LAFC didn't choose a jersey sponsor until late January, when it signed a deal with YouTube TVTWITTER
MLS expansion club LAFC on Saturday unveiled its jerseys in a downtown fan event, and the club is hoping the shirts will "fly off the shelves" throughout its inaugural season, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. TIMES. MLS VP/Licensing Mike Walker called the jerseys "fantastic," and added it "may be the best jersey of the entire season." Baxter noted the red and black striped jersey for last year's MLS expansion club Atlanta United was the "most popular shirt in the league" by the end of the season. Walker: "After watching what happened in Atlanta, we all expect that LAFC is on the same course to do the same thing. They've had a lot of time to just be in with the people. Not 'Hey, look who we are. Come support us.' But ... listen to fans and work with fan groups." LAFC "didn't choose a jersey sponsor until late January," when it signed a three-year, nearly $18M deal with YouTube TV. But that "caused a couple problems for Walker." First, he had to "make the iconic YouTube logo mesh with the colors and logos already on the shirt." But "more challenging" was pairing that logo with LAFC's Art Deco-inspired crest, "crafted by Matthew Wolff, a New York graphic artist who also created the visual identity" for NYC FC ahead of its MLS debut in '15. The crest has "made its biggest commercial impact on the team's cap, already among the best-selling items in MLS merchandise" (L.A. TIMES, 2/25).
