Fans and Athletes Unveil US Soccer Federation’s New Crest – U.S. Soccer (press release) (registration) (blog)

CHICAGO (Feb. 29, 2016) – Respecting the past and representing the future, the U.S. Soccer Federation today unveiled its bold new crest. The crest – which has always embodied the spirit of what U.S. Soccer is all about: the representation of its teams, fans, and the country on the world’s stage – receives the first update since 1995.

For the unveiling, U.S. Soccer took a unique approach, moving away from a traditional media event and instead providing fans and athletes with the first opportunity to see the new crest in a spontaneous and genuine way.  To put the new crest directly in the hands of U.S. Soccer fans and athletes, 10,000 packages were mailed to our Members, current and former National Team players, and friends of the Federation.  

• Click here for details about U.S. Soccer’s new crest

The unique package continued the theme of respecting the past and representing the future by featuring a customized Google Cardboard, a virtual reality 360-degree video that takes fans inside the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams. The video features narration from U.S. Soccer legendary players, along with current and future stars: Abby Wambach, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Carli Lloyd, Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh and Jordan Morris. American Outlaw member Donald Wine II also contributes lines in the narration.  

Alongside that digital experience, fans were provided with the new crest prominently displayed on a traditional scarf, an item core to fans of the sport. Fans were prompted to share pictures on social media to “launch” the new identity. U.S. Soccer compiled and displayed the reactions to the new crest through a social media aggregator on ussoccer.com, and highlighted the best responses on its social media platforms.

In addition, U.S. Soccer unveils its official font, 90Minutes, a unique custom look designed by renowned typeface designer Tal Leming to complement the lettermarks used in the crest and allow for the integration of text with the crest. 

The process of the rebrand began in earnest about two years ago with U.S. Soccer providing input and insight to the design team at Nike. The collaborative effort went through hundreds of different iterations before arriving on a look that is modern, aggressive, youthful and timeless. The unveiling of the updated crest aligns the visual identity of the Federation with its position as a leader in sport. It represents limitless possibilities for what soccer is today and will become in America.

This design embodies the spirit of U.S. Soccer, but it also transcends our teams and the game. It’s uniquely and unmistakably American. The crest finds its strength in its simplicity:

• A crest with 13 vertical stripes of red and white under a blue field is a traditional American style.
• Seven red and 6 white stripes come directly from our flag, demonstrating that the crest is rooted in the history of our nation.
• Uses the traditional field of blue to celebrate the three most important letters in the vocabulary of our fans, from stadiums to watch parties to the local bar – U.S.A.
• The colors stay true to our nation’s colors with the red and blue drawn straight from the flag.
• Notably, the new identity no longer features stars or a ball. In soccer tradition, stars are placed above the logo to represent World Cup victories. The WNT crest will prominently feature the three stars earned in 1991, 1999 and most recently, the historic 2015 victory.

The new crest also does not include the soccer ball that has been featured in the past two iterations. Symbolically, the Federation represents the sport and our country both on and off of the field. 

A limited amount of special-edition apparel is available in conjunction with the launch and can be purchased at ussoccerstore.com. The crest will debut on a new U.S. kit that will be unveiled in the coming weeks and will be worn for the first time on March 25 by both the Under-23 Men’s National Team and senior Men’s National Team. The USMNT travels to face Guatemala on March 25 for Game 3 of Semifinal Round Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the Under-23s will take on Colombia in Barranquilla for the first match of a two-game playoff to earn a berth to the 2016 Olympics. 

The U.S. Women’s National Team will retire the current crest in official competition during the inaugural SheBelieves Cup which features four of the top five Women’s Teams in the world and will be played March 3, 6, and 9 in Tampa, Nashville, and Boca Raton, respectively.