FC Cincinnati on Monday unveiled its crest ahead of its inaugural season in Major League Soccer at an event at the Woodward Theater in downtown Cincinnati.
The club began play in 2016, spending the first three seasons of its existence in the USL, where it played under the same "FC Cincinnati" name and the same blue-and-orange color scheme that it will use in its jump to MLS in the 2019 season.
However, the club's crest has undergone a fairly extensive makeover. Interbrand spearheaded the redesign, having been involved with the new crest for Juventus as well as the branding for the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
The shape of the crest is now pentagonal, with a sash of white separating the club's traditional blue and orange colors, and gone is the crown that topped the old logo. The winged lion has been updated, the seven points on its mane representing the seven hill of Cincinnati, the three feathers of the wing remembering the three seasons of play prior to joining MLS, and its crown paying homage to the Queen City.
"We're incredibly proud of the development process and what we present today as our final product," said FC Cincinnati president and general manager Jeff Berding. "We firmly believe these new marks and brand system are a perfect representation of our club as we enter Major League Soccer. We introduced local, organic elements to refresh our look, yet kept specific iconography from our early years to retain familiarity. We cannot wait to take the field in 2019 bearing the FC Cincinnati -- Football Club Cincinnati -- crest on our chests."
FC Cincinnati will be the 24th club in MLS next season, the latest expansion side to join in the league's quest to swell to 28 teams.