How Every NWSL Team Got Its Name

Ever wonder what the story is behind your favorite NWSL team’s name? We’ve got all of the answers right here.

 

1. Chicago Red Stars

In 2007, when the team was founded, they wanted to embody Chicago’s identity. This melding included taking on the city’s flag and colors (sky blue, red, and black) and proudly representing all things Chicago. Many fly the Chicago city flag at matches and sing Frank Sinatra’s famous ode to Chicago, “My Kind of Town.”

When putting the original team together, the organization sent fans a list of names for their soccer team. Other contenders included the Chicago Winds, Chicago Union, and Chicago Towers. The “Red Stars” won out, and the team was named for the signature stars representing a different major event in the city’s history.

 

2. Houston Dash

The Houston Dash was born in affiliation with the Houston Dynamo, sharing a stadium, ownership group, similar colors, and a name that starts with the letter “D.” The “Dash” specifically means the speed of a horse because the town has long ties to horses and horsepower—tying, like the Dynamo, to the oil industry in Texas.

While electric orange is their dominant color, they call the blue they use “Space City Blue” to honor Houston’s ties to the US space program.

 

3. Portland Thorns FC

Portland is the Rose City – its climate is perfect for roses, and you will see them along streets and in many yards. When the team was announced, owner Merrit Paulson said, “Portland Thorns quickly emerged as a natural choice appropriate for the city.” Paulson also noted the existing Portland Timbers chant wouldn’t need much reworking for the Thorns.

 

4. Washington Spirit

When the Washington Spirit was announced, the club manager said, “We sought a name that speaks directly to the history of Washington, D.C. and the patriotism we feel being a part of this great community. One of the core missions of this club is to empower women through sport, and we wanted a name that could be used directly in just about any statement surrounding that topic. We wanted a name that had a lot of Spirit.” And the Washington Spirit was born.

 

5. Gotham FC

Before the 2021 Challenge Cup, the former Sky Blue FC shocked the WoSo world by announcing their new brand and name: NJ/NY Gotham FC. Gotham’s name will immediately be familiar to fans of a certain superhero, but it also represents the larger geographical area Gotham FC wants to represent. As the only NWSL team operating in the northeast, the rebrand allows them to capitalize on fans from all throughout the region. Most importantly, it allows them to officially stake a claim as a New York team.

 

6. North Carolina Courage

The North Carolina Courage moved south from Western New York in 2017, where fans called them the Flash. In landing in North Carolina, they took the lioness and name from the older and defunct Carolina Courage from the WUSA. The rest of the elements in their logo come straight from the North Carolina state flag.

 

7. OL Reign

The OL Reign was very recently the Seattle Reign. The OL Group, who owns the French soccer teams Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Lyonnais Feminin, bought the Reign, renaming it the OL Reign.

Though the team is now very clearly tied to the France football juggernauts, the history of the team is still honored in its name; when the team was first announced, it was named the Seattle Reign after the city’s women’s basketball team of the ’90s.

 

8. Orlando Pride

The Orlando Pride entered the NWSL in 2016, and are the NWSL counterparts of the MLS’s Orlando City SC. The MLS franchise had long-adopted a lion theme, so the Pride’s name is a natural extension of that. While the MLS team has a lion on its crest, a complicated legal and ownership process prevented the Pride from using the lion too. So, their ties to the Orlando lion theme end with their name.

 

9. Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville had an interesting journey into the NWSL with their name. In 2019, they were originally announced as Proof Louisville. Yes, Proof. If you don’t quite understand that moniker, you’re not alone (though it was meant to be a nod to the city’s bourbon industry). Fan backlash to that name was swift and loud.

Eventually, the Louisville ownership group reconsidered their name and announced they would be called Racing Lousiville FC, a nod to the event Kentucky is most famous for: the Kentucky Derby.

 

10. Kansas City Current

Once upon a time, Kansas City had an NSWL team called FC Kansas City. That team took a quick trip to Utah, becoming the Royals. Controversy in Utah led to the dissolution of the Royals in 2020. A new ownership group stepped in to save the team and relocate them back to Kansas City.

However, the quick turnaround between the relocation and the 2021 season means a lot is still up in the air for the team, including their name.

For the 2021 season, they played under the temporary name Kansas City NWSL, but late last year, they announced their new brand as the Kansas City Current. Their new name stands for the Missouri River through Kansas City; their crest features two stars representing both Kansas City and Missouri. 

 

11. Angel City FC

When the Los Angeles expansion team was first announced, Angel City was just a placeholder name. However, fans quickly latched onto it as the perfect name for the long-awaited LA team.

However, the official announcement of the name Angel City FC was met with some controversy; there’s a team called Angel City Roller Derby also in Los Angeles.

 

12. San Diego Wave FC

The seeds of the now San Diego Wave were planted in January 2021, when the then NWSL commissioner announced that Sacramento Republic FC’s bid for an NWSL team had gone through. However, later last year, it was announced that the team would be based out of San Diego.

The team’s crest features a wave representing the city’s coastal location on the Pacific Ocean. Bold and bright colors signify the horizon to convey the vibrancy of the culture and people of San Diego. 

 

Featured Image via @thekccurrent on Twitter

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