San Jose Earthquakes Unveil New Badge And Kits
Thursday night the San Jose Earthquakes unveiled their new logo along with a new set of home and away jerseys for the 2014 season. The unveil, which took place in San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose, featured a party which started at 5:30 p.m. and actual the ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
The Badge
The logo is now much more subtle and modern-looking than the older one and features a few “throwback” features recognizing the team’s history. You can read about it all here, but we will go down the list and break it down.
First, the logo has been changed from a triangle to a much more soccer-esque shield. They also keep the soccer ball in the logo because “for 40 years, the Earthquakes primary badge has featured a soccer ball” along with “a symbol of our devotion to the game.”
They also say the addition of the “axis” through the shield is from the original Earthquakes logo from 1974. Additionally, the background “blue and black impact pattern” are representative of “shifting tectonic plates” staying true to the Earthquakes name.
Finally, they have chosen to go with Quakes rather than the full Earthquakes on the front of the jersey and underline that with ‘San Jose 1974’ (with 1974 in red lettering) once again honoring the first San Jose Earthquakes, who debuted in 1974 and wore red jerseys.
The Kits
The kits also partially pay homage to the first few years of the club, especially the away kit, which is almost all red except for white lining along the sleeves and he neck. The home kit is much less adventurous but represents San Jose’s more recent colors with the blue and black coloring, with the blue as the main color and the black covering the sleeves as well as lining the neck. The same modern pattern that serves as the background for the logo is prevalent on the jerseys as well. A more in depth look at the jerseys can be seen here.
Personally, as a fan of the team since the San Jose Clash days, I am not too fond of the new logo. While I appreciate the more modern look it seems like they took it too far and the logo looks a bit bland. The change to a shield is nice, but the soccer ball is a bit tired, not just for the Earthquakes but for the MLS in general, even if it has been a part of the badge from the beginning. I know teams around the world use the ball (such as Manchester United) in their logo as well, so I cannot be too upset. Still, I feel like perhaps something else could have been there. On the flip side I do respect the subtle throwbacks to the old teams and jerseys such as the hint of red. Still, the badge leaves something to be desired. Perhaps it will grow on me.
As for the jerseys, I love the blue and black, but the red secondary jersey I am not quite sure of yet. Perhaps less red would have been nice (maybe used as piping or something like that rather than the main color), but overall still a great design.