Nashville SC unveils branding for Huntsville MLS NEXT Pro club

On Wednesday night, Nashville SC took a step forward with its inaugural reserve team by unveiling the branding for its Huntsville-based MLS NEXT Pro club. 

The team will be officially known as Huntsville City Football Club.

About the branding

First, let’s start with the name. Huntsville City F.C. came as a bit of a surprise to most Nashville fans. The proverbial betting favorite would be for the team to have been named Huntsville Soccer Club, to match branding more closely with the parent club. However, by taking the branding in a different direction, Huntsville will be better equipped to stand on its own as a soccer team worth following and attending for all those residing in north Alabama. 

With the crest reveal, the club put out a snazzy promotional video, as all clubs do, explaining the inspiration behind the design. 

Its shape – inspired by the seal of our city and the boosters that propelled it. 

The colors – connecting the Boys in Gold to the Boys in Blue.

The checkerboard pattern – an allusion to our accomplishments as well as our pioneers of perseverance.

The shooting star – a symbol of where we’ve been, but also where we are going.

The next steps for Huntsville City F.C.

MLS NEXT Pro played its inaugural season in 2022. The reserve league was designed to bridge the gap between the academy system and the first team. The rosters often feature a mix of promising youth players ready to dip their toes into the professional ranks and older veterans who are not earning minutes with their MLS parent club. 

Previously, MLS clubs approached these segments of players by either establishing a reserve team within the USL or sending players out on loan to non-affiliated USL clubs. 

Huntsville City will be Nashville’s first foray into having its own reserve team. Rather than sending out the likes of Ahmed Longmire and Handwalla Bwana on loan, we will see these guys suiting up for Huntsville. 

In the coming weeks, we will start hearing a lot more about the construction of Huntsville City’s staff and roster. We may even see the first Homegrown Player signing in Nashville SC history. That distinguished youth player will begin his professional career with Huntsville City.