more information, or to pick up a kit from Napa Valley 1839 FC.

- Joshua Duder

Chattanooga FC: Going Professional

Last week, Chattanooga FC released their new kits ahead of their 2019 season, which will conclude with the Founder’s Cup as the team goes professional. At first glance, the three kits are not exactly as creative as you would expect to see from Chattanooga, but once you begin to look at some of the smaller details, they are quite incredible.

Designed by Chattanooga FC’s own Paul Rustand and his team at Widgets & Stones, the kits feature the Volkswagen logo across the chest, as kits have for the many years now. The club’s badge sits on top of the wearer’s heart, with the Inaria logo on the other side of the chest. The right sleeve features the name of another sponsor, power and telecommunications provider EPB, while the back features CHI Memorial and The Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics.

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The away kits are a beautiful baby blue with white stripes. The home kits are navy blue with lighter blue arrows, while the keeper’s kit is orange with a small diamond design all over. They are all reminiscent of kits of old, but still have a modern and simple twist on them. That was Rustand’s goal, as he said “The inspiration was of course our decade long history of kits and core brand elements that we sought to honor. But at the same time we are seeking to expand the palette of styles.”

Easily one of my favorite parts of the kits are the small “X” made in the design on all three kits. It sits right on top of the crest and it a beautiful, but subtle design choice. According to Rustand, it is a nod to VFL Wolfsburg’s 2018-19 green home kit. But that is not the only underlying meaning to the symbol, as Rustand continued by saying, "more importantly the Roman numeral for 10 – since we are celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2019.”

Image courtesy of Chattanooga FC.

All in all, the kits represent Chattanooga FC wonderfully. They appear somewhat simple when you just glance at them, but once you actually start to look at the smaller details, it becomes more and more complex and more and more beautiful. That’s the way I personally like uniforms. Flashy kits are nice and all, but the classic kit with subtle details are some of the best works of art you will see on a soccer kit. Chattanooga FC captures that with a kit that is fit for a top level club.

- Aarik Long

Kit images courtesy of Inaria Soccer social media.

New Look Same Club

The identity of a club is often overlooked, but often it plays an essential role on how we feel about a club. A fan should embrace the identity, but a player must live with it and become an ambassador for that said identity. That is why the crest of a soccer kit lays over our hearts. A brands identity is one with the fan, the player and the community.

“The new uniform will give us a breath of fresh air.”

— Anthony Perez

In this week’s Uniformity we travel to Perris, CA to check out the new brand refresh for City Legends FC. City Legends FC is a sophomore club within the UPSL. In its first year the club went undefeated in the Championship and were promoted to the Pro Premier. The club’s identity wasn’t bad. It had a well done crest and a color palette that sticks out in the soccer world: maroon and gold. But 2019 was meant to be a bigger year for the club, and a bigger year meant an even better presentation. “ Once we jumped up to the Pro Premier, we didn't start off that great,” said Anthony Perez about the new year and new identity. He added “ I thought a refresher, the new logo and new uniforms, would spark us up again.”

The Crest

The original crest had a unique shape and was drenched in maroon, the clubs primary color. It was a bold crest fit for the desert city of Perris, CA. The bandit became the icon for the club, equipped with his western style cowboy hat. The crest itself gave the team an identity, but just because something works doesn’t mean that it can't get any better. Because it did.

The new crest is sleek and designed in a minimal fashion. Every adjustment has made this crest more appealing. The shape is more defined and offers a stronger frame. The maroon acts as an accented color, rather than dominating the space. The use of negative space helps the badge breathe. The font variances help create symmetry and balance within the piece. And the bandit still makes his appearance, but he is bolder and more experienced because he has that undefeated season under him.

“We wanted to keep the base of our logo, so we just freshened it up a little. We made look cleaner. We made it look sleeker.”

— Anthony Perez

The Uniform

In soccer a new season often means a new uniform. Most pro clubs will often trot out different color variants to the same template, but in grassroots soccer you often see an explosion of creativity. That was how Uniformity was born.

The new City Legends uniforms look great. The design is sleek and matches the new identity that the club is creating. The alternate colored stripes give a classic feel to the kit, but the fade at the bottom gives a cool modern twist to the outfit. One element that stands out is the diagonal hoop. It’s just another element that slightly changes the jersey traditions of old.

My favorite is the white, mostly with how well the badge fits in and how the maroon accents just give another strong element to look at. Those two extra elements provide a balance to the overall kit that the black can’t match.

The new design helps to usher in a new era for the City Legends. An era that has attracted a jersey sponsor in Lascom IT, who believe in the project that this club is creating for its community. A new uniform isn’t always about style, but about growth. City Legends Football Club is stepping away from being a soccer team and stepping into the identity of a soccer program. A soccer program that has the potential to truly develop a soccer community.

The Joke that Backfired, Beautifully

It started as a joke, a riff on the big MLS announcements in south Florida. A month ago, David Beckham and his business partners standing in the shell of Lockhart Stadium: “The vast history of soccer in South Florida has deep roots in Fort Lauderdale dating back to the original Strikers of the 70’s and 80’s, the Miami Fusion of the 90’s and early 2000’s as well as the recent clubs that have called Lockhart Stadium their home.” The announcement was meant to give their plan for the Stadium a little umph in the face of local opposition. But it didn’t ring true for fans of soccer who had lived through those eras of soccer in Florida.

Image courtesy of Sun Sentinel

For Derek Reese, President of Himmarshee Football Club, it was a clear sign that “MLS still, 20 years after the Fusion, not really understanding the nuances/realities of the south Florida market and that Fort Lauderdale is not part of Miami.” Fort Lauderdale is indeed not part of Miami, no matter how hard InterMiami (or whatever that club is called after they are sued by InterMilan) wishes it is for the purpose of solving their real estate issues. In fact, it is 40 miles north and a complete different culture from Miami.

So with April 1st on the calendar and so many clubs posting social media jokes, Derek decided to do their own for Himmarshee, but riffing off the idea of Fort Lauderdale being distinct from Miami - “that's where the genesis of the idea came from.” So Reese, who does the kit design for his club decided to throw together a fake kit with the idea of tossing a jab at the Miami MLS people.

Rather than being too obvious in the inspiration for the kit, Himmarshee claimed on their site that the kit design was to “promote geography education issues.” Of course, the kit had a dual purpose - “In the event of a GPS outage or poor cellular service, the HFC Map Kit can help you find your way home the old fashioned way, whether you’re just around the corner or heading as far as Key West or Gainesville.”

But the joke wasn’t received the way Derek had expected. In fact, it was “almost immediately. Within a few minutes of posting it we already had comments from people wishing it was real and wanting to buy one.” Almost universally, the kit was applauded and appreciated. Everyone wanted one. So the club saw a way to capitalize on the interest and decided to manufacture the kit.

“It’ll be wild to see these shirts in real life. This is exactly the kind of quirky thing that makes us who we are and why the lower levels can often be more fun than the big professional guys at the top.”

— Derek Reese

The jerseys will be sold for the same price as the club’s regular jerseys ($50), with a portion of the proceeds donated to the You Can Play Project. Himmarshee has done this with all of their jersey sales so far, with the logo of the organization on the front of their kits. You Can Play Project mission is “ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” It’s a cause near the heart of the Fort Lauderdale community and for the club, it just made sense to support them.

Himmarshee Football Club was formed by a group of Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ supporters with the intent to accomplish a host of things, but most importantly “supporting our highest level local club, the historic Fort Lauderdale Strikers, through supporters group Flight 19, operating our own competitive  adult amateur team and recreational sides, organizing casual pick up games and other events to bring the soccer community together, and supporting and organizing local charitable efforts – both relating to soccer and general community causes.” The club is owned by its members and is one of the most progressive and idealistic clubs to ever come to south Florida soccer.

Image courtesy of Himmarshee FC.

If you’re interested in supporting Himmarshee FC by becoming a member, the cost is only $25. Of course, you can also support the club by purchasing one of these April Fool’s joke kits (called “The Map Kit” by the club), they are now available for preorder on the Himmarshee website. Besides supporting a great club and important community work, you’ll also never confuse Miami with Fort Lauderdale.

- Dan Vaughn

Oakland Stompers: NASL Era Kits for a Modern Age

Born from the comings and goings of the NASL’s sordid past—a league who allowed clubs to leave in the middle of the night, set up shop in a new town, give birth to new soccer fans, just to pack up a move again—The Oakland Stompers came to the Bay Area in 1977-78 after leaving Connecticut under those exact circumstances. They would only stay for one season, and although there was another NASL team in San Jose, some Stompers fans never forgot the heights of having a team of their own in the first division of US Soccer.

Shep Messing, well-known for his time in both the NY Cosmos, as well as his full spread reveal in Playgirl Magazine, came to Oakland with the Stompers in 1977-78. The former teamate of Pele, Giorgia Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer became the highest paid player in the league that year, making a cool $100,000 for the season. He and his 1978 soccer team would play in the cavernous Oakland Colliseum, which was also the home of the Oakland A’s (World Series winners in 1974) and the Oakland Raiders (Superbowl Champions of 1976); the East Bay had a recent history winners and a fiercely loyal fanbase.

Shep Messing Played in the iconic Oakland Stompers kit of 1978.

Although the club inevitably left a year later, as NASL clubs were prone to do, the single season left a lasting impact on soccer fans in the cities which make up the East Bay Area; Hayward, San Leandro, Richmond, Fremont, and of course, Oakland. So decades later, when given the chance to start a brand new club to join the NPSL in 2012, the owners borrowed over the nickname Stompers—it was a natural decision, of course, they had been using the nickname for years anyways for their youth teams. Along with the name, came the inspiration for their kits, and now the Oakland Stompers of the UPSL wear their heritage on ther back. We asked Stompers’ President and General Manager, William Forte, for the lowdown on their kits and common denominators between the current Stompers and the connection to their namesakes. He spoiled us with photos of the kits during their WIP (Work in progress) stages and confirmed the historic backdrop of the Stompers in Oakland.

The 1978 NASL Oakland Stompers in their away whites.

Could you explain the history and meaning of Stompers in the Bay Area?

The Stompers were the last top tier professional soccer team to play in the East Bay/Oakland.  That was over 40 years ago.  The original logo had grapes in it to represent the Northern California region of wine country.  So, the significance was from grape stomping which is a big process of turning the grapes in to wine.  The 1978 NASL team had cheerleaders named the Corkpoppers.

After the team folded in 1978 a number of youth clubs carried on the Stompers name.  Our club was formed in the East Bay on the youth side named after the Stompers that lasted from 1984- the mid 90's and had the Stompers, Stompettes, and lil' Stompers.  We brought back the club in 2008/09 as a men's team hoping to climb the ranks of US Soccer to bring the Stompers back to the heights of pro soccer representing Oakland.  After a decade of obstacles, we have finally brought the Stompers back home to Oakland where it all began and where we belong!

Four decades later, the 2018 Oakland Stompers in their beautiful light blue shirts.

Who is your provider and why did you settle on them?

Our jersey brand is Recnball.  It is our own brand that we are developing along the way.  We paired with soccermagic.com because they allowed us to fully customize our own brand.  I think having complete creative control on this project was important to us.  Soccermagic.com allowed us to do that.  I recommend them to anybody who is looking to have their own unique style and creative control.

How long was the process of design and choosing the right kit provider?

The revitalization of the original jersey was a plan since the club reemerged in 2008/2009. The current plan was to reveal the throwbacks Spring 2018 for the East Bay FC Stompers and do a 40-year throwback season.  We were not able to accomplish that on time.  We were able to bring out the blue kits in the Fall as we brought back the Oakland Stompers for a 40-year commemoration season. 

This Spring we plan to continue the honor to the original Oakland Stompers with revealing here first the unveiling of the 1978 Oakland Stompers white throwback kits which will be our second kit for both the East Bay FC Stompers and the Oakland Stompers as we continue our throwback season tribute. After we decided on SoccerMagic.com the current process to get to this point has taken us over a year to get things the way we wanted them.

 We have thrown around working with bigger name brands but currently we like our own creative freedom with our own brand and SoccerMagic.com.  If we did go with a more reputable brand the current front runners would be Hummel as their Northern California representative Kevin Campbell has been nothing but awesome to us.  We like how a custom blue and gold Hummel chevrons on the shoulder would fit in our style but allow us to become completely modern and our own new East Bay/Oakland Stompers stamp on US Soccer history.  Be on the lookout for a completely new Stompers look in 2020!

For more information about the current UPSL Oakland Stompers: https://www.oaklandstompers.com/

- Joshua Duder

The NY Cosmos: Through the Years

I’ve often used the phrase “American Soccer Royalty” to describe the NY Cosmos. Originally founded in 1970, the club played in the old NASL and was known for signing some of the biggest names in world soccer. Pele, arguably the most famous name in soccer history, is almost synonymous with the Cosmos. The club drew crowds that have only been matched by the recent ascension of Atlanta United in MLS. It made soccer cool in a way that hasn’t been seen since. And to be cool, you have to look cool. The Cosmos’ iconic kits have changed through the years, but their look has always been simple, well-designed, and fashion forward for the era.

The Original (1971 Away)

Trying to find a picture of this kit is difficult, but they do exist. With the NASL in its infancy, coverage was minimal the first couple of seasons, which makes it harder to find now. The first look seems to be inspired by an almost footballesque approach to jerseys.

Image courtesy of NASLjerseys.com.

The shade of green is certainly near the green of the Jets jerseys of that era. The clash between the yellow piping on the sleeves and collar and the more orange color of the shorts is interesting, though I wonder if it wasn’t intentional. Hard to know at this point in time, with almost 50 years of history in the can. What we do know is that the general manager at the time, Clive Toye, chose the green and yellow because they were the colors of the Brazilian national team and Pele was already on the club’s radar. The jerseys didn’t feature names, but the players’ numbers were on the front of the kits in such bold, chest-sized, white numbers. It would have been hard to get confused about which player you were looking at. The shorts also featured a smaller version of the number in green. The home kits were the inverse in color scheme.

Adding the Name (1974 Away)

For several years, the kits became more “American” in style, adding the nickname of the club in bold vertical letters down the left side.

Image courtesy of pinterest.

The departure from the NFL style kit is certainly a welcome design change. The 1972-75 kit featured an entirely green kit, including green shorts with a yellow collar and “Cosmos” stripe down the left side. The kits continued to not feature names on the back until 1975, when they were added. It’s a classic look, one of my favorites in American soccer history. The richness of the green really makes the yellow stripe pop on this asymmetrical jersey.

Do It for Pele (1975 Home)

For those that know the name Pele, most are aware that he is Brazilian, due to his prowess in the World Cup. In a move very different from most South American stars today, he also played the vast majority of his professional career in his home country, passing on opportunities to play in Europe. Offers from behemoths like Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester Utd, came flowing in after his stellar play in the ‘62 World Cup, but he continued to play in Brazil. His club was Santos FC, one of the premier Brazilian professional clubs. Their home kits were all white and, with his signing with the Cosmos in 1975, the club changed their look again, this time to mirror the look of his previous club, Santos.

This all-white kit, with various shades of piping, would be the home kit for the remainder of the Cosmos’ NASL run. The kit also featured player names on the back, as well the iconic Cosmos’ logo on the left chest. The logo was designed by Atlanta-based designer, Wayland Moore. The lines coming off the ball in the logo are representative of movement, which is a good thing for a soccer ball, of course. The logo has also had different variations, with the “New York” being removed and then included.

The current logo.

The Resurrection (Current)

After the old NASL died in 1984, the club competed in the MASL for a single season before closing up shop in 1985. Many years passed with the brand dormant, though several MLS clubs attempted to purchase the name. In 2010, a new ownership group purchased the club name and re-established the team. It hasn’t been smooth sailing, with multiple buy-ins from interested parties, the decision to not apply to MLS, the ups and down of NASL, and, eventually, the addition of chairman Rocco Commisso, who has grown into one of the leading voices in lower league soccer.

The Cosmos home kit is now a rich dark blue with green gradient highlights on the chest and waistline. There’s a slight white collar, which matches to the rings on the end of the sleeves. The blue is a throwback to a kit the club used in the post-Pele era. The away kit is a white top matched with green shorts.

2017 kit announcement. Image courtesy of Football Fashion.

In the American soccer landscape, clubs simply don’t have histories that go back more than 10 years or so. Most don’t go back five years. The landscape is suddenly populated by hundreds of clubs, all looking to put their spin on kit and crest design. They should take a lesson from a club with real history - be creative, be classy, use patterns and approaches that are proven. The NY Cosmos have set the bar for close to 50 years and they aren’t done yet. With the Founders Cup already on the calendar, I can’t wait to see what the Cosmos put together for the new league!

- Dan Vaughn

Just a note, there are other kits in the history of the Cosmos that were not included in this list. If you’re interested in more information, I definitely recommend NASLjerseys.com. It was a great resource in writing this article.

Syracuse FC

A slow start in a tough conference hasn’t stopped Syracuse FC from bringing a unique look and potent design to the Midwest-East conference. The club’s badge uses a striking combination of black, white, gold, and red to surge Syracuse to the top of a lower league design community that is constantly finding new ways to impress onlookers and the club’s image has continued to provide supporters with interesting scarves and kits.

The club’s main independent supporters’ group, Central Union 48, continues the club’s traditional colors and has created an equally iconic image.

The club collaborated with INARIA to create its 2018 kits. INARIA also created kits for clubs like the New York Cosmos and has created several custom designs that have received attention. The Toronto-based company has proven useful for both of its New York clients, amongst others like Kingston Stockade, also in New York, and Providence City FC.

Syracuse’s kits for 2018 were straight forward. Coming in maroon, white, and black, the kits all featured a white sash from the collar to the end of the right-side sleeve and featured two of the club’s sponsors on the front. The kits themselves are not rule breaking, but Syracuse’s fantastic beginnings in design should leave all lower league soccer fans interested in what the club has in store both on and off its kits for 2019 and the years to follow.

More attention, more seasons, and more experience will surely send more opportunities Syracuse’s way. All we lovers of the game can do is wait and see where the club goes on and off the pitch as it looks to become one of the big names in a Midwest region full of clubs pushing the boundaries in design.

- Dominic Bisogno

FCM Portland: A Fraternity with French Design and History

Continuing with our NPSL pre-season coverage, we stay out west for Uniformity this week and check in with 2018 semi-finalists FC Mulhouse Portland. Head Coach Sergio Medel was happy to tell us about the design on the shirts of his talented players from the Northwest Division. We haven’t seen a kit from Patrick yet and I was very curious about why a team from Portland, Oregon ended up with custom shirts from a relatively small sports apparel company based in Belgium.

Both the Blue and Whites kits from last year are bold and unique, what was the inspiration? Will there be a new kit for 2019?

The kit designs are the same as the partner club in Mulhouse, France. The Wheel design is the emblem of the City of Mulhouse found in all the city logos. There won’t be a new design until the 2019/20 season in France which begins in August of 2019. 

FCMP’s Jay Garmondeh (right) decked out in the club’s primary kit taking on a Kitsap Pumas player during a NPSL Northwest matchup (Photo: Kitsap Pumas social media)

How long was the process of design and choosing the right kit provider? Did anybody at the club get to help in the design process or does Patrick have a design team that does that work for the club? 

The design and production with Patrick (the kit company) takes approx. 6 weeks.  The Company is based in Belgium. The kit was designed by the club in France via sketch ideas, then the designers of Patrick sent Digital and eventually hard samples of the design.

I don't see Patrick used in the United States very often, why did you settle on them? What's the connection to FCMP? Did Patrick provide more than just kits? Training equipment too?  

The partner club in France Football Club Mulhouse is the one who has the connection with Patrick and therefore FCM Portland as well. Yes, Patrick provides more equipment for the French club, balls, goalie gear, pennies etc. Portland primarily uses the kits and warmup clothing.

The club’s secondary kit, custom designed for both FC Mulhouse clubs, on display before their 2018 Seasons. (Photo: FCMP Social Media)

Could you explain the history and meaning of the badge and the Portland club’s connection to the French side in Regional Ligue 3?

The badge was designed in France and again contains key elements to the history of the club which began in 1893.  The emblem contains the wheel of the city of Mulhouse.  This was a new logo for the club in France beginning when American Owner Gary Allen purchased the French club in January of 2017.  Gary was the President of the Portland club prior to turning it over to me as the new President of FCM Portland. I and the Portland club have a license agreement to use the logo and kits in Portland.

Club badges worn over the history of parent club FC Mulhouse of France’s 3rd Division—the wheel or cog is derived from the city’s coat of arms and represents the city’s historic connection to the textile, machinery and railroad industries.

If somebody wants a FCMP shirt, are they available? If so, where?  

Originally founded in 1892 as Patrick-Chaussures Techniques, Patrick now provides sports apparel to a multitude of organizations around the world, from Honduras to Kosovo and from Panama to Portland, Oregon. Both Kevin Keagan and Michel Platini were famous for wearing Patrick in the 1980s before the company decided to step out of the sponsorship wars over big time clubs and players. They are based out of Belgium and are the official apparel providers to the Belgian referee association.

Fan gear is available from France to include jerseys, beanies and scarfs all of which contain the logo and designs of the French club, almost identical to Portland so we are looking to integrate the same system locally.

For more information on FCMP, visit this site.

To Purchase a FC Mulhouse Kit from France

- Joshua Duder

Running in Rouge: Lower League Ingenuity at the Professional Level

Detroit City’s 2018 will likely be best remembered for its historic friendlies against the likes of St. Pauli, Necaxa, and Frosinone and its continued record setting when it comes to attendance, the club’s top-level kits are often a forgotten element of its ever-growing profile and personality. Protagonist had the chance to speak with Detroit’s Director of Media, Lindsey Pehrson in order to find out more about Detroit’s 2018 rendition of the rouge and gold.

2018 was not the first time Detroit had a winning look, a huge part of this comes down to smart color selection, “our team colors are Rouge and Gold.  Secondary colors include White, Black, Grey, Navy and Verdigris.” That combination of rouge and gold has been the flagship for a long run of great designs. The combination isn’t just rooted in good design, however, and is tied to the history of Detroit itself. “One aspect of the history of the Detroit area is a connection to France.  The Rouge River flows through SE Michigan and the Nain Rouge still haunts the streets every spring.”

Detroit’s 2018 kits, made by Adidas, were designed within the club per tradition, “We have always designed our own kits in-house.” This combines the professionalism of a global company like Adidas with the smart and free minded design of a fan-focused community club like Detroit City. This leaves us with a kit made by Adidas that doesn’t feel cookie cutter like many of the often-criticized MLS kits made by the same company.

The club doesn’t stop at a good pair of colors and has used traditional kit motifs like stripes, hoops, and buttoned collars to elevate their kits, again combining modern and authentic ideas with classic concepts found on kits for over a century. Pehrson explained that this combination of eras has helped the club visualize the professional look it strives for, “as a club we have always strove for a professional and timeless look for our kits. Hoops, stripes, collars, solids are all good examples of this aesthetic.”

One of the more interesting aspects of Detroit’s kits is that they stand out as an example for what soccer can be outside of the establishment while still utilizing big brands, in this case Adidas and Lyft. “Since our founding, we have only kitted out our players in two brands - first Nike and now Adidas - and we have been happy with the look and quality those brands have provided. As for sponsorship, strong partner relationships are a vital part to running a successful organization.  We built a great relationship with Lyft in 2018, and we are hopeful that partnership continues.  Any sponsorship agreement is multi-faceted, but an important aspect is ensuring a tasteful and professional presentation of the partner brand.” Detroit City’s success with brands of that scale shows that upper-pyramid clubs don’t have to have a monopoly on sponsorships of nationwide or global substance.

2018 was a great year for Detroit in many ways, but the club is far from done. With the Founders Cup and another shot at NPSL glory on the ropes, the club will surely aim to break new barriers with its next look. “Our 2019 kits will be our best-looking kits yet and will be the perfect look for making the move to fielding a professional roster.”

• Dominic Bisogno