In the world of football, or as we call it in America, soccer, the sport is defined by tradition and heritage.

Some of the biggest brands in the world are international football clubs. The key to these brands is a recognizable, simple crest. Despite not following international soccer, most Americans could likely identify or recognize storied international programs like FC Barcelona or Manchester United.

In the United States, soccer has only begun to find its footing in recent decades. Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the States, was only founded in 1995 and has since expanded, rebranded, and more.

At the collegiate level, many schools have tried to find little slices of the European football experience and bring them to the United States. One of the things that makes international football so special is the way that small towns and communities rally around their club.

For fans of soccer in Central Pennsylvania, the Penn State Nittany Lions are the closest thing to a professional soccer club between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. As such, similar to many other colleges, the fans have tried to emulate aspects of the international soccer experience.

The Park Avenue Army brings the energy, with drums, flags, and chants to cheer on the Nittany Lions. However, one thing that Penn State men’s soccer is missing to complete the package is a good crest.

In 2016, following its 2015 National Championship victory over Duke, Penn State women’s soccer unveiled a crest of its own. The women’s crest is awesome. However, it’s been six years since that unveiling, and the men’s team has never received a crest of its own.

So we took matters into our own hands and designed a meaningful, simplistic crest for Penn State men’s soccer.

The crest is clean, simple, and can be used in a variety of ways. The basic shape is a keystone, honoring the state of Pennsylvania, “the Keystone State.” A single blue stripe runs through the middle of the crest, paying tribute to Penn State’s long heritage of athletic success.

The text, “PSU,” is simple and sweet, containing the iconic block S logo that Penn State has used for decades. The script font at the top shows the history of Penn State’s soccer program, which has existed for over 100 years.

Finally, a star adorns the top of the crest, paying tribute to Penn State’s lone College Cup victory in 1979.

Due to its simplistic nature, the crest can be used in many ways, so we designed a few kit mock-ups to show how the logo could be utilized on uniforms.

The home kit has a faint diamond-checkered background that pays tribute to the Park Avenue Army’s iconic diamond flags.

The away kit features a topographical map that honors Pennsylvania’s diverse natural landscape.

Finally, the third kit utilizes Penn State’s original, retro colors to pay respect to the university’s rich history.

So whether it’s our crest or someone else’s, we think it’s time that Penn State men’s soccer embraced its heritage and gave itself a crest of its own.