Name Minnesota’s Newest Pro Soccer Team
2010 January 13
The National Sports Center started their “Name That Team” contest on Tuesday by releasing a press statement and opening up a page on the NSC’s website where you can vote for the team name.
The organization is also giving away two season ticket packages for those that participate in the naming contest.
Two winners will be selected from participating voters
- One random participant, no matter who they voted for, will be chosen to win a 2010 Season Ticket Package
- Another participant from the group that voted for the winning team name will also be chosen to receive a 2010 Season Ticket Package AND an autographed jersey from the team
Voting will be open from January 12 to January 26, 2010
Name choices are:
- Minnesota Voyageurs
- NSC Minnesota
- FC Minnesota
- Minnesota United
- Minnesota Northern Lights
- Northstar FC
- A write in option is also available
51 Responses
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How much tax payer money was used in creating those names? I demand answers! I want an audit! This contest needs to be teabagged!
I vote for Northstar Soccer Club!
Then again, as long as it isn’t United or Northern Lights I will be happy.
Would anyone like to start a write-in campaign for the the Kicks? Not sure if the old graphics are owned by anyone though, could run into some legal issues. Would be great to bring that name back to MN soccer. I know that in Seattle, “Sounders” wasn’t even one of the options when they were starting their team and everyone wrote that name in and won over management.
I don’t live in the area and was wondering if the local fans have a preference? I see the suggested write in for the Kicks. Is there a desire to see the Thunder name to live on? Just curious…
Jer,
As posted here in some other comments, the Kicks name was not available for sale without having to pay a ridiculous amount that would not be affordable even to the league who actually looked into it as well. So, yes, NSC did very seriously consider the name, but it won’t work. They may be unfortunate for some and it will make others very happy as I know there are plenty who really were against going back to that name.
Also, as posted on some other comments the Thunder option is a non-starter. It is owned by the current owner of the Thunder who owes the NSC over a 100 grand and owes other people closing in to nearly a mil. The Thunder name is not going to happen.
Anybody seen Brewster’s Millions?
Seriously, though, anything but “United.”
JUST SAY NO TO:
FC: we call it soccer, SC>OK
UNITED: we’re not uniting anything, in fact it is a division.
NSC, if you are listening, PLEASE, please be sure that neither of these are used, for it is a farce, we’re not English, we’re Americans.
NSC is growing on me … call it what it is … a club run and operated by the NSCF (CF = Center Foundation NOT Club Futbol).
Even though my tagline may contradict my opinion …
Peace and futbol.
Northstar FC!
Minnesota Norsemen or Norsemen SC
Sounds to me like Northstar SC is the most popular.
I’m not sure I care what its called, none of those names get my season ticket deposit back from the Thunder!
Ron, the NSC has promised to honor your deposit, this has been reported .
Ron,
The NSC has promised to transfer your Thunder deposit to the new club.
I’m also not a fan of United, but you could make a point for Twin Cities United, although I’m not. Also, I may be taken to the wood shed for this suggestion, but I kinda like Rangers SC because of the strong ties to the MN Iron Range. I also kinda like Millers SC(like the old Mpls baseball team).
Fire away…
Neal and Parkview, thank you, I saw that when I read the press conference. Go Northstar FC!
I put Minnesota Northstars SC.
The Minnesota Hotdish! The mascot is a giant Tater Tot. Think of the sponsorship money from OreIda.
Isn’t OreIda from Idaho? We’ve got plenty of food companies here in MN. Gota be able to come up with one to use them, like Schawns perhaps???
Lighting Striker are you taking the piss mate?
“We’re not uniting anything?”
Minneapolis/St. Paul = Twin Cities
Two cities united into one. It is the hallmark and identity of our state.
Twin Cities UNITED!!!!
Ben: United refers to unting two clubs, this is the exact opposite of uniting clubs … Minneapolis and St. Paul will NEVER be united, and thank goodness for that … they both have separate and unique positive qualities.
JUST SAY NO TO UNITED
ABMU
Ben: I’d love to share a pint, BTW, but let’s agree to disagree on the United front.
The Minnesota Spam?
“Minneapolis/St. Paul = Twin Cities. Two cities united into one.”
and playing in Blaine…
Brian, I forgot about the ownership situation with the Thunder name. Thanks for the reminder!
well i guess we better rename Red Bull NY and Philadelphia Union because they play in Harrison and Chester. Blaine is in the Twin Cities area.
So what if united means “uniting two clubs” in europe…. wait i thought we don’t want to copy europe? The meaning is unique to our state so let’s roll with it.
I like Northstar FC, but too close of a connection to the North Stars of the NHL. Went with Northern Lights, but would love it if they could figure out a way to get the Kicks name back. Or the Thunder…How about NSC makes a deal with Dean “The Lying Douchebag” Johnson and forgives part of the debt he owes in exchange for the name??
Calling the new team by the old used Northstar (anything) name is a mistake. This is a new team that should have it’s own image. Why start with something stupid like a used name. Hockey is already a big enough part of the NSC.
NSC (+ whatever you want) is fine, but drop the old hockey team name. Northstar’s are in another time and place now. Their now a team in Texas (they left the state to play somewhere else, remember?) Now you want to use the name again because you think it’s a cute rhyme/acronym SR?
The NSC saved our team, that in some form should be the name. Let them use the publicity to expand the awareness of their youth tournament nationwide so they will continue to be successful and allow them to operate our pro team.
NSC- YES
Northstar- NO
Hey Jeff, what’s the nick name for our state??? What’s on the NSC logo? I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Please no FC, SC or United.
Also, please no Northstar.
I’m starting to take a liking to NSC Minnesota.
So, go ahead and goggle Northstar, or Northstars… Where would the soccer team end up on that list?
Yes, a very popular and overused name in MN. Give it a rest.
” Where would the soccer team end up on that list?”
We have people that solve these problems and are Google experts…right Joe L?
I’m sure Joe knows a thing or two about “Goggle”s of the beer-induced variety.
NSC Minnesota sounds a lot like Red Bull New York (or even MetroStars) to me.
Why start a new team with solving problems that don’t need solving at all.
Stop copying the image other people worked hard to create for another sport.
Find you own name. This should not be all that challenging of a first task to complete.
Another angel for you to look at it from: We would want our team name to live on IN OUR SPORT.
-If in 10 years from now the “MN Thunder” become a Pro Lacrosse team playing in a new stadium in downtown St Paul, I will find that use of a name kinda cheesy, and shortsighted too.
Angle…???
image, image… just start playing already. Organize an exhibition, let the first XI lobby the crowd after the 90 minutes is up and have a vote of all the people in the stadium. That’d be worth attending!
why would you name a team after a sports complex? It would be better to just make the team known by its state and call it plain old Minnesota FC.
I tried goggling North Stars and all I got was a DNS Error Code.
Its not naming the team after a complex its putting the owners of the team into the name of the club which isn’t that out of the ordinary.
I don’t understand why everyone (or most everyone) is so hooked on having FC, SC or United incorporated into the name of the new team.
In all the years of USL, A-League, USISL, etc., I can only think of two teams that had FC, SC or United in their name (Miami FC Blues and Milwaukee Wave United). There may be more, but I don’t think so.
Whenever anyone talked about those teams, they were called Miami or Milwaukee…not Miami FC or Milwaukee Wave United.
I think the FC, SC or United is completely and totally unnecessary.
If the Thunder were called the “Minnesota Thunder FC”, would you always say “FC” when talking about them? Probably not. You would most likely say “Thunder” or “Minnesota Thunder”…depending upon who you are talking to.
I believe the name just needs to be “Minnesota ???” or “Twin Cities ???”.
Please, please, please leave the FC, SC or United out of the name.
How about NSC FC with a guy on a lawn mower for a mascot.
I think we are doing this all wrong in Minnesota. We are trying to “mechanically” create a league with the expectations that it will develop into something as large as the champions league, NFL, MLB, or NBA. These multi-state, multi-region leagues are too expensive for a club to grow organically and need a significant amount of venture captial to keep them afloat long enough for the club to get out of the red. I could care less about a team in Miami or Vancouver. I believe Minnesota would be better off growing their own state-wide or midwest region league out of the existing city clubs similar to how English have done for the past 140 years. I may get a little more excited to watch the Minneapolis Millers vs Des Moines Huskers or the Duluth Lakers. Let relegation and promotion weed out the weak and when there finally is a suppoter based demand to go national, then let’s sit down and talk.
Kevin – we already kind of have that – it’s called the PDL.
You got me Tom. I sat for about five minutes to come up with an excuse why I completely forgot about this level, but I got nothing.
I love it when the conversation can be so civil and convincing.
Let’s at least get a decent enough name so that we move up to MLS we don’t have to change.
NSC will not be owning the MLS team so it would be a bad idea to name our team that.
Just call it something generic. “Minnesota FC” does just fine. Why are you guys scared of putting “FC” behind it. Many sports teams do this…. “Minnesota Twins baseball club”
Ben makes a great point. I do beleive that the legal name of the MN Twins is “Minnesota Twins Baseball Club.” I think the Vikings are also legally known as the “Minnesota Vkings Football Club.”
Bring on the FC Minnesota! However, don’t you then need a mascot? How about the “Flying Hotdogs!”
I’d like something with a fun mascot, Yeti FC.
Do the write-ins even have a chance?
Does anyone know when the voting ends and NSC plans on revealing the name?
As it states on the above link at the NSC’s website: “Voting will be open from January 12 to January 26, 2010″
No date on when the name will be chosen. There are other issues involved with naming the team and they will have to make sure they can get the rights or afford the rights.
Understood. Working in advertising I definitely understand it takes some time for Trademark lawyers to do their thing.
Thanks I must have overlooked that.
Vote Football Club of Minnesota!
FC Minnesota is the most professional sounding name by a long shot. Classy and simple.