LAFC Release New Logo, Announce Will Ferrell as Part-Owner

Our crest. #WeAreLAFC #BlacknGold pic.twitter.com/MPFO4rp4sa
— LAFC (@LAFC) January 7, 2016

It has taken the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) a solid year and change to show any semblance of having their act together, but today, to the surprise of many, LAFC rolled out a slick logo with a dash of glittery news: comedian Will Ferrell will be part-owner of the club.

LAFC rose from the ashes of the tire fire that was Chivas USA, which struggled with soccer on the field and a split identity—between its parent club Chivas Guadalajara and its host city Los Angeles—off it. On October 27, 2014, MLS commissioner Donald Garber shut down Chivas USA, which he helped usher into the league in 2004. The LAFC expansion was announced three days later.

Like many of MLS's recent expansion teams, LAFC's branding has centered around a civic identity. You could think of it as the NYCFC of the West Coast, complete with their own cross-city rivals in the LA Galaxy. Their promotional video (below) exhibits scenes of highway overpasses, shoes strung from telephone lines, graffiti-clad aqueducts, tattoos, and a celebration of diversity.

The graphic design boasts an Art Deco–inspired crest that reflects the city's seal, a black-and-gold color scheme that echoes an old-school LA Raiders vibe, and a winged "A" to reflect the "Angeles" of the city's namesake.

Adding a bit more of that LA vibe, the club announced that Hollywood actor and comedian Will Ferrell will be part-owner of the team:

The new newest owner of #LAFC, Will Ferrell. "This is not a joke." pic.twitter.com/CHwK8Y0u8q
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) January 7, 2016

Ferrell has been a longtime supporter of the USMNT, making several appearances at the behest of US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati. He also starred in the soccer-themed film Kicking and Screaming. Farrell is part of a 26-person ownership group, which also includes athletes Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm, and her husband, Nomar Garciaparra. The group's net worth is estimated to be more than $4.5 billion, according to Sports Illustrated. It's yet to be seen if the slow-starting expansion team can deliver them some returns.