With less than a month to go until the start of the 2014 Major League Soccer season, it seems as though one team is about to undergo a huge facelift.
Is this finally the end of Chivas USA as we know it?
Reports leaking from The Goat Parade suggest that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have received two trademark applications from “Chivas Guadalajara Licensing LLC” as Chivas look to rebrand their MLS franchise as either “Los Angeles F.C.” or “Los Angeles SC.”
According to public database records from the USPTO, Chivas USA applied for separate trademarks on January 17, 2014.
With the report also linking out to mock ups of the suggested new badges for both clubs, it seems as though the Chivas brand are finally admitting defeat in trying to spread their name in the marketplace in LA and California. For many years Chivas have had the lowest attendance in MLS and have struggled on and off the field, as well as with the clubs wider identity as parent club Chivas Guadalajara have always been lurking in the background.
However with this fresh approach and the owners seemingly looking to cement the club’s roots in LA, something which has long been debated as many thought Chivas would be relocated elsewhere in the U.S. as they continue to underwhelm, this plan to rebrand seems like the team will remain in Southern California for the foreseeable future.
Both new logos have the same color scheme of gold, red and black, as on the left is the LA SC badge which consists of a shield split into four quadrants.
A gold star, tower, lion and bear are included here, as the resembles the lions on the Chivas USA crest and the bear is similar to the one seen on the state flag of California. While on the right you can see the proposed logo for Los Angeles F.C. which is much more, well, simple.
Many will be hoping this rebranding breathes new life into the Chivas USA franchise, which has been stagnate, confused and rudderless in recent seasons. The loyal Chivas fans in LA deserve a club to be proud of, and it seems like these changes could go a long way to helping the club succeed on and off the pitch in the future.
But after the recent unrest about the clubs performances, Chivas have finished bottom of the Western conference in three of the last four seasons, and the whole ‘El Chelis’ experiment going horribly wrong last season, things have been at an all-time low for Chivas USA in recent months.
However with Carlos Bocanegra on board, Erick ‘Cubo’ Torres on loan from Guadalajara and some nice offseason pick ups from new head coach Wilmer Cabrera, a renewed sense of optimism is in the air ahead of the 2014 MLS season. The timing of this announcement could perhaps not be better, as Chivas owner Jorge Vergara aims to finally sort things out and get the club moving forward again.
This new image could considerably alter Chivas USA’s future, for the better.