New Look: Say So Long to the San Jose Earthquakes in Black
By Aaron Rench
San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski (8) chases down the ball against FC Dallas during the second half at Buck Shaw Stadium. The San Jose Earthquakes defeated FC Dallas 2-1. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
After a month long build up, the San Jose Earthquakes held an event to unveil a new look that connected the old with the new. The Quakes’ history began in 1974 as part of the NASL, and now they hope that the new look, with a redesigned logo and two new jerseys, will bring back memories from the past 40 years of great San Jose memories. (I almost wrote “great Earthquake memories”, but I could see that being misunderstood)
With the new jerseys, comes the loss of a black kit whatsoever. The new shirts are blue with black sleeves, and a very simple red secondary shirt. There is a unique pattern used on both of the new designs — it’s a stylish zig-zaggy motif, called the impact pattern, that uses a gradient fade-out as the pattern gets closer to the bottom.
Personally, I think the blue shirt has potential to be one of those simple designs that just work well. Arsenal in the English Premier League have a red shirt with white sleeves. It’s one of the classiest jerseys in the world. The new San Jose primaries aren’t exactly perfect, but it’s something that no one else in MLS has, therefore solving the old kit’s problem of being outdated and slightly cookie-cutter-ish.
No more logo of the rising soccer ball. (Chris Creamer’s SportsLogo.net)
The red kit is a little bit of a let down. It isn’t much more than a simple crimson shirt with a special effect to it. If you’re wondering why red, it’s actually quite simple. The Quakes used to have a red shirt back in those 1974 days.
The redesigned logo is a solid improvement over the 90’s personified look that was previously utilized. The new logo is a combination of all things that represent the Quakes. At first glance you don’t really catch all the symbolism, but it’s there, and it’s worth noticing. The Quakes released a video that does a very good job of highlighting the club’s past and what it is that makes the logo so special. Take a look for yourself.
And let’s not forget the other additions to the kits. On the inside neckline of the primary shirt, it says “Est. 1974”, and on the inside of the secondary, “#NeverSayDie”. Although I like the nod to the Goonies slogan that was adopted by the supporter’s groups, does it have to be in hashtag form?
Overall I see it as an upgrade from what they had, but not outstanding. There are unique elements that can evolve into something greater given a few iterations. The black sleeves, impact pattern, and new logo provide the Quakes with an identity that set them apart from the rest of MLS. The new look will be debuted on the pitch during a preseason game on March 11th.