Portland Women to Be Named the Portland Thorns FC

And here we go! As of today the Portland Timbers have officially given their new Portland-based women's league club a name: the Portland Thorns FC.

The unveiling came by way of a video -- embedded below -- in conjunction with the local Girls Inc. chapter. It was a truly classy way of unveiling the crest.

Speaking of the crest, the Timbers did something a bit different this time around than they did with the official Timbers crest by selecting a Portlander and Timbers Army member to create it with the help of the FO. This member just so happens to be Brent Diskin, the very same one who creates all those amazing Timbers posters we've come to adore over the last couple years.

So what do you guys think of the name and crest? Personally, I like them both. The crest, specifically, gives a sophisticated look and feel to it that I think is largely missing from the current Timbers crest.

Here's the video:

And full press release:

PORTLAND, Ore. – Peregrine Sports, LLC – parent company of the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer – today announced that its new professional women’s soccer club will be named Portland Thorns FC. Additionally, the club revealed its official crest that will be featured when Thorns FC begin play in a new, eight-team professional league in spring 2013.

With a club identity chosen to proudly connect the new team and Portland’s familiar standing as the “Rose City” or “City of Roses,” the Thorns FC crest was created by Portland artist Brent Diskin, an ardent local soccer supporter and member of the Timbers Army. The circular badge features team colors of red, green and black with a protective wreath of thorns surrounding a familiar, stylized rose in the center. Further, city-inspired details are presented in the form of a pair of four-pointed stars, or hypocycloids, that house the letters “F” and “C” and anchor the sides of the badge, a callout to the left-centered, directional star prominent on Portland’s official city flag that also flies in the stands and high atop JELD-WEN Field in downtown Portland.

“Portland Thorns FC quickly emerged as a natural choice that was appropriate for the city and the culture of Soccer City, USA,” said Merritt Paulson, owner and president of the Timbers and Thorns FC. “And a nice side benefit of the name is the Army’s P-T-F-C chant doesn’t need much re-scripting for the women’s team.”

The Thorns FC logo was unveiled with assistance from members of Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon. Sixteen girls were invited to JELD-WEN Field to help reveal the new identity by piecing together an over-sized puzzle of the new mark and providing visual clues starting Wednesday. Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon is a non-profit that inspires girls to be strong, smart and bold through life-changing programs and experiences. Click here to view the video unveiling of the Thorns FC crest.

In conjunction with today’s announcement, Thorns FC introduced the club’s official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/PortlandThornsFC).

On Nov. 21, 2012, U.S. Soccer announced the formation of a new eight-team professional women’s league to begin play in the spring of 2013. U.S. Soccer will serve as the main organizational body for the new league and will subsidize the salaries of up to 24 U.S. Women's National Team players while the Canadian Soccer Association will do the same for up to 16 Canadian players and the Federation of Mexican Football will do so for up to 12 Mexican players.

Fans interested in placing a $25 per-seat refundable deposit towards 2013 Thorns FC season tickets may contact the club’s ticket office at (503) 553-5555 or ticketsales@portlandtimbers.com. Current Timbers season ticket holders and members of the Season Ticket Waiting List do not need to place a deposit.