Cleveland’s New Professional Soccer Club Unveils Identity: Forest City Cleveland
Rooted in Cleveland’s history, the new brand launches the city’s next chapter in professional sports.
CLEVELAND – March 10, 2026 – Cleveland’s new professional men’s soccer club unveiled its identity today as Forest City Cleveland, a brand shaped by thousands of fans across Northeast Ohio and rooted in the city’s history, resilience and future.
The identity marks a major step in Cleveland Soccer Group’s effort to unite and activate the region’s soccer community while building a club designed to represent the city on and off the pitch.
The brand was developed through an extensive community engagement process involving more than 3,000 participants from across Northeast Ohio, including players, families, longtime supporters and new fans. The process included multiple surveys, several rounds of focus groups and a series of one-on-one interviews that shed light on how fans wanted their sports teams to make them feel.
“We believed from the beginning that this club should be built with Cleveland, not simply introduced to Cleveland,” said Gina Prodan Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer of Cleveland Soccer Group, who led the branding process. “More than 3,000 people helped shape what Forest City Cleveland would become. It reflects the city’s past, but even more importantly it represents the future we’re building together.”
Creative direction for the project was led by a design team with deep ties to Cleveland, the professional soccer community and world-class brands:
Alex Kocher, founder of Easy Friday Co., is a Cleveland native who grew up playing for local clubs Medina Rangers, Greater Akron Premier and Cleveland United, before attending the University of Akron. Kocher brings more than a decade of creating brand identities and campaigns across professional soccer, including MLS’s Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire FC, NWSL’s Portland Thorns FC, and USL’s Lexington Sporting Club and Richmond Kickers.
Mo Fitzgerald, founder of Play Street, is a brand strategist and a former professional soccer player with the Portland Thorns, who runs a creative strategy studio focused on the intersection of sport, art and culture.
“It’s an incredible honor to shape the brand identities of Cleveland’s professional soccer clubs and help grow the sport in the community where I first fell in love with the game,” said Kocher.
A Symbol Rooted in Northeast Ohio
At the center of the Forest City Cleveland crest stands an historic American sycamore known as the “Die Hard Tree,” located in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. While the tree may not be widely known, its story reflects the spirit of Cleveland itself.
At more than 350 years old, the tree is considered a Moses Cleaveland tree, meaning it predates the founding of Cleveland in 1796 and has stood through every chapter of the region’s modern history.
Decades ago, workers removed the top of the tree’s canopy with a charge of dynamite. What remained was little more than a trunk with a hollowed-out center the shape of a heart.
But the story didn’t end there. Despite the damage, the sycamore endured. From the hollow trunk, new shoots and branches continued to grow — earning the tree its nickname. For the club, the tree represents the spirit of Cleveland itself: resilient, loyal and learning to evolve in new ways through every era of change.
Brand Elements Reflect Cleveland’s Identity
CREST DESIGN
The Forest City Cleveland crest incorporates several design elements tied to Cleveland’s culture, geography and architectural heritage:
The Forest City name is a nod to Cleveland’s historic nickname, the canopy it’s named for, storied establishments across generations – and the city’s first-ever pro baseball team.
Double hexagonal frame was inspired by the art deco geometry of Cleveland’s historic architecture and echoed most notably in the city’s iconic Guardians of Traffic statues.
Ohio in its foundation: the outline of the state fills the base of the crest, grounding the club firmly in our home state.
The Moses Cleaveland Tree represents Cleveland at its core: resilient, loyal and rooted in a spirit that refuses to break. Rendered in gold, it’s inspired by the geometric elegance of art deco, the illuminated botanical motifs of historic manuscripts and the Tree of Life archetype.
Twelve leaves on the sycamore represent the players on the pitch and the Cleveland community that surrounds the team and makes this place pure magic.
Roots on the shoreline, honoring the waterways that define Northeast Ohio, from the Cuyahoga River to Lake Erie.
CLUB COLORS
Forest City Cleveland’s color palette is drawn directly from Northeast Ohio’s natural landscape and architectural heritage.
Forest City Green — a muted gray-green inspired by Cleveland’s historic tree canopy and our Emerald Necklace, reflecting the city’s natural identity and the importance of its renewal.
Lake Erie Midnight — a deep navy, nearly black, evoking the night skies over Lake Erie with a dash of starlight.
Golden Era — an architectural gold inspired by Cleveland’s great age of civic design and industry, reflected in such landmarks as the Colonial Arcade, Guardians of Traffic and Terminal Tower.
What’s Next for Forest City Cleveland
Forest City Cleveland will begin play in MLS NEXT Pro in 2027 as part of Cleveland Soccer Group’s broader effort to build a unified soccer ecosystem across Northeast Ohio.
A new website, forestcitycle.com, launches today alongside the club identity, where fans can explore the brand story, place season ticket deposits and purchase the club’s first line of merchandise.
CSG’s women’s team brand will launch on May 4.
Throughout 2026, the club will host a series of community events and soccer celebrations, including but not limited to:
U.S. Women’s National Team watch parties at The W Sports Bar
A large community watch party for USA vs. Paraguay on June 12, the opening match of the 2026 Men’s World Cup, at North Coast Yard
Watch party for the 2026 World Cup Final on July 19
The club will also support a summer filled with local soccer events, tournaments and opportunities to celebrate the vibrant soccer culture already thriving across Northeast Ohio.
“Our goal is to make Cleveland the North Star of community-driven soccer in America,” said Cleveland Soccer Group Founder and CEO Michael Murphy. “We believe soccer can bring people together in ways that improve individual outcomes and strengthen entire communities – and we’re already making strides to do just that. Stay tuned.”
ABOUT FOREST CITY CLEVELAND:
Forest City Cleveland is a men’s professional soccer club set to begin play in MLS NEXT Pro in 2027. The club is part of Cleveland Soccer Group, which was founded in 2021 to bring pro soccer to Northeast Ohio. The organization was awarded an MLS NEXT Pro team in November 2022 and aims to be a North Star for the region’s soccer community — expanding access to the game and inspiring the next generation of players and fans.
