Ten tournaments, 137 blog posts, 17 predictions, and. . . honestly, nowhere near as many shirt sales as I’d hoped.

It was kind of a long shot that this endeavor [...]]]> After a little more than a year of building FC Shirts United, I’ve decided to pull the plug.

Ten tournaments, 137 blog posts, 17 predictions, and. . . honestly, nowhere near as many shirt sales as I’d hoped.

It was kind of a long shot that this endeavor would break even compared to the time I put into it, given the approximately $1/shirt profit from Spreadshirt. I do still wonder if I’d marketed more heavily or more effectively or tricked Gwyneth Paltrow into tweeting about my site or something whether it might have taken off. But at the very least, despite a lot of hours spent programming and researching soccer teams of the Far East and Google-translating Armenian websites and cursing the tons of cool logos that don’t have any higher-resolution copies anywhere on the Internet than the crappy 200×200 version on Wikipedia — deep breath — despite all that, I did manage to limit my investment, more or less, to just time spent. And that stuff was all actually a lot of fun 98% of the time, and I geeked out pretty majorly on all of it, so it wasn’t too bad of a deal in the end.

So, time to draw the curtain here. For the time being, at least, the ten winning shirts are still available for purchase. They’re all pretty cool in my honest opinion, and certain to be amazingly valuable collectors’ items someday. ;-)

Cheers!
Chris

Dear Sir,

My name is [redacted], I’m working as (AGENT) with the Liaoning Whowin FC. We are urgently looking for a coach for our Club.

Salary $31,000 per month, contract agreement 12months. If you are interested forward your Resume for assessment and contact me directly [...]]]> From my info @ fcshirtsunited.com inbox this morning (yes, really):

Dear Sir,

My name is [redacted], I’m working as (AGENT) with the Liaoning Whowin FC. We are urgently looking for a coach for our Club.

Salary $31,000 per month, contract agreement 12months. If you are interested forward your Resume for assessment and contact me directly for further negotiation.

Regard
[redacted]

All I need to do is learn Chinese and move to Shenyang in China’s Liaoning Province. Oh, and learn to be a football coach, I suppose. Or, I can keep working on this site; to be competitive, I just need people to start buying about 1,000 shirts per day.

I had a short post a year ago, when Tijuana was first promoted to the Primera. Now they’re coming to the end of their first [...]]]> Goal, the New York Times Soccer Blog, has a nice post on the successful second half of the Xolos season: Tijuana Rising.

I had a short post a year ago, when Tijuana was first promoted to the Primera. Now they’re coming to the end of their first full season, and look to have had good success so far, both on and off the field:

The well-documented drug violence and ransom kidnappings that have ravaged Mexico in the past several years hit Tijuana — where tourism is a significant part of the economy — especially hard. At its destructive peak in 2008, there were 850 murders in the city. Main tourist drags like Avenida Revolución, for years a noisy kaleidoscope of gringo bars, strip clubs and chintzy souvenir stands, had become a desolate stretch of closed doors and increasingly aggressive vendors.

… But most noticeably, Xolos mania has swept the city. Where once the only soccer gear you could find was largely Chivas de Guadalajara, Club América or Chicharito’s Manchester United jerseys, the city is inescapably awash in the red and black of Xolo shirts, flags, hats and billboards, and Xolos stickers mark nearly every car.

“For a long time, Tijuana has been defined more by outsiders than by the people who actually live there,” said Adrian Florido, a border reporter for KPBS public radio in San Diego. “In the face of the tourism vacuum that the drug violence has brought on, it created this opportunity for Tijuanans to redefine the city for themselves. And the fact that they now have a first-rate soccer team has given people the chance to redefine the image of Tijuana for Tijuanans as a truly Mexican city, and not a second-rate American city.”

This kind of renewal after hitting rock bottom is great to read about. Robert Andrew Powell’s fascinating book This Love Is Not For Cowards: Salvation and Soccer in Ciudad Juárez (see my preview here) is a view of a similar scenario, though in Juárez it has now sadly gone off track after the Indios were relegated, and then folded entirely. The parallels, down to the ironic/appropriating name choices for supporters’ groups (La Massacre in Tijuana, El Kartel in Juarez), are clear. Although Powell hinted, at a recent reading for his book, that there are rumors that some of the money behind the Xolos may not be the cleanest, I still hope the team’s success continues. It’s a good story, and their side features several up-and-coming American players. And last but not least, I love their crest.

The Sporting logo is simple, but solid. The lion rampant is [...]]]> Time once again to take a stab at some international cup predicting. The match before us is the 2nd leg match in the Europa League semifinal between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine. The match kicks off today at 3:05PM ET.

The Sporting logo is simple, but solid. The lion rampant is good, and the negative space of the horizontal stripes is cool. It seems a little redundant to have both “Sporting Portugal” and “SCP” included, but maybe they felt it was too simple without one or the other. The Metalist crest, on the other hand: no. Just, no. This one is a classic of too many symbols all thrown together haphazardly. And it’s the same problem with the colors, there’s no cohesiveness. Based on their badges, I don’t see any result other than a win by Sporting, by at least 2 goals.

Note: today is the last day the Zamalek SC shirts will be available in the shop.

Update: Win some, lose some — and draw some, as Sporting and Metalist did today: 0-0. And that’s the number of points I get on the prediction scorecard.

The winner of the March tournament was Belarus’ FC Slavia-Mozyr, just edging out runner-up Caracas FC, of Venezuela. Caracas returns for a record third tournament appearance, while Slavia-Mozyr gets immortalized on high quality American Apparel t-shirts:

If you’re interested in picking up one of those cool Zamalek SC [...]]]>
Today’s the day — if you haven’t voted in the final of this month’s tournament yet, it’s your last chance. As of this writing, FC Slavia-Mozyr has the lead, but it’s still close. So go vote!

If you’re interested in picking up one of those cool Zamalek SC shirts, don’t wait on that, either. It will only be available in the shop for a couple more days. (The Valur design will be around for another month.)

Tune in tomorrow for the final results, a peek at what the new shirts look like, and of course a vote in the next tournament!

The two that survive into the finals are Venezuela’s Caracas FC (which was battling it [...]]]> Today’s the day the March tournament advances to the final round. We’ve seen the last of Thailand’s Osotspa Saraburi FC and Northern Ireland’s Glenavon FC, though the Irish team came very close to sneaking into the 2nd place spot.

The two that survive into the finals are Venezuela’s Caracas FC (which was battling it out with Glenavon), and FC Slavia-Mozyr of Belarus, which was the clear leader of the pack.

So it has come to these two — which one do you like better, and by how much? Take a second and push one button to help crown this month’s champion, vote now!

Entering the final stage also means that time is running out on the availability of the sharp Zamalek SC shirt. After a new winner is crowned, that one won’t be in the shop much longer, so don’t wait!

Over 400 games and nearly 800 players later and Forest FC had transformed in Wanderers FC – the pre-eminent team of the Victorian era, when football became organised and regulated. The [...]]]> Via the Design Football blog comes word of the English club Wanderer FC‘s search for a new badge: 150th Anniversary Design Competition.

Over 400 games and nearly 800 players later and Forest FC had transformed in Wanderers FC – the pre-eminent team of the Victorian era, when football became organised and regulated. The reforming and philanthropic gentlemen of the age dragged violent inter-village rabbles into a popular pastime for the upper and middle classes in the south and the working men of the north.

150 years after that first game, Wanderers, in their reformed guise, have decided to commemorate these early beginnings with the launch of a competition to design a new badge for the club.

The club plays in what amounts to the 12th level of English football, and this is their current crest:

That’s not bad at all, in my opinion; I’m a sucker for a lion rampant. And I think it would look good emblazoned plain and simple on a Spreadshirt t-shirt — and the Wanderers agree:

This crest has been used since the club was reformed in 2009, after a lapse of more than 100 years. And though it’s not bad, they want a new one. Send them your entry, and maybe it will become part of this club’s continuing story.

Today’s the last day for group stage voting in this month’s FC Shirts tournament! Vote now, and come back tomorrow to vote in the final!

But what no one appeared to notice… was the geo-political gravitas of this potential photo-op. It is, quite literally, a photo that is not allowed to be taken: Park Joo-Ho of South Korea, Basel’s 25-year-old [...]]]> Fantastic story from ESPN: Korea United FC – Two FC Basel teammates prove that soccer can transcend political differences:

But what no one appeared to notice… was the geo-political gravitas of this potential photo-op. It is, quite literally, a photo that is not allowed to be taken: Park Joo-Ho of South Korea, Basel’s 25-year-old starting left back, sat beside Pak Kwang-Ryong of North Korea, the team’s 19-year-old substitute forward.

For Koreans on either side of the 38th parallel — the world’s most heavily fortified border — there can be severe consequences for fraternizing with the enemy. The armistice that ended the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953, but a peace treaty was never put in place; technically, the two countries remain at war. In the Communist North, those suspected of mere contact with South Koreans are, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2012, subject to lengthy terms in “horrendous detention facilities or forced labor camps with chronic food and medicine shortages, harsh working conditions, and mistreatment by guards.” Though the democratic South has far more freedoms, its far-reaching National Security Law continues to stifle any exchange with, and interest in, North Korea. In short: A South Korean and a North Korean should not be shooting the breeze on a sunny afternoon in Spain.

And yet, side-by-side they sit. Park from the South and Pak from the North. The two are not only peers, but also collaborators at work toward a common goal: To help win soccer games for FC Basel.

The two Koreans arrived in Basel within days of one another in June. First came the South Korean, Park, a deceptively quick left back plucked for 500,000 euros from [Júbilo Iwata, of] the J-League.

Five days later, Basel announced the addition of the North Korean, the imposing 6-foot-2 striker Pak, from second-division Swiss team FC Wil.

“The case is sensitive,” Messerli says. “Not for the players, but for the stupid politicians.” Not for the coach, either, apparently. The youthful Vogel, who was in his teens when the Berlin Wall fell, isn’t afraid to get a little idealistic about his Korean players. “This sport has shown often that it breaks through borders, lines,” he says. “And if we can help them help the two countries come together, that would be gigantic.”

Despite Basel’s exit from the UEFA Champions League after their blowout 7-0 loss to Bayern yesterday, this great story is well worth your time to read in full.

photo: Sacha Grossenbacher for ESPN.com

VV Noordwijk — There’s something about the simplicity of this one that I like. The straight lines of [...]]]> A few crests from the Low Countries that are funny and/or interesting, but probably not quite up to competitive FC Shirts tournament levels (let me know in the comments or on Twitter if you disagree).

VV Noordwijk — There’s something about the simplicity of this one that I like. The straight lines of the pentagonal shield, the color bisection, the circle in the center, the rectangles around the words. And if those don’t grab your attention, the blue creature in the center sure does. Snake? Fish? Motile, uniflagellar male human reproductive cell? (Never mind, pretend I didn’t suggest that last one.) It doesn’t matter, anyway, all that matters is how happy the little guy is to have that soccer ball in front of him. Even though he has no feet…

Quick Boys — This is kind of a unique crest. The shape is subtly interesting, almost symmetrical vertically, but with the bottom corners rounded. A subtle but definite “K” built in (what is it with the big Ks around here lately?), a kind of enigmatic design right in the center; is that a stylized old-fashioned ball, maybe? But bottom line, let’s face it, I included this one because I thought the name Quick Boys was funny. Even if it doesn’t happen to be an accurate description of the squad, it’s still useful to fans as an imperative prefix (“Quick, boys, score a goal!”, etc.).

VVV-Venlo — This one’s definitely striking. When you start with yellow and black, the logo being attention-grabbing is yours to lose. And this design doesn’t hold back, with bold, heavy lines and unconventional typography that can’t escape notice. But mainly I wonder whether they can get another couple of Vs in there, and work out some kind of sponsorship with The Letter V Six Times videogame.

SC Heerenveen — This is another unique design that immediately grabs your attention. The fact that it takes its stripes and heart-shaped lilies design directly from the flag of their home province of Friesland doesn’t diminish how notable the result is.

Go Ahead Eagles — I’m always a sucker for a good eagle, and this one’s not bad. the bottom of the shield is a little, er, bottom-heavy, but the castle rampart at the top is good. The real winner for this one, though, is the name, and its potential utility in fan chants: “go ahead, Eagles!”

FC Den Bosch — A good dragon is as appealing to me as a good eagle, but I’ll be honest: I didn’t include this one because it’s a good dragon. I included it because it’s a hilariously awful dragon. The heavy lines are great, I like those. But look at those eyes, and tell me this dragon isn’t just flat out bored. And what is the deal with that completely out-of-place ball? Is it huge? Is the dragon actually the size of a golden retriever? Is it about to throat the ball, or trap it under its chin? My first impression was good, but this is one where the more you look, the faster it falls apart.

Be Quick 1887 — This last one is funny in both ways: funny ha-ha, and funny odd. The shape, the color split, and even the font make it look very much like a consumer product logo from the 60s, maybe even a particular one, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It does give more evidence, though, to the emphasis on quickness in Dutch soccer.

Keeper Dionisios Chiotis ensured Apoel Nicosia‘s Champions League fairytale continued as the European minnows knocked out Lyon on penalties to book a place in the quarter-finals.

…Apoel have enjoyed some wonderful European nights this season – 2-1 wins over Zenit [...]]]> BBC Sport has the story, Apoel Nicosia seal Champions League shoot-out win over Lyon:

Keeper Dionisios Chiotis ensured Apoel Nicosia‘s Champions League fairytale continued as the European minnows knocked out Lyon on penalties to book a place in the quarter-finals.

…Apoel have enjoyed some wonderful European nights this season – 2-1 wins over Zenit St Petersburg and Porto are among the highlights – but nothing matched this.

That much electric red certainly grabs your attention, doesn’t it? The team has a whole graphic detailing the various elements, and what they symbolize. Some of it’s a stretch (“radiant bands portraying the ripple effect”? [...]]]> The Richmond Kickers, a team in the U.S.’s third division “USL PRO”, has unveiled a new badge.

That much electric red certainly grabs your attention, doesn’t it? The team has a whole graphic detailing the various elements, and what they symbolize. Some of it’s a stretch (“radiant bands portraying the ripple effect”? Really?), but in general I’m not against elements symbolizing stuff. At least this crest keeps from piling on eight different things because of all the things that the club thinks demand symbolizing.

But overall, this doesn’t do much for me. The border lines — sorry, radiant bands — are a little busy, the color a bit too in-your-face. And that “K”? I get it, it’s kind of clever, but it’s just not working for me.

Let’s step back for a moment and see the Kickers logo this is replacing:

Oh. Okay then. Wow, I suddenly like the new one a lot more. This old one, jeez, could you have a more generic logo than that? The name, plus a swooshing ball, plus . . . nothing?

Bottom line, I don’t love the new Kickers badge, but I have some respect for it. It’s a unique design approach, it forgoes the elements that plague minor-league crests (e.g., swooshing balls), and it’s far, far better than the old logo.

First, the winner of the February tournament was Iceland’s Valur FC, who finished as strong in the final as they had in the group stage. Runner-up Caracas FC earns a berth in the March contest, while Valur gets immortalized on high [...]]]> A brand-new month means a brand new shirt and a brand new tournament.

First, the winner of the February tournament was Iceland’s Valur FC, who finished as strong in the final as they had in the group stage. Runner-up Caracas FC earns a berth in the March contest, while Valur gets immortalized on high quality American Apparel t-shirts:

This means that winner before last, Tonga’s Vahe Kolo, will only be available for another day or two. You can buy shirts featuring the crest of January champion Zamalek SC through the end of the month. Shop now, then come back and check out this month’s tournament.

Caracas is joined by clubs from Thailand, Belarus, and Northern Ireland. There’s a wide variety of styles this month; hit the vote button and pick your favorites!

Marta’s three year deal in WPS, which saw her play for three different clubs amidst uncertainty and folded teams, ended following the 2011 season and she has since been exploring her options. With tears in her eyes as she [...]]]> Th Equalizer has the story of the latest career move by phenomenal Brazilian player Marta:

Marta’s three year deal in WPS, which saw her play for three different clubs amidst uncertainty and folded teams, ended following the 2011 season and she has since been exploring her options. With tears in her eyes as she spoke at her introductory press conference on Wednesday, Marta officially signed with Tyresö, joining the likes of Caroline Seger and Veronica Boquete, to name just two of the club’s top-notch players.

How cool is that bat. Very, very cool, in my opinion. The way its wings merge with [...]]]> Today we see the of end of two weeks of UEFA Champions and Europa League action, and the match that turned up in my prediction draw is today’s Europa League match between Spain’s Valencia and England’s Stoke City.

How cool is that bat. Very, very cool, in my opinion. The way its wings merge with the bottom black border is nice, too. The color choices are a little odd, but the font presentation is solid, and an old-fashioned ball always gives a little class.

And then we have Stoke. Rarely in the football world do we see a crest with as much blandness, and as little coolness, as this one. I try to look for redeeming qualities when judging a logo, but unfortunately the Stoke badge has none. If you took a few traditional elements — shield, stripes, scroll, founding year — and threw them together in an attempt to make the most generic caricature of a football club crest imaginable, this is a little worse than what you’d get. And “The Potters”, really? How about “The Weasleys” or “The Grangers”? Honestly, this mess would look more at home on the wrapper of a loaf of white bread than anywhere within a hundred miles of a soccer club. I can’t imagine who would ever wear this crest, other than mercenary thugs with no talent or loyalty.

In the end, even though I consider Valencia’s design to be just okay, it’s really no contest. (I would have picked the Cleveland Browns’ logo over Stoke’s.) I predict Valencia to win by at least five.

Update: They only won by one, not five, but they did win. I’ll take a point on the scorecard for that.

Clark’s parent club Eintracht Frankurt and Norwegian club Stabaek agreed to terms on a deal that will have the U.S. national team midfielder on loan until July 31. According to reports out of [...]]]> Soccer By Ives has this update on the next chapter in Ricardo Clark’s career: Clark signs loan deal with Stabaek.

Clark’s parent club Eintracht Frankurt and Norwegian club Stabaek agreed to terms on a deal that will have the U.S. national team midfielder on loan until July 31. According to reports out of Norway, Clark passed a physical, which was the final hurdle in completing the deal.

Clark had been on trial with Stabaek over the last few days as he sought freedom from his situation at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he has only played in one game all season.

Now it’s up to you — take a few seconds and vote for your favorite!

February [...]]]> It’s the 22nd, which means it’s final tournament time! Farewell to South Korea’s FC Seoul and Armenia’s FC Banants (January’s runner-up), and now it’s down to Venezuela’s Caracas FC and Iceland’s Valur.

Now it’s up to you — take a few seconds and vote for your favorite!

February has the shortest final stage of any month (even if this one’s an extra day longer), so if you want a Vahe Kolo shirt, don’t wait. After this month’s winner is crowned, it will be gone from the shop.

Steaua Bucuresti isn’t bad at first glance, but it starts to break down the more closely I look at it. [...]]]> Back to the Europa League Round of 32 for today’s prediction: Romania’s FC Steaua București vs. Holland’s FC Twente. As always, I’m making the call based solely on my opinion of each team’s crest design.

Steaua Bucuresti isn’t bad at first glance, but it starts to break down the more closely I look at it. The larger “S” and “A” in “Steaua” are awkward, as is the placement of the two small stars (and their blue outline gives them an almost greenish tint here). Twente, on the other hand, is interesting. The shape of the shield is unique, but nothing too radical. And I like the pattern of the old-fashioned football in the background, especially the way it fits with the shield (e.g., just under the “FC”). But what definitely makes it is the horse, with a stern look and a tail of flame. That’s one tough horse. I think it will help give Twente a solid win, by one or two goals.

Kickoff is at 3:00 PM ET. Some of the bigger-name Europa games (Athletico Madrid, Valencia, Manchester United) will be broadcast in the US on GolTV, but not this one.

Update: A first-leg, 1-0 win for Twente, that means 3 more points for my scorecard.

Zenit’s crest is okay. Just a single color is nice sometimes, and the little ship at the top is kind of cool. The swoosh-y name would normally be a minus, as [...]]]> Today’s prediction will be from the UEFA Champions League, currently in its round of 16. The match: Russia’s FC Zenit vs. Portgual’s SL Benfica.

Zenit’s crest is okay. Just a single color is nice sometimes, and the little ship at the top is kind of cool. The swoosh-y name would normally be a minus, as it’s too much like a cliched American baseball styling, but the fact that it’s Cyrillic letters saves it. The heavy panel outlines on the soccer ball aren’t helping anything. Meanwhile, Benfica has some interesting stuff going on. I always like a good eagle, and I’ll count this as good, even if it does look a little teddy-bearish in the body. The red and green Portuguese odd couple are here, plus a shield, an old-fashioned ball, and — is that a bicycle wheel? Bottom line: these two are close, and I’d call a draw but for one thing: the “e pluribus unum”. Out of many, one. And that’s how many I predict Benfica will win by: one.

Kickoff is at noon Eastern, broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Update: A team won by one, all right, but it wasn’t the Portuguese side. Zenit 3-2 Benfica, zero points for me on the scorecard.

Neither of these is terrible, and neither is fantastic. Braga is classic Portuguese, with multiple castle towers dominating the design. [...]]]> We’re back to seeing some international tournaments this week, so it’s back to the crystal ball to make some predictions. Today’s match prediction is from the Europa League: Portugal’s SC Braga vs. Turkey’s Beşiktaş JK.

Neither of these is terrible, and neither is fantastic. Braga is classic Portuguese, with multiple castle towers dominating the design. Besiktas’ shield with vertical stripes isn’t super original, either. I do like their font, the smaller shield inside the outer one (a look that can’t help reminding me of my own FC Shirts United logo), and the bold crescent and star from the Turkish flag in the center. It may be unwise to pick against Mother Mary and baby Jesus, but I think Besiktas will win this one, though they may concede a goal.

Update: Besiktas gets a 2-0 win over Braga, who went down a man in the 29th minute. But Besiktas didn’t concede a goal, as I said they “may”, so I’ll take a single point for the scorecard.

South Sudan was admitted as a member of the Confederation of African Football on Friday, becoming the world’s newest footballing nation.

Africa’s football body [...]]]> It’s not often that membership in the international world of soccer changes, but it happened yesterday. Sports Illustrated has the (AP) story: South Sudan admitted as a member of CAF.

South Sudan was admitted as a member of the Confederation of African Football on Friday, becoming the world’s newest footballing nation.

Africa’s football body accepted the application by the South Sudan Football Association to become its 54th member, meaning South Sudan is now recognized as an international team.

South Sudan gained independence in April 2011.

. . .The country could also become a member of FIFA at the world football body’s Congress in Budapest, Hungary in May.

I don’t usually pay much attention to the crests of national federations, but since there aren’t any club teams yet in South Sudan, I’ll take what I can get.

As it happens, I just finished Dave Eggers’ amazing, tragic and touching novel What Is the What, so South Sudan’s steps into nationhood are especially interesting to me right now. Congratulations to the South Sudanese. I look forward to researching the logos of the club teams there someday soon.

“We are a country that has just come out of war,” [federation president Oliver] Benjamin told AP as CAF delegates congratulated him as their newest colleague. “We would love to have an Olympic stadium in our capital … but above all we lack even the balls and the T-shirts. We don’t have those things in our country.

“Some of our player use their socks, put clothes in them, wrap them up and play with it. That is our love of football.”

The team plays in the Primera B Metropolitana, a third tier league in the Argentine pyramid, made up [...]]]> Hailing from the city in Argentina that gives them their name, this week’s silly team name is Club Deportivo Moron. More precisely it’s “Morón”, but the sophomoric alternate English meaning isn’t as clear that way.

The team plays in the Primera B Metropolitana, a third tier league in the Argentine pyramid, made up almost entirely of clubs in Buenos Aires.

If the team crest kind of rains on the parade of laughing at the city’s name, maybe this fan logo does a better job.

Now, if only they could get jersey sponsorship by a giant Mexican baked-goods company…

The story follows the (spoiler alert) now-defunct Indios de Ciudad Juárez, as they gain promotion to [...]]]> FMF State of Mind has a really interesting interview (part 1, part 2) with Robert Andrew Powell, the author of the forthcoming book, This Love Is Not For Cowards: Salvation and Soccer in Ciudad Juárez.

The story follows the (spoiler alert) now-defunct Indios de Ciudad Juárez, as they gain promotion to the Primera Division and fight to stay up, and to stay alive (almost literally).

From the interview:

These billion dollar stadiums [in American cities] are supposedly good for the community. Well, it was inarguable that the Indios were good for Juarez. It was the best case for what a sports team can do for an entire community. It gave people in Juarez something to focus on that was positive. As Francisco Ibarra told me, it was the only time you would hear the word Juarez on the news without the antecedent ‘bloody’ or ‘murderous.’ It was about soccer – an everyday thing – just like in every other city. It really was positive for everybody, and it was moving how positive it was.

Read the full interview, it’s gripping stuff on its own. The book sounds fascinating; I can’t wait to pick up a copy. According to Amazon it comes out February 28.

C.D. Primeiro de Agosto — Though red and black vertical stripes are common in soccer crests, there’s still something about this one that I like. The purple border, the almost too-small, almost too-simple yellow [...]]]> A few interesting crests from the African nation of Angola, all from the top-tier Girabola, or Angolan Championship league.

C.D. Primeiro de Agosto — Though red and black vertical stripes are common in soccer crests, there’s still something about this one that I like. The purple border, the almost too-small, almost too-simple yellow star, I don’t know. The club’s name means, literally, the first of August.

Kabuscorp S.C. — Olympic rings are also pretty common, though I’m not a big fan of them. That antelope is pretty cool, though, and you have to respect some bold asymmetry sometimes.

Kabuscorp was also in the news recently, signing Brazilian superstar Rivaldo :

Rivaldo, 39, was once thought to be one of the greatest players in the world alongside Zinedine Zidane and compatriot Ronaldo, winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and Champions League with AC Milan in 2003.

The former Barcelona star, who left Sao Paulo in December, was surprisingly linked with a move to Angola earlier this week and after flying to Africa for talks he has now confirmed the move.

C.R.D. Libolo — Last but not least, a classic badge that showcases the Portuguese influence on this coastal nation (see this post for a couple of similar crosses).

You can read more about them when you vote (or directly here), but one of the cool, crazy things I found about them that that’s not included in that writeup is their mascot.

Behold, “SSID”.

Egypt’s Zamalek SC held on to a commanding lead throughout the final stage, and won handily. That means it’s now available to discerning shirt buyers such as yourself in [...]]]> Welcome to February, and another edition of FC Shirts United. We have a great slate of contenders this month, but first let’s see January’s champion!

Egypt’s Zamalek SC held on to a commanding lead throughout the final stage, and won handily. That means it’s now available to discerning shirt buyers such as yourself in the shop. High quality American Apparel shirts, your choice of colors, a striking and unique design, all this can be yours!

The previous champion, Tonga’s Vahe Kolo, will also be available in the shop for the rest of the month. I’m also holding Gaziantepspor over for another day or two, but then it will be gone.

Now to this month’s tournament. FC Banants fans, you’ll have another chance to vote up that logo again this month. If, that is, you still like it better than the opposition.

This month the slate of contestants happens to consist entirely of teams from capital cities. One capital has a population size just over 100,000 and five teams in the top league, while another capital boasts more than 10 million residents but only one top-tier club. From South America to South Korea, we have another set of great soccer badge for you to give thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs to. What are you waiting for? Vote now!

If you’re interested in [...]]]>
Today’s the day — if you haven’t voted in the final of this month’s tournament yet, it’s your last chance. Currently Zamalek SC has a handy lead over FC Banants, but as the saying goes, it’s not over until it’s over. So go vote!

If you’re interested in picking up one of those dandy Gaziantepspor shirts, don’t wait on that, either. It will still be available through the end of the day tomorrow, but then it will be taken out of the shop. The Vahe Kolo design will be around for another month.

Tune in tomorrow for the final results, a peek at what the new shirts look like, and of course a vote in the next tournament!

Nonetheless, I find it pretty funny [...]]]> Today we visit the 4th tier of German football, to meet the Wormatia Worms. Of course they must mean “worm” in the medieval sense, as a synonym for “dragon”. (See also, books and games of the fantasy genre for this usage of “worms”, plus “wyrms” and even “wurms”.)

Nonetheless, I find it pretty funny to think of this team’s fans, cheering their mighty Worms on to victory. And those supporters can go one up on other fans. For them it would not only be “Worms til I die”, but “Worms after I die”, as well.

“Given the current financial position of the club and, as a consequence of my legal obligations, I have had [...]]]> It’s not quite the end for Darlington FC, the 128-year-old Conference National (5th division) team facing bankruptcy, but it’s getting close. The Guardian has the latest: Darlington administrator makes all players and coaching staff redundant.

“Given the current financial position of the club and, as a consequence of my legal obligations, I have had no alternative but to terminate the contracts of all playing staff and the retained administration staff,” [joint administrator Harvey Madden's] statement said.

“Notwithstanding this, there remain parties interested in either injecting funds into the club to enable it to continue operating or acquiring the club.

“Every effort is being made to progress this to try to save the club. However, at this stage I have still not received any formal offers and, unless a deal is concluded as a matter of urgency, time will have run out for Darlington football club.”

Apparently a former owner’s grandiose dreams of promotion to the Premiership, and the 25,000-seat stadium he had built, are a big part of what’s dragging the club under. Best of luck to them in trying to avert disaster at the last moment.

Update: Good news, it looks like the fans saved the club! (For a while, anyway.) See this story from The Guardian: Darlington saved from going out of business by fans’ intervention

Club Atlético Rosario Central (Primera B Nacional) — I like that sprig of leaves, and the way it [...]]]> Researching the crests of Argentina recently, I came across the following handful of logos that I found interesting and/or cool, but which didn’t seem likely for use in an FC Shirts tournament. Check them out.

Club Atlético Rosario Central (Primera B Nacional) — I like that sprig of leaves, and the way it closes in the “C”, even if the shield and stars inside do seem a little cramped in there. Also, “carc” should be a word. If we keep to the soccer realm, maybe carc would be the kind of foul where a defender just stops in front of the player running with the ball, causing a play-stopping collision. “Didn’t the ref see him carc that guy?!”

Club Atlético Nueva Chicago (Primera B Metropolitana) — Honestly, this design could hardly be less original. The colors are good, but a shield shape with stripes and the team acronym are a dime a dozen, especially in South America (see Rosario Central, above, for that matter). What made me notice this crest wasn’t the design, but the name: “Nueva Chicago”. New Chicago, in Argentina, how cool is that? Okay, so it’s apparently just a former nickname for one neighborhood in Buenos Aires, but I still liked it. Also: “canch”. Not as good as “carc”, but not bad. Maybe for a shot that goes ridiculously wide of goal? Like, when the shot is almost closer to the corner than the goal, that could be a canch.

Club Atlético Huracán (Primera B Nacional) — A monochrome cartoon of a hot air balloon – one that couldn’t even fly because there’s no place for the burner – with nothing but a big “H” on it. Sometimes a crest gets max points in my book just for originality. The team’s nicknames include El Globo (“The Balloon”) and Los Quemeros (“The Burners”).

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy (Primera B Nacional) — As I said above, a shield shape with stripes and letters is hardly remarkable in South American football badges. But there was something about this one: the colors, the single horizontal slash of stripe, the almost optical-illusion quality of the shape and color changes of the letters, I’m not sure. In any case, there was something about Gimnasia y Esgrima (“gymnastics and fencing”) that I thought was cool.

That’s the highlights from Argentina. We’re in the final week of group stage voting in the January tournament, so it you haven’t voted yet, do it now!

Previously, you could only see the full text description of each team while voting. But if you wanted to look back at it after your vote [...]]]> I added a new feature to the FC Shirts United site today: team pages. See, for example, the page for Portugal’s Vitória, or China’s Henan Construction FC.

Previously, you could only see the full text description of each team while voting. But if you wanted to look back at it after your vote was cast, you were out of luck. The writeup was included on the shop page, but only for the two current reigning champions.

Now, the final vote page, and shop page and the tournament archive all provide links to each team’s full info. In addition to the text, that includes the flag and locator globe of the team’s country, as well as the crest’s tournament history. It takes a good bit of time to research and write those blurbs, so I hope this lets them be read more often!

However, that search wasn’t wasted, because it led [...]]]> Last week I was searching for a good Leeds United crest, just in case they beat Arsenal and earned an update on the FA Cup 3rd Round upsets post. Alas, they took a late dagger from homecoming hero Thierry Henry instead.

However, that search wasn’t wasted, because it led me to this amazing picture on Body Modification Ezine. You have to be pretty dedicated to get a tattoo of your team’s crest at all, in my book. But to get it right across your forehead? Plus the Three Lions, flags, etc.? Wow.

source: BMEZine.com

But remember: if you’re a fan of cool crests, you can get them much cheaper, easier, and less permanently from the FC Shirts shop.

Also, we’re more than halfway through the group stage of this month’s tournament. Egypt’s Zamalek has a commanding lead, but Armenia’s Banants and France’s Amiens are both contenders for the second spot in the final. Go vote!

Ipswich manager Paul Jewell criticised female assistant referee Amy Fearn after the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham.

Jewell was furious Ipswich were not awarded a penalty for Steven Caldwell’s challenge on Lee Martin.

“To every man, but not a woman [it was a [...]]]> The BBC has the story: Ipswich manager Paul Jewell criticises female official.

Ipswich manager Paul Jewell criticised female assistant referee Amy Fearn after the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham.

Jewell was furious Ipswich were not awarded a penalty for Steven Caldwell’s challenge on Lee Martin.

“To every man, but not a woman [it was a penalty],” he said when a journalist suggested “everyone to a man thought it was a penalty”.

“Although the referee didn’t have a good view, the lineswoman, or whatever she’s called, had a great view.”

What a great crest. And what an absolute ass of a manager. Or whatever he’s called.

[Kevin] Joseph, who works in graphic design and is a member of [...]]]> From IMS Soccer News, the best blog around for U.S. lower-division soccer news in general, and for Minnesota soccer news in particular, news of a new name and new badge for the NASL (2nd division) team now known as the Minnesota Stars.

[Kevin] Joseph, who works in graphic design and is a member of the Dark Clouds supporters group, explained, “The main elements are of course the star which was there before. But we wanted to add the name to the logo. We wanted to make it a focal point of what this logo is all about. So the team can go to the airport and people will recognize the logo and the team can be proud of it and say we’re the Minnesota Stars! We’re the 2011 NASL Champions.”

Another feature of the new logo is the inclusion of the Minnesota State Motto: L’Etoile du Nord. The Star of the North. “It was a big deal for us to connect more with Minnesota. We are Minnesota’s team!” said Joseph.

I like it. There’s something maybe a little ungainly about the “L’Etoile”, between the cursive curves, the apostrophe, the accented “e”, and the star tittle on the “i”. But overall, it’s a nice, balanced American-style design, with the shield shape and the scroll banner. It’s most definitely an improvement over the previous badge (also pictured in the IMS post). Congratulations to the Minnesota Stars on the new brand.

For me, and I think many fans, one the most interesting aspects of this kind [...]]]> This weekend saw the “3rd Round Proper” of England’s FA Cup. Although this stage of such an inter-league competition includes the lesser-known teams I like to highlight here, I failed to make any predictions for this round. Maybe next round.

For me, and I think many fans, one the most interesting aspects of this kind of competitions is the possibility of upsets, of a lower-league team knocking out a higher league team.

Here, then, are the crests from the 3rd round upsets so far. Note that I’m defining an “upset” based simply on league; of course there could be upsets within a league. Also, Leeds United face Arsenal tomorrow, and a few matches have yet to be replayed (come on, Macclesfield Town!). But these are what we have to date.

Crawley Town FC (League Two) 1-0 Bristol City (Championship):

Notts County (League One) 2-0 Doncaster Rovers (Championship):

Swindon Town (League Two) 2-1 Wigan (Premiership):

Stevanage (League One) 1-0 Reading (Championship):

Sheffield Wednesday (League One) 1-0 West Ham United (Championship):

The pass back to the goalkeeper seemed routine for Qingdao Hailifeng FC in its match against Sichuan FC in September 2009, even if the ball was [...]]]> Fascinating story from The Economist: Little red card – The telling reasons why, at least in football, China is unlikely to rule the world in the near future.

The pass back to the goalkeeper seemed routine for Qingdao Hailifeng FC in its match against Sichuan FC in September 2009, even if the ball was struck a little too hard and the keeper only just managed to stop it running past him and into the net. Qingdao was safely ahead 3-0 with two minutes left in a meaningless match in China’s second division. What could be amiss?

Then a Qingdao assistant coach gestured for the keeper to come forward from the penalty area. Another Qingdao player promptly chipped the ball over him and towards the net, missing an own goal by inches. The final whistle blew soon afterwards.

Qingdao’s owner Du Yunqi was irate—at his team’s utter incompetence. As he would later admit to investigators, he had just lost a bet that there would be a total of four goals scored in the game. His humiliated assistant coach said on national television, “Afterward the boss was angry and scolded me, saying I bungled things and couldn’t even fix a match.”

Qingdao Hailifeng FC no longer exists; it was dissolved after being banned from the league in the wake of such max-fixing scandals.

Amid struggles to reform from such scandals, and general lack of support for a team sport in an Olympic, individual-sport-driven society, there has been increased investment recently in marquee players. Big names like Nicolas Anelka are going to ply their trade in China, for example. Also:

The Evergrande Real Estate Group, which is controlled by billionaire and Communist Party member Xu Jiayin, and which acquired the disgraced Guangzhou Pharmaceutical club in 2010, is spending money like Real Madrid. Guangzhou Evergrande FC pays generous salaries and victory bonuses, reducing players’ incentives to fix matches, and is building a huge football school.

Yeah, I do like that one.

I’ve highlighted the passages that mention club teams, so that I can show their crests. But most of this intriguing article has to do with the China national team, and with the wider acceptance of soccer in the country in general. Really interesting stuff, especially for fans in the US, where we sometimes have a bit of a soccer inferiority complex. The whole article is worth a read.

Pérez, who will turn 31 on Feb. 13, scored 19 goals in 23 starts during his last full season with León of the Mexican second division. The [...]]]> It’s still deep off-season for MLS, and my own favorite team has made a move to bolster their attack: FC Dallas signs Blas Pérez and Hernan Pertúz.

Pérez, who will turn 31 on Feb. 13, scored 19 goals in 23 starts during his last full season with León of the Mexican second division. The 6-1 Panamanian had a strong showing at last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored Panama’s first goal of the tournament just 29 minutes into its 3-2 win over Guadeloupe. He found the back of the net three times during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

As a fan, I sure hope that Pérez is the striker Dallas has needed for some time. And I also hope that the remarkable number of club teams this guy has played for isn’t any indication that he’ll have trouble fitting in here in Texas. He’s 30, so he’s been at this for a while, but this is still quite a list he’s built up.

Years	Team	Crest
1998–2000	Panamá Viejo (Panama)
2001–2002	Árabe Unido (Panama)
2002	Nacional (Uruguay)
2003	Envigado (Colombia)
2004	Centauros (Colombia)
2005–2006	Deportivo Cali (Colombia)
2006–2007	Cúcuta Deportivo (Colombia)
2007	Hércules (Spain)
2008–2012	Tigres (Mexico)
2009	Pachuca (Mexico, loan)
2009	Al Wasl (Mexico, loan)
2010	San Luis (Mexico, loan)
2010–2011	León (Mexico, loan)
2011	Indios (Mexico, loan)
2012–	FC Dallas (USA)

But though I’m late, I have the usual big, beginning-of-the-month news: we have a new winner, and a new tournament!

First, December’s winner: Tonga’s [...]]]> We’re getting the January tournament underway a day late again this month; too much new year’s partying at FC Shirts HQ or yet another case of chronic procrastination, take your pick.

But though I’m late, I have the usual big, beginning-of-the-month news: we have a new winner, and a new tournament!

First, December’s winner: Tonga’s Vahe Kolo eked out a win, becoming the latest FC Shirts champion. As always, this fantastic crest is presented simply and in all its glory on high-quality American Apparel t-shirts in the shop. It joins Turkey’s Gaziantepspor, another excellent design which is now in its last month of availability.

Next up is another round of great contenders in the January tournament. Joining last month’s runner-up Shaanxi Chanba are crests from France, Egypt and Armenia. Check them out and pick your favorites when you vote now!

Now that the field is narrowed to these two, which do you like more? [...]]]> The group stage of this month’s tournament is now over; final stage begins today! Portugal’s Vitória S.C. and Bolivia’s The Strongest are out, while China’s Shaanxi Chanba and tiny Tonga’s Vahe Kolo advance to the final.

Now that the field is narrowed to these two, which do you like more? And how much more? Whether you voted before or not, vote now in this final stage and help crown this month’s champion!

The calendar for international club tournaments is pretty bare for the next couple months, so we’ll have a break from the prediction posts for a while. But stay tuned. I’ll have some interesting stuff to post from other research, and of course we’ll have a tournament going on at all times.

These are two very fine crests. Copenhagen’s lion silhouette is great: regal, powerful, yet modern. And the red stripes formed by [...]]]> Today’s the final day of the Europa League group stage. One of the matches we’ll see today, kicking off at 1:00 PM ET, is Denmark’s FC Copenhagen vs Belgium’s Standard Liège from Group B:

These are two very fine crests. Copenhagen’s lion silhouette is great: regal, powerful, yet modern. And the red stripes formed by the Danish flag stretched around the edge are a masterful touch. On the other hand, I like Standard Liège’s badge a lot, too. The boughs on either side and the crown on top are elegant and not overpowering. The old-fashioned style of the “S” and “L” are interesting, and the slice of off-center red gives the whole thing a nice richness. I like both of these two, and I can’t pick a favorite between them, so I think this match will be a draw (and not 0-0, either).

Note that today’s the final day to order a shirt and receive it by Christmas via regular shipping. It’s also the last day that the August winner, Netherland’s Vitesse will be available for order.

Update: Standard Liège get the 1-0 win, and I get 0 points on the prediction scorecard.

The more I look at these two, the clearer the choice is. Vaslui’s badge seemed okay at [...]]]> Group stage of the Europa League continues this week, with 12 matches tomorrow. The one I’ll be making a pick on is Switzerland’s FC Zurich vs. Romania’s FC Vaslui, kicking off today at 1:00 PM ET.

The more I look at these two, the clearer the choice is. Vaslui’s badge seemed okay at first glance, but it’s just overloaded. Not one shield, but two; not one castle, but two; a ball, some bugs, the “FC”. . . there are too many pieces, and too little cohesion. And what at first seemed a little plain on the Zurich crest now strikes me as elegant in its simplicity. The diagonal accents of the lions rampant are great, and the lightness of the yellow keeps it from overshadowing the simple, central circle and team abbreviation. In this match of FCZ vs. FCV, I pick Zurich to win handily.

Update: Zurich gets the 2-0 win, I think that counts as “handily”, so I’ll take another 3 points on the prediction scorecard.

Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua have pulled off an audacious transfer coup by signing former France international Nicolas Anelka from English team Chelsea.

…”This is not only good for Shenhua but also beneficial for Chinese football,” club spokesperson Ma Yue told CNN.

It’s the battle of U’s! The white, serif U’s on red and blue crests, to be specific. I like the owl all right, he’s a cross little [...]]]> A third prediction this week, from yet another international club competitions: Ecuador’s LDU Quito vs. Chile’s Universidad de Chile in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final:

It’s the battle of U’s! The white, serif U’s on red and blue crests, to be specific. I like the owl all right, he’s a cross little collegiate fellow (even if he’s not Darth Vader’s favorite). Meanwhile, Quito’s triangle has a bold, simple, equilateral elegance, with the championship stars prominently displayed. I don’t see a clear winner between these two; I predict a draw. Kickoff is tonight at 7:15 ET, check the scorecard after it’s over to see how I did.

This is a tough one. On one hand is the classic-style crest of Bayer Leverkusen, with lions rampant, scrolled type, [...]]]> The group stage of the UEFA Champions League continues today, with groups E, F, G, and H all playing. The randomly selected match I’ll predict from today’s games is Belgium’s Genk vs. Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen.

This is a tough one. On one hand is the classic-style crest of Bayer Leverkusen, with lions rampant, scrolled type, and the founding year. Having a giant Bayer aspirin right in the middle makes it not only awesome, but helps put corporate sponsorship of sport in the 100+ year context it deserves.

On the other hand, Genk has a very plain logo, vaguely hurricane-symbol-y, but mostly just looking like some run of the mill company logo. But just as you’re about to forget this forgettable crest, you see the little tagline at the bottom: “We’re magic”. Wow. That’s fantastic. (See also: the Bolivian entrant in this month’s FC Shirts tournament, The Strongest.)

So it boils down to magic vs. pharmaceuticals (a fine line sometimes). I think this one must end in a draw, with each side picking up a single goal. Kickoff is today at 2:45 ET; scorecard to be updated later.

Observant readers may notice that the December tournament wasn’t quite up and running yet yesterday, on the first. But fear not, it was only due to garden-variety procrastination (which I’ll do something about later.)

That’s the “day late” part; the “dollar short” is actually to your advantage, [...]]]> (or, “A day late and a dollar short”)

Observant readers may notice that the December tournament wasn’t quite up and running yet yesterday, on the first. But fear not, it was only due to garden-variety procrastination (which I’ll do something about later.)

That’s the “day late” part; the “dollar short” is actually to your advantage, as the holiday sale that started on Monday will continue through this weekend. And in addition to the lowest prices you’ll probably ever see here, there’s a bonus 3rd shirt to pick from. Usually just the last two winners are for sale, but as part of this sale, Vitesse will be available until Dec. 15. (That date is also the deadline to for orders to arrive in time for Christmas using standard shipping.)

But the real shop news is the new champion: Turkey’s Gaziantepspor is now our newest featured design! Check out the shirts with this crest, in men’s and women’s cuts and a variety of colors. They’re excellent.

Back to the December tournament, we have some great contestants this month. Joining Portugal’s Vitória, which earns another shot thanks to being runner-up last month, are:

• our first-ever entrant from the Oceania Football Confederation
• a team that plays in a stadium at such high altitude that it was temporarily banned by FIFA
• the team of Kansas City’s sister city in China

Which one will advance to the final? Which one will be crowned champion on New Year’s Day? Make your pick – vote now!

More than a decade after England finally tamed the roving bands of hooligans that long ravaged soccer stadiums in Britain, fan-related violence continues to stain the sport in Argentina.

The unrest in part reflects an [...]]]> Yesterday’s New York Times has this fascinating and tragic story: In Argentina, Violence Is Part of the Soccer Culture.

More than a decade after England finally tamed the roving bands of hooligans that long ravaged soccer stadiums in Britain, fan-related violence continues to stain the sport in Argentina.

The unrest in part reflects an increasingly violent Argentine society, where street crime has been on the rise. But much of the violence can be traced to hostilities between rival factions of barra bravas, the Argentine version of hooligan fan groups that use fists, firearms and knives, and operate like mini-mafias.

…The head of the San Lorenzo barra brava, Cristian Evangelista, led the attack on [star player Jonathan] Bottinelli, players testified in court, though they refused to name the other barras involved. Club officials did not respond to requests for comment. After the episode, the Argentine government canceled San Lorenzo’s next match while officials investigated.

San Lorenzo de Almagro

The tension was palpable at a second-division match in September between River Plate and Quilmes. Some 600 police officers set up roadblocks around the stadium to separate Quilmes and visiting River fans.

River Plate

Quilmes

Rafael Di Zeo exemplifies the cult-figure status of some barra bravas leaders and the changing fan culture here.

The former leader of [Boca Juniors'] Boca La 12 barra brava, Di Zeo was released from prison in May 2010 after serving more than three years for aggravated assault for his role in a 1999 fight against fans of the Chacarita Juniors that resulted in 14 injuries.

Boca Juniors

Chacarita Juniors

Read the whole story, it also has a good photo gallery. It really sounds like Argentina’s club soccer has some serious problems, which will only weaken the sport there more with every passing year.

Porto’s crest is a classic, if a bit on the busy side. I always like a good dragon [...]]]> This month’s FC Shirts group stage is over (have you voted in the final yet?), but UEFA Champions League group stage is still going on. Today’s prediction selection is Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Portugal’s FC Porto.

Porto’s crest is a classic, if a bit on the busy side. I always like a good dragon (or even a half-decent dragon, as here), and the ball/globe is very nice. On the Shakhtar side, I could certainly do with less shiny, but the bold colors and aggressive lines make them my favorite in this match. I predict Shakhtar with the win, narrowly eked out against that globe-topping, unvanquished (“invicta”) dragon. Kickoff is at 2:45 ET.

The game I’ll make the pick for is New Zealand’s Waitakere United vs. Fiji’s Ba FC:

You have to appreciate a simple crest to go with the short team name of [...]]]> The OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) has just begun this year’s edition of their Champions League tournament. It’s still group stage, with just two groups.

The game I’ll make the pick for is New Zealand’s Waitakere United vs. Fiji’s Ba FC:

You have to appreciate a simple crest to go with the short team name of Ba FC (of Ba District, Fiji). But in my opinion, it’s a little too plain. And though a swooshing ball isn’t my favorite, Waitakere’s shield is sharp, and I really like that “W”. I have to go with Waitakere United, and by a margin of a good 2 or 3.

I’m posting this Saturday evening US Central Time, which I thought would be plenty in advance of a “Nov. 20″ game. But looking at the time difference, I think the game kicked off about 20 minutes ago! Guess I’ll be updating the prediction scorecard sooner than I thought.

41 pts – Gaziantepspor (Turkey)
As we enter the third week of the November tournament, we see some movement in the standings. Gaziantepspor retains its commanding lead, but Vitória and Madureira swapped places. It’s still a close race for that 2nd spot in the final, but the Brazilian crest has some ground to make up.

41 pts – Gaziantepspor (Turkey)
34 pts – Vitória (Portugal)
32 pts – Thespa Kusatsu (Japan)
22 pts – Madureira (Brazil)

Speaking of Madureira, I thought we’d take a look at their home stadium this week.

The Brazil-hosted 2014 World Cup will be upon us before we know it, and the crown jewel of that tournament’s venues will be the Maracanã (assuming they finish reconstruction efforts in time…). This enormous stadium, the largest in South America, was originally built for the 1950 World Cup. In the final match of that contest, Brazil vs. neighboring Uruguay, the estimated attendance was 199,854 (though with just 173,850 being paying ticket-holders). Brazil’s loss in that game is an event that haunts the country’s soccer fans to this day, a ghost they surely hope to banish at last in 3 years.

But that legendary stadium is not where tiny Madureira play. Madureira’s games are played just 10 miles away, at Estádio Conselheiro Galvão, capacity 3,314. It may not have the epic, historical sweep of Maracanã, but it’s this team’s home field.

Voted in this month’s tournament yet? Do it!

One of the stories in the inaugural edition is the hilarious tale of a tiny band of fans in Turkey. [...]]]> I just heard of this fine new publication, and am already looking forward to future issues: Where the Owl Sleeps. It’s a small, 4-page newsletter/zine-style production, free (“for now”), and distributed as a PDF.

One of the stories in the inaugural edition is the hilarious tale of a tiny band of fans in Turkey. They support a relatively new team (founded in 1990), and are developing novel ways to compensate for being vastly outnumbered by opposing teams’ fans (even at home):

But the group had a problem. The 150 Greyowls found singing and chanting difficult in a 76,092-seat stadium, so they opted for another means of communication: banners. On International Women’s Day they revealed a banner that both explained the offside rule and wished everyone who read it a “Happy Women’s Day!” Another banner read, “The midterms are coming, please be quiet!” Others unveiled so far include “Gents, the ref is right” and “Luis Moreno will pay,” in reference to the Panama international who kicked an owl during a football match. But the most famous banner has been, “For us, everywhere is an away game.”

Their team is İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye Spor Kulübü, of the Turkish Süper Lig:

Check out the first issue of Where the Owl Sleeps for the rest of this story, as well as several other interesting stories.

[...]]]> Today is the second, deciding leg of the final in this year’s CAF Champions League. The contestants are Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca and Tunisia’s Espérance Sportive de Tunis. They come in to this game, to be played in Tunis, with a 0-0 draw from the first leg. Who will be the club champion of Africa?

The flowing jumble of characters in the Casablanca crest is pretty cool, and the shape is reminiscent of the Grateful Dead’s iconic logo, which is kind of awesome. But I have to go with the logo that features a cute little cartoon soccer boy. I think Tunis will get the win, in regulation time, by one or two.

Kickoff, if my timezone calculations are correct, is at noon ET.

Update: I’m on a roll, called it again: Espérance got the win, 1-0, over Wydad. BBC Sport has the story. That’s another 3 points for me on the scorecard.

When the United States team takes on France on Friday afternoon in an exhibition game at the Stade de France north of Paris, about a quarter of the American roster — Timothy Chandler, Jermaine [...]]]> Yanks Abroad‘s Brian Sciaretta writing in the New York Times has this story: Tutored in Germany, Playing for the U.S.

When the United States team takes on France on Friday afternoon in an exhibition game at the Stade de France north of Paris, about a quarter of the American roster — Timothy Chandler, Jermaine Jones, Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson and Alfredo Morales — will be more familiar with Germany than with the United States. All five play professionally in the German Bundesliga, one of the elite leagues in the world.

Those players’ teams, and their crests:

1. FC Nuremberg — Timothy Chandler

Schalke 04 — Jermaine Jones

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim — Danny Williams & Fabian Johnson

Hertha Berliner Sport-Club — Alfredo Morales

Brian’s whole story is good, read it here.

Tonight’s game pits Brazil’s CR Vasco Da Gama against Peru’s Universitario de Deportes.

A big, simple “U” in a [...]]]> The second leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals start today. Sudamericana, if you’re not familiar with it, is Copa Libertadores’ little brother; the less prestigious South American cup competition (like Europa League is to Champions League).

Tonight’s game pits Brazil’s CR Vasco Da Gama against Peru’s Universitario de Deportes.

A big, simple “U” in a circle has some benefits as a crest. It’s recognizable and straightforward, and certainly easy for fans to reproduce themselves. But while the minimalism is striking, I’m going to have to pick Vasco Da Gama in this one. It’s the interesting shield shape, with the nice white sash stripe across it, and of course the bold, adventurous explorer’s ship that make it. I pick the Brazilian side to win by at least 2.

Kickoff is at 6:50PM ET; you can watch live on Fox Deportes, or follow the matchcast on ESPN Soccernet.

Update: Yes! I called it: fulltime result was Vasco da Gama 5, Univertario 2. That’s a solid 3 points chalked up on the prediction scorecard.

33 pts – Gaziantepspor (Turkey)
22 pts – Madureira (Brazil)
21 pts [...]]]> We’re one week in to the November tournament, and it looks like we have a strong leader at the top of the table, while the race for the second spot is neck-and-neck, with just two points separating the remaining three teams:

33 pts – Gaziantepspor (Turkey)
22 pts – Madureira (Brazil)
21 pts – Thespa Kusatsu (Japan)
20 pts – Vitória (Portugal)

But there’s still plenty of time for this table to change. Group stage voting continues for another two weeks, until the 21st. If you haven’t voted yet, do it now!

The home cities of two of this month’s teams feature great, old castles. Will Gaziantepspor’s help them hold that commanding lead? Will Vitória’s (in Guimarães) fortify their push for the finals?

Gaziantep Castle, Gaziantep, Turkey

Guimarães Castle, Guimarães, Portugal

It has been 12 months to remember for soccer in Qatar as it added the 2011 Asian Champions League to the 2022 World Cup hosting duties as Al Sadd defeated Jeonbuk Motors in a [...]]]> This story from Goal, The New York Times Soccer Blog, is amazing: Controversial Qatari Club Wins Asian Champions League Final.

It has been 12 months to remember for soccer in Qatar as it added the 2011 Asian Champions League to the 2022 World Cup hosting duties as Al Sadd defeated Jeonbuk Motors in a penalty shootout Saturday to win the regional club championship.

It was a controversial journey to the final for the Qatari club. It failed to qualify for the tournament and was only granted entry after a Vietnamese team was barred for failing to submit the correct documentation.

Al Sadd lost both legs in the quarterfinals but still made it to the last four. After losing, 1-0, at home to Sepahan, the Asian confederation gave the losers a 3-0 win after discovering that the Iranian team had fielded an ineligible player. Sepahan won the second leg, 2-1, but it was not enough.

And that’s not even to mention the infamous incident in their semifinal against South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings. The Korean team purposely let the ball go out of bounds so that injured players could get medical attention. But when Al Sadd threw the ball back in, instead of turning over the ball in the customary, sportsmanlike way, they punted a long ball downfield, catching Suwon with no ready defenders and easily scoring. The play, and the ensuing 5-minute brawl, have to be seen to be believed; check out the Goal blog post for that video and all the details.

Meanwhile, Al Sadd — or Al Badd as they came to be called in South Korea — are crowned victors and on their way to next month’s Club World Cup in Japan. Qatar just seems to get all the amazingly lucky breaks lately.

Sacha Kljestan will travel to Brugge on Sunday afternoon in Jupiler Pro League action . . . Coming off a 3 – 0 victory in Europa League action against Strum Graz, Anderlecht will make the trip west to Brugge to take on the league’s surprise package of the [...]]]> Yanks Abroad: Preview: Weekend Belgian Action:

Sacha Kljestan will travel to Brugge on Sunday afternoon in Jupiler Pro League action . . . Coming off a 3 – 0 victory in Europa League action against Strum Graz, Anderlecht will make the trip west to Brugge to take on the league’s surprise package of the season, Cercle Brugge.

American midfiedler Kljestan went the full 90 minutes on Thursday night in Brussels and will be expected to do the same in the Flemish city.

Neither crest strikes me as particularly great. Having a baby’s cradle in the club logo (that’s the royal cradle of Louis XIV, apparently) [...]]]> Today is a Europa League group stage day, with some 24 games going on. And today’s match to predict, selected at random, is France’s Paris Saint-Germain vs Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava.

Neither crest strikes me as particularly great. Having a baby’s cradle in the club logo (that’s the royal cradle of Louis XIV, apparently) is interesting. And I like that dark blue. But overall I prefer the Slovan badge a little more. I like the contrast of sharp angles in the cross against the rounded edges of the cloud shape, as well as the rounded corners of the pentagon.

It could be close, it could be a draw, but I think Slovan Bratislava will get the win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Update: Nope, PSG with the 1-0 win over Slovan. That’s zero points for the prediction scorecard.

Update 2: I hadn’t realized that the double, “patriarchal” cross and the mountains (not clouds, ahem) on Bratislava’s crest are from the flag of Slovakia. Thanks to Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” for showing a Slovak flag during one of their jokes.

DeMerit’s career so far hasn’t involved as many [...]]]> This week and next the documentary “Rise & Shine: the Jay DeMerit Story” is debuting in special showings theaters nationwide. I’m looking forward to seeing it Thursday here in Austin, as I missed the preview showing that was held here, before the film was completely finished.

DeMerit’s career so far hasn’t involved as many clubs or as many countries as other “globetrotting” players I’ve written about in the past. His story is notable (even movie-worthy, you might say) more for the distance he climbed than the number of clubs he’s played for. But I thought it would be interesting to run down his team crest history anyway.

Years	Team	Crest
2001	Chicago Fire Premier (USA)
2003–2004	Southall (England)
2004	Northwood (England)
2004–2010	Watford (England)
2011–	Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Canada/MLS)

Dortmund gets points for the blinding, road-sign effect, while Olympiacos’ [...]]]> Okay, well. This new feature is off to a fine start, with me accidentally picking a game on the wrong day! Let’s try again, and quickly before kickoff, this time randomly selecting from today’s slate of games: Germany’s Borussia Dortmund vs. Greece’s Olympiacos.

Dortmund gets points for the blinding, road-sign effect, while Olympiacos’ is about as Greek-looking as you can get. Neither one is really doing it for me. I predict a draw, probably 0-0 to match these two big circles.

(And don’t forget to tune back in tomorrow to see how my premature Villarreal – Man City prediction turns out.)

Update: My inauspicious start to the world of match prediction is now complete: Dortmund downed Olympiacos 1-0.

They’re both decent. [...]]]> Let’s start something new here: match predictions based solely on preference for one team’s crest over the other. Group stage of the UEFA Champions League continues today, kicking off at 3:45 ET. I selected one of the eight matchups at random, coming up with: Spain’s Villarreal vs. England’s Manchester City.

They’re both decent. Villarreal’s yellow and red stripes aren’t my favorite, nor is the stylized “V”. And though I like a good crown, I like a good pissed-off eagle even more. I call this one for Man City, by a slim margin.

Update: Rats! This is one of tomorrow’s games! Oh well, have to wait till then to see how good my pick is.

Update 2: A day late, and 3-0 isn’t exactly a “slim margin”, but a win is a win.

This month’s contest features:

But in addition to the [...]]]> Preparing for the upcoming November tournament sent me scouting through the many teams in Portugal’s many leagues. As you’ll soon see, I did find a worthy contender for the tournament. I think it’s worthy, anyway; you’ll have your chance to agree or disagree when voting starts on Nov. 1.

But in addition to the tournament-worthy crests I found in Portugal, there were a number of logos that are interesting even though they’re not the kind of design that I think would do well in an FC Shirts contest:

Boavista F.C. (Second Division, Central Zone) — A nicely done crown; crisp, stylized boughs on each side; a simple but bold black and white checkerboard dominating the design.

Vitória Futebol Clube (Primeira Liga) — The castle tower crowning the top is common in Portuguese crests, but yellows and greens are somewhat unusual, and the lack of symmetry between the leaves wrapped around the right and whatever that is wrapped around the left is unique as well.

CD Operário (Second Division, South Zone) — Purple is rare enough, but a crest that’s basically one big rosary is certainly remarkable.

FC Paços de Ferreira (Primeira Liga) — I find the neighboring red and green a little jarring, but that’s Portugal’s flag for you. And I’m not sure what the olympic rings are doing up there on top. But my favorite part of this logo is the asymmetric, bowing swoosh of the ribbon.

Portugal’s entry in the November tournament is less colorful than these, but the design makes up for what it lacks in color. Stay tuned!

The colors caught my attention, and circular crests are uncommon enough to be noticeable, too. But I think the really interesting aspect is that prominent grid [...]]]> While selecting crests for the upcoming November tournament (yes, the tournament returns in November!), I came across the unique crest of San Marino’s Società Sportiva (SS) Cosmos.

The colors caught my attention, and circular crests are uncommon enough to be noticeable, too. But I think the really interesting aspect is that prominent grid through the center, framing that castle tower (or whatever it is), yet also having its pattern broken by the circle window and arched doorways. I don’t know that I’d ever include it in a tournament, as I doubt many people would like it enough to actually want it on a shirt, but it definitely stands out.

But here’s what’s really interesting about these Cosmos, which I didn’t even realize at first: they’re named after the New York Cosmos, the famous team from NASL’s 1970s heyday.

In the U.S., we have our share of teams named in tribute to foreign teams: Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City, etc. Some fans appreciate this, some fans despise it, and some probably don’t even get the references. But I bet many of them don’t know that such naming honors once went the other direction, with a team taking their name from an American club.

And it’s not just this single team in tiny San Marino. Give this MLS Rumors post a skim to see what I mean. (Thanks to MLS Rumors for including the logos of the teams covered.) From South Africa to South America, they list more than a dozen Cosmos squads from around the world.

The Cosmos were the first “Galacticos” well before Real Madrid’s collection of stars. Football was a different animal back then and the New York Cosmos’s cosmopolitan team composition was a first.

It’s something we all take for granted in the age of international players from every corner of the earth playing in the top leagues of Europe and even now, MLS.

Time will tell if and when a New York Cosmos club comes back into existence in the U.S. In the meantime, their legacy lives on around the world.

This [...]]]> Another new month means another new FC Shirts tournament winner! This month we had another African club take top honors: Ghana’s Asante Kotoko FC is champion. Check out the shirts with this crest, they look great. As always, we have men’s and women’s cuts in an array of colors.

This is usually where I tell you about the next month’s tournament, but not this month. A variety of other commitments are making me take a month (or so) off. Meanwhile, while there’s a lot more that I could and should do to promote this site, it’s takeoff so far has frankly been a little less than I’d hoped for. If you have any feedback or suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them in the comments below. Thanks!

Chile’s CD Iquique (last month’s runner-up) and Austria’s Rapid Vienna have both been eliminated. That leaves Japan’s [...]]]> We’ve come to the end of another group stage, and are left with just two crests standing. This is the final stage – and your chance to make one more vote that will help crown the September champion!

Chile’s CD Iquique (last month’s runner-up) and Austria’s Rapid Vienna have both been eliminated. That leaves Japan’s Thespa Kusatsu and Ghana’s Asante Kotoko FC as the contenders in the final round. Which one do you like more, and how much more do you like it? Help us select the next limited edition t-shirt, cast your vote now!

It was announced this week that midfielder Danny Barrera will be joining Serbian Super Liga club FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda on a transfer from the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL.

Barrera, 21, was a former midfielder for UCSB and has also previously played for the [...]]]> Yanks Abroad: Barrera Joins FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda:

It was announced this week that midfielder Danny Barrera will be joining Serbian Super Liga club FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda on a transfer from the Ventura County Fusion of the PDL.

Barrera, 21, was a former midfielder for UCSB and has also previously played for the US Under-18 national team.

The Wikipedia entry for the team says, “The club was named FK Spartak Subotica until the end of season 2007-2008 Serbian League Vojvodina when it was merged with the club FK Zlatibor Voda who won promotion to Serbian First League thus gaining present name.” That made me wonder if this crest is right, since it still includes “Subotica”. But it matches current graphics on the club’s website, so it must be okay.

After bouncing between the MLS and the USL for the past few seasons, Caleb Patterson-Sewell signed with Atlético Clube de Portugal this summer in what he describes as a nearly ideal situation.

The 24 year old goalkeeper has spent the majority of the past three seasons [...]]]> Yanks Abroad: Patterson-Sewell Starting Strong With Atletico:

After bouncing between the MLS and the USL for the past few seasons, Caleb Patterson-Sewell signed with Atlético Clube de Portugal this summer in what he describes as a nearly ideal situation.

The 24 year old goalkeeper has spent the majority of the past three seasons with the Carolina Railhawks and Miami FC, though he also had a brief stint with the New York Red Bulls.

…So far the move has certainly worked out for both the team and Patterson-Sewell, as Atlético currently sit in first place after three games, having won twice and tied once.

Patterson-Sewell has started all three games, conceding just a single goal via a penalty kick.

Sports is an escape nearly everywhere from the tedium of life. But in Myanmar, with its layers of secret police and prison sentences of as much as 100 years for those who speak out against the government, a soccer [...]]]> Interesting piece in the New York Times: Myanmar Soccer Fans Given Freedom of Raucous Speech

Sports is an escape nearly everywhere from the tedium of life. But in Myanmar, with its layers of secret police and prison sentences of as much as 100 years for those who speak out against the government, a soccer match seems something more: an island of raucous merriment in a sea of grinding poverty and fear.

…The soccer league, the Myanmar National League, was formed with the government’s encouragement in 2008, a time of widespread anger at the military’s handling of a deadly cyclone and fresh memories of large-scale protests led by Buddhist monks the previous year. The government prodded supportive business executives to help finance the league and its 12 teams.

Now in its third season, the league has proved a particularly successful form of entertainment, a local complement to a longstanding obsession here with the English Premier League. Among the private publications allowed in Myanmar, sports newspapers outsell those devoted to general news, journalists say. “When someone faces a lot of hardship and burdens in his daily life, he wants to forget them,” said U Ko Htut, one of the country’s prominent writers on soccer.

I didn’t see any crests that would quite make the cut for inclusion in an FC Shirts tournament, but here are some of the better ones.

As always, this design is available in men’s and women’s t-shirt styles, and in a wide variety of [...]]]> Welcome to September 1st – the beginning of our fourth monthly FC Shirts United tournament! But before we introduce this month’s contenders, take a look at the fine winner of the August contest: Netherland’s Vitesse:

As always, this design is available in men’s and women’s t-shirt styles, and in a wide variety of shirt colors. But it’s only available for a limited time, so don’t wait, shop now!

With Vitesse the winner, that leaves Chile’s CD Iquique as the runner-up, and earns that crest a place in this month’s tournament. It’s joined by badges from Austria, Japan, and Ghana. These are unique logos, with interesting stories behind each one. Check them out; vote now.

American midfielder Michael Bradley appears on his way to Italy, with the Serie A meddlers Chievo having been successful with a $2.5 million transfer bid from Borussia Moenchengladbach.

…When the deal sees its completion, Bradley will become only the second American player in the modern era to [...]]]> Yanks Abroad: Bradley Moving To Serie A:

American midfielder Michael Bradley appears on his way to Italy, with the Serie A meddlers Chievo having been successful with a $2.5 million transfer bid from Borussia Moenchengladbach.

…When the deal sees its completion, Bradley will become only the second American player in the modern era to play in the Italian Serie A behind Alexi Lalas. Oguchi Onyewu’s tenure at AC Milan did not see him feature in a league match.

Should he receive a work permit, he will now complete a move to Japan and Ljungberg is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I am so excited about playing [...]]]> Seattle Sounders fans who miss Freddie Ljungberg can now see him in action after a quick hop across the Pacific. ESPNsoccernet: Ljungberg agrees S-Pulse switch:

Should he receive a work permit, he will now complete a move to Japan and Ljungberg is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I am so excited about playing in Japan,” he said. “I was inspired by the way the Japanese people dealt with the tragedy of March 11 earthquake and I really want to show support for them by playing football in Japan and for S-Pulse in particular.”

You can read more [...]]]> Okay, the name is actually Sher Karuturi Sports, but “Beautiful Flowers” is emblazoned on the logo of this Kenyan squad sponsored by an international greenhouse flower-growing company. I’m all for being comfortable with one’s masculinity, but I can see this being a tough crest for some guys to play for.

You can read more on the company’s enthusiastic 2008 buyout and sponsorship of the team in this article.

“We concluded that due to our current lack of [...]]]> While researching AFC crests, I came across this double-take-worthy crest in Singapore. The team is part of a scheme of Singapore’s S League, where they augment their own teams each season with a couple of foreign teams. As Singaporean FA president Zainudin Nordin put it:

“We concluded that due to our current lack of critical mass in key areas such as talent pool and resources, there is still a pressing need for us to continue having foreign teams participating in our league, to help address these gaps in our game and safeguard the sustainability of our league in football excellence, commercial and financial terms,” wrote the FAS President.

Nordin pointed out that the purpose of having foreign teams in the S-League was to inject “more excitement and competitiveness for our fans, expose our local teams and players to various styles of play, secure non-Singapore sponsors and attract more fans, especially those from the expatriate community residing and working in Singapore”.

Unfortunately, as that article details, this disqualifies them from the AFC’s Champions League competition.

These foreign teams have included squads from China, Malaysia, Brunei, and Japan, as well as the (now defunct) Sporting Afrique, comprised entirely of players of African descent. But the crest that first caught my eye, tipping me off to this unique arrangement, is the logo of their team of French players, Étoile FC.

UEFA has confirmed Trabzonspor will replace Fenerbahce in the Champions League group stage.

…The UEFA Emergency Panel has now chosen to replace the Turkish champions, whose chairman Aziz Yildirim has [...]]]> The fallout from the match-fixing scandal in Turkey mentioned in a post here last month continues. ESPNsoccernet has the story: Trabzonspor replace Fenerbahce:

UEFA has confirmed Trabzonspor will replace Fenerbahce in the Champions League group stage.

…The UEFA Emergency Panel has now chosen to replace the Turkish champions, whose chairman Aziz Yildirim has been arrested following allegations of manipulation in 19 matches along with 30 others, with their division counterparts Trabzonspor.

And that ripples down to affect the Europa League, as well, to the benefit of Spanish club Athletic Club Bilbao:

A statement from UEFA further clarified: “The UEFA Emergency Panel also decided that Trabzonspor AS would be replaced in the UEFA Europa League by its opponent in the play-off, Athletic Club Bilbao.

“The UEFA Europa League play-off second-leg match between Trabzonspor AS and Athletic Club Bilbao scheduled for Thursday 25 August is cancelled.”

The highest-salaried athlete in professional sports these days may be a Cameroonian soccer player named Samuel Eto’o, who will play his home games for an obscure club in the violence-wracked Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russia.

In a deal announced Tuesday, Anzhi Makhachkala of the [...]]]> The Wall Street Journal: Sports Has a New Salary King:

The highest-salaried athlete in professional sports these days may be a Cameroonian soccer player named Samuel Eto’o, who will play his home games for an obscure club in the violence-wracked Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russia.

In a deal announced Tuesday, Anzhi Makhachkala of the Russian Premier League agreed to pay Eto’o's former club, Inter Milan, a transfer fee of $39 million to acquire the 30-year-old forward. The team also agreed to a contract with the player that, given Russia’s favorable tax rates, would net Eto’o $29 million per season. That not only eclipses the estimated $17.4 million salary Cristiano Ronaldo earns at Real Madrid, it also outstrips the net income of top U.S. stars like Manning, Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant.

For example: this trash-talking pic from a forum for fans of Unión Española.

(That’s “I am your father”, just in case you’re missing the [...]]]> Every now and then, while doing crest research, I come across the odd or funny little reminder that soccer and soccer fandom really aren’t all that different around the globe.

For example: this trash-talking pic from a forum for fans of Unión Española.

(That’s “I am your father”, just in case you’re missing the translation and/or Star Wars reference.)

Unión Española play in the Chilean Primera División (the same league as CD Iquique, a finalist in this month’s tournament), along with Club Deportivo Universidad Católica and Club Universidad de Chile, both of whom Española defeated on their way to the 2005 Apertura Final (which they went on win, defeating Coquimbo Unido (not pictured), 4-2 on aggregate).

Our field of four is down to two. Georgia’s FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe are both eliminated. (It was another poor showing for the runner-up of the previous tournament). That [...]]]> Today’s the 22nd, which means it’s time for the current tournament to enter final stage — and time to vote again!

Our field of four is down to two. Georgia’s FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe are both eliminated. (It was another poor showing for the runner-up of the previous tournament). That leaves Holland’s Vitesse and Chile’s CD Iquique.

Who will prevail? Which do you like more, and how much more do you like it? Make your opinion heard — vote now!

You may notice a change I recently made: after voting, your result will be shown side by side with the total of everyone’s votes (including yours). I hope this makes it more clear how voting works.

And remember, the winning shirt from June, featuring Thanda Royal Zulu FC, is only available through the end of this month. Get yours before they’re gone!

As Molde FK currently sit in first place in Norway’s Tippeligaen and are aiming for their first ever league title, in recent weeks they have been lead by the exceptional play of 19 year [...]]]> Via Yanks Abroad, this update on a promising young American plying his trade in Norway: Gatt Breaking Through at Molde.

As Molde FK currently sit in first place in Norway’s Tippeligaen and are aiming for their first ever league title, in recent weeks they have been lead by the exceptional play of 19 year old American Josh Gatt.

After joining Molde in January from Austrian club SCR Altach, Gatt has gradually forced his way into increased minutes for the club. Thus far Gatt has played in 15 of Molde’s 19 games and has made the starting lineup eight times.

His current club’s crest isn’t doing all that much for us, but what matters is that he’s doing something for them. (And at least it doesn’t have the sponsor blazoned across the middle.)

We launched www.oldfootballshirts.com in October 2006 and we’re creating the ultimate history of football shirts (soccer jerseys), using photos of fans shirts, [...]]]> I came across this site recently, which may also be of interest to FC Shirts United fans: OldFootballShirts.com. It features photos of old (and less old) jerseys from the world over.

We launched www.oldfootballshirts.com in October 2006 and we’re creating the ultimate history of football shirts (soccer jerseys), using photos of fans shirts, from the UK and from around the World. We’ve been buying them for years, now it’s time to record them for everyone to see. Fans have so far added 30,453 shirts covering 2,141 football teams from all over the world!

The big European leagues are of course well-represented, but there are also some lesser-known teams to be found. Such as, for example, the two current leaders in this month’s tournament, Holland’s Vitesse and Chile’s CD Iquique.

Check out OldFootballShirts.com; maybe you have your own old jersey to send in pictures of.

This milestone also means there’s just two weeks left [...]]]> There’s just a week left in the group stage voting of the August tournament. If you haven’t cast your votes yet, or you know anyone else who might want to help TP Mazembe or FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi to a late rally, don’t wait. Vote now!

This milestone also means there’s just two weeks left to buy our first shirt winner: South Africa’s Thanda Royal Zulu FC. When the winner is crowned at the end of this month’s tournament, this shirt will no longer be available for purchase. That striking crest makes a great shirt, get yours before it’s too late!

“I think I’m a better player today than when I left MLS four years ago,” said midfielder Freddy Adu, who signed with the Philadelphia Union on Friday, marking his return to the league where his career began as a 14-year-old prodigy in 2004. “When [...]]]> MLSsoccer.com: Emotional, grateful Adu returns to MLS a changed man

“I think I’m a better player today than when I left MLS four years ago,” said midfielder Freddy Adu, who signed with the Philadelphia Union on Friday, marking his return to the league where his career began as a 14-year-old prodigy in 2004. “When you’re a teenager, it’s a little bit different. As the years go on, you get better and mature and start to put things together.”

Though still a youngster, 22 year-old Freddy has already traveled the world a good bit. Welcome back to the U.S. (and possibly the USMNT), Mr. Adu.

Years	Team	Crest
2004–2006	D.C. United (USA)
2007	Real Salt Lake (USA)
2007–2011	Benfica (Portugal)
2008–2009	AS Monaco (Monaco; loan)
2009	Belenenses (Portugal; loan)
2010	Aris (Greece; loan)
2011	Çaykur Rizespor (Turkey; loan)
2011–	Philadelphia Union (USA)

What’s going on with all of these Captains America? Yes, with an “s.” Is [...]]]> Goal, the New York Times Soccer Blog, has a comprehensive rundown of Americans Abroad: Armbands, Golazos and Transfer Rumors. It included this part about Captains America that caught my eye, and sent me off to look up a few crests:

What’s going on with all of these Captains America? Yes, with an “s.” Is it because of that movie? Whatever the reason, when St. Etienne kicked off its season Sunday against Bordeaux, Bocanegra was wearing the captain’s armband. He looked good in the role, it must be said: Already captain of the U.S. national team, Bocanegra delivered a steady, steely performance at left back and his team won, 2-1.

He joins his fellow U.S. defenders Clarence Goodson (Brondby) and Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96) as the on-field leaders of their respective European squads. All three were called up for Wednesday’s Mexico match, where they will no doubt attend management seminars, deliver PowerPoint presentations and lead the team through trust-building exercises.

France’s AS Saint-Étienne, Denmark’s Brøndby IF and Germany’s Hannover 96:

The Montreal Impact unveiled its new logo, Saturday at Saputo Stadium, making another step towards its entry into Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012.

“Today, we are writing a new page in our history,” said Montreal Impact team president Joey Saputo. “This logo is more than just [...]]]> The story from the team’s own website:

The Montreal Impact unveiled its new logo, Saturday at Saputo Stadium, making another step towards its entry into Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012.

“Today, we are writing a new page in our history,” said Montreal Impact team president Joey Saputo. “This logo is more than just a logo, it’s a symbol of our engagement towards every soccer fan in Quebec. This new logo is primarily our supporters’ logo. I truly believe that Montreal can become the biggest soccer market in North America.”

The linked story includes a detailed explanation of the symbolism behind the elements, and an introductory video (in French). There’s no official translation of the crest’s motto, “Tous Pour Gagner”, but Google Translate gives us “All To Win”.

Although I’m sure some people will take umbrage with stars that don’t represent championships, I like the blue and black stripes, and I’m always a fan of a nice fleur-de-lis. All in all: not bad, Montreal.

Cruz spent the majority of his professional career with Germinal Beerschot in the Belgian Pro League where he captained his side to a 2005 Belgian Cup title. The 30-year-old midfielder made more than 150 appearances in league play for Germinal Beerschot, tallying 12 goals.

This [...]]]> MLS’ FC Dallas today signed Colombian midfielder Daniel Cruz:

Cruz spent the majority of his professional career with Germinal Beerschot in the Belgian Pro League where he captained his side to a 2005 Belgian Cup title. The 30-year-old midfielder made more than 150 appearances in league play for Germinal Beerschot, tallying 12 goals.

This Beerschot club he’s coming from has been going through some serious name/branding/crest turmoil. I’m not sure I follow the whole saga (you can get more details from DesignFootball.com), but here are the old and new crests of Beerschott AC.

Old vs. new crests aside, I’m an FC Dallas fan, so here’s wishing good luck to Mr. Cruz in his new hoops, and welcome to the record-setting Texas heat.

According to the source Ruiz stands to make upwards of $400,000-plus from his deal with second tier Mexican club Veracruz, a deal I am told was [...]]]> Carlos Ruiz’s whirlwind world tour embarks on its next leg, as the traveling striker is lured from MLS’ Philadelphia Union to Veracruz. Philly.com’s Jonathan Tannenwald has the story:

According to the source Ruiz stands to make upwards of $400,000-plus from his deal with second tier Mexican club Veracruz, a deal I am told was made because Veracruz believes “Fish” is its missing link in hopes of returning to Mexico’s top flight.

In honor of El Pescadito and his ongoing travels, and similar to our previous post on Herculez Gomez, here’s a visual history of his career (so far):

Years	Team	Crest
1995–2002	Municipal (Guatemala)
2000–2001	PAS Giannina (Greece)
2002–2005	Los Angeles Galaxy (USA)
2005–2008	FC Dallas (USA)
2008	Los Angeles Galaxy (USA)
2008	Toronto FC (Canada)
2009	Olimpia (Paraguay)
2009–2010	Puebla (Mexico)
2010–2011	Aris (Greece)
2011	Philadelphia Union (USA)
2011	Veracruz (Mexico)

Congratulations and happy Shark Week to the little fish and the Red Sharks of Veracruz.

As always, a winner in last month’s tournament means it’s [...]]]> Another new month means another new champion shirt design crowned! When the dust settled, the winner of the July tournament was Thailand’s Ratchaburi FC. You won’t want to miss picking up this great shirt (available in the shop for a limited time):

As always, a winner in last month’s tournament means it’s also time for a new round of logos in this month’s contest. We welcome back last month’s runner-up, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s TP Mazembe, as well as three new contenders. These hail from Chile, Georgia (the one by the Black Sea, not the one by Florida), and the Netherlands.

Who will survive the group stage, and enter the final on the 21st? You tell us; vote now!

The logo itself is not much to look at; the central design seems to be that of their corporate sponsor. But we like that motto across the bottom: “Nobless Oblige”. From Wikipedia:

Noblesse [...]]]> Doing crest research today we came across this crest from a team in Georgia’s Umaglesi Liga: FC WIT Georgia.

The logo itself is not much to look at; the central design seems to be that of their corporate sponsor. But we like that motto across the bottom: “Nobless Oblige”. From Wikipedia:

Noblesse oblige is a French phrase literally meaning “nobility obliges”…

The Oxford English Dictionary says that the term “suggests noble ancestry constrains to honorable behavior; privilege entails to responsibility”. Being a noble meant that one had responsibilities to lead, manage and so on. One was not to simply spend one’s time in idle pursuits.

We don’t know the history behind this crest’s use of the phrase, but there’s something pretty awesome about that being front and center on a soccer club’s logo.