CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Finally, after all the leaks and teases, it’s happening. Major League Soccer is coming to Charlotte.
A news conference featuring MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Panthers owner and now Charlotte MLS owner David Tepper and Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles made the MLS expansion franchise official in a Tuesday morning press conference. The team is set to begin play in 2021.
The excitement around the event was clear. The branding of the team, at least to some fans, was less clear.
Tepper was gifted a black scarf with the text #CharlotteMLS2021 emblazoned on it. The colors associated with the franchise at the conference were black and white. The team entered social media with the same colors and referring to itself simply as “Charlotte”.
Some fans weren’t sure if this--black and white colors and the name Charlotte or Charlotte FC--was the team’s finalized branding. It’s not hard to imagine how people could assume this with everything so unified across the board.
Nonetheless, that isn’t the case. The colors are simply placeholders and the team is referring to itself as “Charlotte MLS” until they settle on a name.
In fact, Tepper has asked for fan input on what the name will be.
There is also the list of eight team names that have been trademarked by DT Soccer, LLC. While these names were trademarked by Charlotte MLS ownership (DT stands for David Tepper), this is not a final list that fans must choose a name from. There is no guarantee that the name the team ends up choosing will come from the current list of eight trademarked team names.
So if you want the team to have a name that wasn’t trademarked or if you want the team to take on a bright, vibrant color scheme, you can hold onto hope. There is still a chance you can get your way.