Let's look at some weird (and/or terrible) Concacaf logos again!

Graphic design is still our passion.

Getting CONCACAFed seeks to tell some of the most important stories in the region. This year, I’ve looked at repression in Nicaragua, a rare bright spot amidst crisis in Haiti and done some deep reporting on various soccer topics.

I’m not doing any of that today. I just want to show you some logos.

I really didn’t realize just how long has passed (and how much this newsletter has grown/evolved) since the last time I embarked upon this quest, but I’ll include the same type of disclaimer: (Almost) everyone in soccer is working hard, and I’m not trying to dunk on anyone here. If you work for one of the organizations listed, laugh with us. Hell, send me a shirt. It ain’t that serious.

Here’s the first batch of weird (and/or terrible) Concacaf logos we looked at:

Let's look at some weird (and/or terrible) Concacaf logos!

Parrillas One actually starts their playoff journey tonight. Let’s get the Bootleg BMW Boys back in the first division!

OK, here are the new logos to consider:

Atletico Piloin (Nicaragua)

Piolin is Looney Tunes bird Tweety’s name in Spanish, something this second-division club based in Somoto, Madriz, Nicaragua really wants you to understand. In addition to the Tweety in the badge, there’s also the Tweety kicking a soccer ball on the midsection of the jersey, seen here in this graphic celebrating captain Ervin Aguirre making a Nicaraguan sports site’s Best XI for the weekend in the second division. They do one for the third division too! Now that’s coverage.

There’s a delightfully lo-fi quality to Atlético Piolin. While their Facebook account sees to have the correct contact info, their Instagram simply links to Gmail. Like, the Gmail login page.

I guess write to them if you want to buy a shirt.

Grenades FC (Antigua and Barbuda)

Grenades came onto my radar this summer when they made a surprise run to the final of the CFU Caribbean Shield to earn a place in the 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

The club has been operating since 1990 and appears to be sponsored in part by Sandals resorts. But I couldn’t find any reasoning why the team is called Grenades. They do lean into it on social media, though.

There’s also a team called Pigotts Bullets, who have a pretty tame logo that doesn’t feature ammunition or weaponry on it at all.

Ottos Rangers FC

…but while Grenades have had the most success, the most interesting logo has to go to Ottos Rangers FC.

They’ve got … the Incredible Hulk taking the ball off an ogre? I don’t know. If you are an Antigua expert, get in touch and explain what’s happening here.

Real Sociedad (Honduras)

I can’t decide if this is good or bad. It’s definitely a … different … approach than the Spanish club that inspired the name of the Honduran team founded in the 1980s. You get a lot of messages: It’s a 'royal’ team … in Honduras … that wears stripes … and there’s a 3-D soccer ball in case you were confused which sport they play. Right now they sit at the bottom of the table in Honduras … we may have to lose Real Sociedad to get back Parrillas One.

Dunbeholden FC (Jamaica)

Wait, is that the soccer ball from Real Sociedad?! Not quite. You can see the difference in the pattern and the lens flare, but we’re definitely in the same neighborhood.

Dunbeholden takes its name from its neighborhood in Portmore and prides itself as a community club. Like the other clubs in the Jamaican Premier League - currently boasting beloved rum brand Wray and Nephew as its title sponsor - you can get their shirt on the Admiral site.

Miscellaneous Police FC (Trinidad and Tobago)

Trinidad and Tobago had an estimated 55 Jewish people living in the country according to a 2007 estimate. So … what’s the Star of David doing on the badge of long-running club Police FC?

It turns out the symbol isn’t just on the Police FC badge but is lifted from official police logos. I’m not the only one who found it a bit odd.

"I was very surprised to see the Star of David not only emblazoned on the officers' uniforms, but on their patrol cars," Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Itai Bardov said in 2022. "When I asked my hosts to explain it, they didn't know the answer but promised to try solving the mystery."

Did they solve it? Ehhh…

"I was told the British crown sent soldiers from the islands to Israel during the Mandate, and one of them apparently fell in love with the Zionist movement or its symbols,” Bardov continued in the same article. “Eventually, after they returned home, that guy became the chief of police of Trinidad and Tobago and decided the Jewish Star would be its symbol.”

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also, this team is now calling itself Miscellaneous Police FC. I believe that is new this year but haven’t worked out why. A company called Miscellaneous Group has been involved with soccer and sport sponsorship in Trinidad and Tobago in the past, so perhaps they stuck it on as part of a commercial deal?

The 2017 Summer Universiade (Taiwan, actually)

This is not *technically* a Concacaf logo, but I found it the other day while doing some Canada women’s national team research. In 2017, three Concacaf nations sent a team to the Summer Universiade in Taiwan, an event now known as the World University Games that takes place every two years. This juggling bear was the logo for the 2017 edition, and I thought it was pretty nifty.

Lymers FC (Anguilla)

Look, they’re called Lymers FC. I’d expect nothing less from the Anguillan squad than a silhouette of a player winding up superimposed on a big ol’ lime.

Don Bosco FC (Puerto Rico)

Yep, that’s Don Bosco.

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Any more and the email won’t send right, so I’m calling it there. BUT leave a comment if you have a favorite weird logo, some background on one included or just want to share some design thoughts.

I promise it won’t be four years until we do this again.

Think a friend would enjoy this mix of football frivolity and real reporting? Sharing helps me grow!