Sky Blue in the Face Ranting

Can we stop with the combination New Jersey/New York moniker/albatross? The MLS tried that too. It’s unnecessary and annoying. Pick a state. Use it. Stick with it. Presumably the league has combined the states to have name recognition and not to piss anyone off. But anyone with a central nervous system and/or a map can tell that New Jersey is next to New York and vice versa. Or maybe they should go the route of the old WUSA Carolina Courage: knock off the distinct words (i.e. North and South; so in this case Jersey and York) and use the word that remains - the “New Sky Blue” should work! And the internal rhyme makes it roll right off the tongue…

On the positive side, I like the newly-finalized “Sky Blue FC” name. It is somewhat ironic that a US league called “Women’s Professional Soccer” has a team with “Football Club (FC)” in its name. But tradition trumps all else in soccer. That’s the only reason I became a DC United fan instead of a MetroStars fan in 1996. That’s why the fans at every MLS game wave flags, hold up team scarves, bang drums, chant and sing, and set off flares. During our day jobs, we’re happy to be American; when we moonlight as soccer fans, we secretly want to be European or South American. Someplace where this sport matters. Hopefully, WPS will continue to keep this in mind when creating their new women’s soccer culture.