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:
“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.
The Forest City Cleveland crest incorporates several design elements tied to Cleveland’s culture, geography and architectural heritage:
Forest City Cleveland’s color palette is drawn directly from Northeast Ohio’s natural landscape and architectural heritage.
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:
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.”
