My Crest, My City: D.C. United

One jacket, 28 crests, endless stories. Over the course of the MLS season, we will be shipping a custom jacket to creators across North America to highlight the diverse and vibrant soccer cultures of various destinations in MLS with the help of Participation Trophy Studio.

As the grassroots soccer community in the U.S. continues to grow coast-to-coast, we are seeing the emergence of exciting creative talent searching for opportunities to break into the world of soccer. This project allows us to showcase emerging creatives through shoots with an exclusive “MLS” themed coach’s jacket. The 1/1 jacket, created by Participation Trophy Studio, is a classic black coach’s jacket decorated with patches from every MLS club. The jacket will travel from city to city and worn by local models in kits from each respective city.

For our first installment, we caught up with Washington D.C. creator Champion Slye to talk about the inspiration behind his project in his home city.

Since when have you been a fan of DC United?

Growing up I never had access to the special channels that allowed you to watch the Premier League, La Liga, or anything like that. So even though I prefer international soccer, I was quite limited to what I could watch and who I could support. I remember the only times I really watched games live at home was when DC United played — it was about that time when DC United was in their “glory days” winning back-to-back championships and all that.

But I definitely fell in love with DC United when I was very young because that's what was accessible to me at the time.

What is your earliest memory of the club?

I remember going to my first game at RFK when I was around 11 years old. Luckily, my dad worked for a company that gave employees box seats where they served free food and stuff. That’s probably my earliest memory of going to a game. It was awesome being in that rustic stadium and watching the stands physically bounce up and down. I think at that time they may have been the only successful local professional sports team.

What does DC United mean to you today?

Today, DC United brings a sense of comfort, more than anything else. When you go to a game, you really feel like you're at home and you're not just spectating. Unlike when you watch the bigger, more well-known leagues on television week in and week out. When you’re at Audi Field, you really feel a part of the club. It's nice to be in an intimate stadium and possibly see people you know or be able to go with your friends and grab local food at the stadium. So, I would say my relationship now would be one of comfort and sentiment.

For this installment of My Crest, My City did you do anything in particular to translate that feeling of comfort to your audience?

Yeah, definitely. I really wanted to translate that feeling of comfort into photos — which is why I went with the Metro vibe for the photoshoot. If you're a DC local, you know that nearly every supporter rides the Metro to the game. My earliest memories involve parking at Franconia Metro Stop in Northern Virginia, hopping on the Metro, and taking it all the way to the stadium. The closer you got to the stadium, the more DC United fans would pack in the train. They'd start chanting some of the local songs and place bets on who would score and when. That’s where the inspiration came from for the shoot.

What are some things that you're hoping that people from outside DC will take from your project?

I really hope that non-soccer fans or non-DC United fans can connect with it more than anyone else. I hope that they experience the same sense of comfort and ritual when they come across the shots. I hope they think, ‘Oh, hey, I ride the Metro every day, this is super accessible, and I can catch a game easily.’ I want to show that DC United doesn’t have that ‘plastic’ fan base — like big clubs around the world. It’s one where you can catch the Metro right after work, head to a game, grab a pupusa, a beer, and enjoy the team.

We’ve talked about the city, the soccer, the club, and the fans. What do you think of the DC United crest? What does it mean to you?

The crest is honestly quite stereotypical of a team from the nation’s capital. It’s pretty straightforward why they chose the eagle. However, I know that the history behind the crest runs a lot deeper than just thinking of a typical animal to represent the area. One of the largest supporter groups is the Screaming Eagles, so it also makes sense to have that. Having the DC flag and the stripes within the crest is a nice touch. Then, of course, the proudest item on the crest would be the stars. It represents the success that the club has had. I know it's been many years since we've won a championship, but to have those brings a sense of pride. And of course, you can never go wrong with the color combination of black and red.