When It Comes to Names, Even M.L.S. Rivals Can Be United (Published 2015) (2024)

Two decades ago, Kevin Payne pondered what to call the Washington team that he would lead as one of the 10 founding teams in Major League Soccer.

Sitting in the lunchroom of his soccer promotions company, he and members of his staff tossed out names. One employee sarcastically intoned, “Why don’t you call it United, like every other soccer team?”

“D.C. United,” Payne said. The other faces in the room lit up.

Today, the naming process is far more extensive for M.L.S. expansion clubs. Atlanta, the next team that will enter the league, in 2017, spent months on market research, surveys, focus groups and brand audits — all to end up in practically the same place: Atlanta United. The team even added an F.C. at the end of its name, for a double dose of European flavor.

The full name, which will be formally announced July 7, fits the M.L.S. trend of using European naming conventions to appeal to a millennial audience that associates traditional soccer names with authenticity. Not everyone agrees that imitation flatters the league, but it has produced standings populated by the likes of Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake and New York City F.C.

“Ninety-one percent wanted us to use international soccer club customs, the more traditional names,” Darren Eales, the president of Atlanta United F.C., said of his conversations with fan groups. “Almost 50 percent wanted international names only. The rest wanted it somehow involved.”

The naming trend is a marked contrast from the approach of the original 10 teams, which began league play in 1996.