A lot has been made over the past several months about Major League Soccer and the names of their franchises. When Atlanta's franchise was branded as "Atlanta United FC" last year there were a lot of negative reactions about it being a cookie-cutter name and a rip off of D.C. United and/or English teams.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Minnesota United FC could be forced to change their name upon entering MLS to avoid the confusion of having three separate clubs named "United" in the league.
While that may seem absurd, there is already some evidence that the multiple Uniteds are starting to its toll on the league's advertisement and merchandising departments. This new "adidas Black Washed Slouch Hat" showed up on MLSSoccer.com's official shop recently. It seems like your normal run of the mill hat, until you scroll through the preview photos:
NOOOOOOOOOO!
So. Many. Uniteds.
MLS and Arthur Blank are free to use this gaffe as undeniable evidence that three Uniteds (even two) are far too many for one league to comprehend. This is just the start. Think about all the mistakes that could be made. Scheduling issues are inevitable. When D.C., Atlanta, and Minnesota all show up in Salt Lake to play a match, this will be completely out of control.
Everyone beware of the influx of Uniteds and mind your brands.