Brooklyn Wanderers

The last team of the New York trifecta of teams is one of the oldest teams in the country. The team has formed and folded several times, but there hasn't been a season without the Brooklyn Wanderers since 1894. The team has alternated between black and blue in their early years. The team last folded in 1934, but then they reformed in 1935 with black and blue stripes. That version has been in existence since. Made up of mostly inner city immigrants, the Wanderers won the league in 1937. Brooklyn broke up Queens Park's dominance with another title in 1944. The two teams have the fiercest rivalry in the country currently. Another title in 1944 and 1948. The US Open title in 49 and 53 added to the early trophy collection. The team won league titles in 1954 and 1960, starting an era of being the only team in the burrough. The team got new owners in 1963, but they were relegated for the first time in 1965. The promotion in 1967 made everyone believe in the future. But the owner was arrested for mafia connections, and the next decade was hard on the team. They fell all the way to the 3rd level of US Soccer. An Italian American stockbroker who had seen the team in hardship decided to buy the team because there was such a return investment. His team went ahead and did that, and the team won the 3rd league's title the following year. Another promotion the next year meant Brooklyn was ready to compete in the top league for the first time in 10 years. The team brought over many Italian players, and the core won a US Open Cup in 1992, two CONCACAF Champions League titles in 92 and 93, then a league title in 1993. The owner stepped down and let his sons control the team. After a rough period from 2001-2004 in the 2nd division, the team got stable footing heading forward. They still compete with Queens Park, and beat them in the US Open Cup title game in 2013. The team's location helps draw fans and players from overseas, something many teams don't have.

From the Sox Drawer - Charlotte FC

During the end of my Freshman year of college, I got an email while sitting in my friend's dorm. It was from a guy named Ian about teaming up to help him bring a true pro soccer team to Charlotte. At that time, the city had the 3rd tier Charlotte Eagles, who was owned by a Christian mission company, and didn't really commit to bringing soccer to Charlotte. The idea was to buy them, then put soccer people in charge and build from there. He wanted something simple, with a rampart lion, and some crowns. I came up with this as a first draft.

It was on from there. 

Since we had an initial brand, he did all the dirty work, trying to find investors. I focused on making this the best logo I had ever made. We moved from yellow center, to a white center, and an original crown.

It was my first attempt at a real brand. I made tons of t-shirt mock ups

Scarves

Photoshops for billboards

and graphics for a possible video.

I even mocked up a stadium, which you'll see below. After a while, I was told that a richer team came in and was outbidding us. The Charlotte Independence is the result from that. We never got off the ground, and I never saw a single cent from the the whole thing. I did take a lot out of it, and had fun doing it.

Charlotte Memorial Stadium Renovation

 Continuing from the post above, during the discussions the site of Charlotte's Memorial Stadium was tossed around as a great starter for the club. The stadium was built in the mid 30s, and isn't in good condition. My partner sent me a pdf an architect proposed to fixing it. I studied it for hours because I love stadium designs. I have messed around in google sketch up, so I had the idea to make the stadium on there. Ian pitched a crown shaped stands, but I figured the best way would be off the side, having several tapered arches, raising each step. Virginia Tech's football stadium is a lot like this. At first, I had the lower bowl, then a larger stands along the sideline. There's limited space, but the initial design is very simple. The open end faces downtown Charlotte, and would be a great venue.

Then I went crazy one day. I wanted it to feel complete. A new mecca of soccer. So from there, I filled in the bowl, added luxury suites between the lower and upper part. I had ramps, stores, and the surrounding area included. I spent weeks fine tuning, and it turned out to be a great building, which you can see below.

King County SC

King County is the class of the Pacific North West, despite being in constant fear of relegation from the top league. 7 Seattle area teams merged in 1956 in an attempt to climb up the US Soccer ladder. The Kings were promoted for the 1961 season, the first stint in the top tier of US Soccer. The team's yellow and blue could be seen all around town, it was the city's first taste of top tier pro sports. They split Sick's Stadium with the Seattle Rainiers, then the Pilots in 1969. During this time, the team won the 1967 and 1970 US Open Cup. After the Pilots moved to Seattle, the team bought the stadium and turned it into a soccer stadium. It was always known for it's wacky sidelines dimensions, but at least the Kings had their own stadium. After that, County had a rough go in the ladder. Relegation in 1972, promotion in 1977. Relegation in 1982 lead to 4 league changes in 10 years. 1991 wasn't all a bad year, they went on to win the USOC as they finished 19th in the APL. Constant relegation almost always lead to promotion, giving opposing fans ammo to annoy the fans of KC. King's was promoted last in 2011, and has averaged 15th spot since then.

The yellow and blue colors influenced both the Pilots and Mariners, their owners figured that the baseball team's could seem like they have more fans if every one in the city was wearing their colors. Since the Mariners rebranded, King County was the only team in the city with those colors. Sick's Stadium now seats 27,000 fans. They have completely renovated the stadium, with press boxes and new locker rooms. The stadium still has old pillars much like Wrigley Field, but the fans still love it.

St. Louis Athletic

St. Louis at a time was the farthest west the APL went. Started by workers at the Busch brewery, the team was started in 1935, and were playing in the APL for most of the time since. The Saints' first taste of glory came with back to back US Open Cups in 1957 and 58. Often quiet in the early days, St. Louis fell down to the depth of the APL and were relegated in 1977, only to be promoted 2 years later. This shook the owners and fan base and they vowed to never have that happen again. The team won their first league title in 1987, then another in 1996. Since the new millennium, The Saints have been arguably the best team overall. A St. Louis native striker came through the youth system, and immediately raised them to a top tier team. A US Open in 2000, and a league title in 2001 proved that the Saints were legit. After back to back USOC in 05 and 06, the team came close to a Treble in 2010. Their 6th US Open title came weeks after a CONCACAF Champions League title. Since that 2010 Champions League title, the team won it twice more, in 2011 and 2014. They capped off their trophy case with the last two league titles.

St. Louis has always been red and blue, but since their 1995 rebrand they've gone with more of a garnet color.

1989 World Baseball Cup

The 80s rounded out with a celebration of world baseball in Canada. The games would be the first event played in the new Skydome in Toronto, the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and BC Place in Vancouver in a baseball configuration.

The Canadians got their automatic bid, which made things easy on them. The results were very similar to the last 12 team tournament in 1985. Italy was finally able to move past the Dutch to qualify for their first tournament. The Italians got approval to get Italian-American baseball players to fill their roster prior to qualifying. The European teams were granted the same waivers, and would lead to a growth in European baseball in the 1990s. Mexico and Taiwan would advance.

The Canadians had their best shot at advancing due to the home fans, and the freezing temperatures outside. They opened the Skydome with a 3-1 win over Mexico. The top 8 would advance to the next round, and group A all tied in those rankings. It had to go to a tie breaker to decide the Dominicans would win the group. Cuba killed Group B competition, scoring 29 runs in 3 games, and leading to a 1st overall seed. Overall, scoring was up in the beginning of the steroid era, and this was relevant because the Americans put up 28. In their group, only the US and Japanese advanced due to a gap in the skills of the teams. 

Italy surprised the world by leading the Cubans going into the 7th, but would go on to lose 9-8. The Canadians upset the Japanese in Montreal to go on and face the rival Americans. There was a lot of power in the Semi-Finals, as the Cubans and Americans went on to face each other in the finals. The bash-brothers faced off when McGwire and Canseco homered in the same inning. McGwire's was a Grand Slam, however, leading the Americans to their 5th title.

Similar looks for everyone. Italy introduced their racing stripes, and Japan dropped their pinstripes.

Tampa Bay Marauders

The area's first pirate team, the Marauders and Miami were the two Floridian teams that broke through early in the second league's history. While the power was in the North East, the Marauders were known as a physical group of players. Mostly consisting of scrappy players cut from other teams, they hold the top 3 records for yellow cards in a season. Their first taste of the top league came in 1962. They would stay up for 10 seasons, before being relegated. The Marauders are very inconsistent in the league, and have been relegated and promoted very often. After bouncing around the leagues in the 1970s, the new Houlihan Stadium was built to accommodate the owner's new idea to bring NFL football to the Bay Area. The soccer team struggled, just as the football team. While most resources went to the Bucs, the Marauders fell down to the 3rd tier in 1980. Looking back, many fans think of this as the period of the greatest growth in team history. Moving back up to League 2 in 1992, then the Premier League in 1995 proved the team was back on track. After a relegation to L2, the team has remained in the top tier since 2001. They've built up one of the stronger youth networks in the country, which helps the team reload when they sell players. The team's only two trophies were a 2006 US Open Cup, and a League Title in 2010 after a run as the 6th seed in the playoffs. After moving to Raymond James Stadium, they're currently building a new 25,000 seat Soccer Specific Stadium in the Ybor district of Tampa.

They have been wearing red and black for their entire history, and the skull and cross bones are seen as an honor to wear over your heart.