NYCFC unveiled their first official MLS kit on Thursday, and it was the least exciting thing to happen in MLS this season. I chose to support NYCFC when they were announced, since I am a fan of both the New York Yankees and Manchester City. However, what I did not realize is that I would be rooting for “Manchester City USA.”
Before addressing the jersey unveil, let’s look at just a few other things to show how unoriginal NYCFC has been so far. When announced as a new expansion franchise in MLS, NYCFC showed that its primary color would be sky blue, the color linked with Manchester City. As expected as this was, some originality would have been nice, but that’s okay. Next comes the logo design. A huge contest took place where fans could design and submit what they thought the logo should look like. I saw some great designs on Twitter, but NYCFC basically chose its own. NYCFC’s logo, which they claim represents a subway token, looks eerily similar to some other soccer teams overseas like Inter Milan and, not surprisingly, Melbourne City, a team also owned by Manchester City.
So, the color is the same, and the logo looks repeated. At least there is still hope for a unique jersey, right?
On Thursday, NYCFC hosted a large event to unveil their new kit and kit sponsor. This is a week after Orlando City SC, another expansion franchise beginning play next year, unveiled their new, beautiful purple jerseys, becoming the only team to wear purple in MLS. Hopes were high until David Villa unzipped his warm-up jacket.
NYCFC’s jersey looks identical to Manchester City’s home jersey, except with the NYCFC, MLS, and Adidas logos. Oh, and the sponsor? You should be able to guess it by now, but it’s Etihad Airways! Etihad as a sponsor was probably the worst kept secret in MLS, but the NYCFC jersey was a mystery. Or was it? After the colors and logo, should it really have been a surprise that the jersey was an exact replica?
Two notable soccer analysts had some fun on Twitter mocking the jersey. NYCFC has done a great job marketing in New York City and appears to have a growing fan base. However, the jersey unveil will just be another thing that will cause other MLS fans to cringe. A league that wants to be taken seriously will have trouble when fielding a team that appears to be a farm team. After the debacle that was Chivas USA, NYCFC could have been different. Unfortunately, NYCFC is showing no signs of being original, but rather a mirror image of its parent club.
I will continue to show my support towards NYCFC, and I hope that the team will begin to embrace New York City more than Manchester City. Unfortunately, until that time, NYCFC will continue to be looked at as “Manchester City USA.”
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