An international identity
There were 23 nationalities represented on the squad making it one of the most diverse teams in the state. That also means there were just as many styles of play on the team making it challenging to coach. That diversity was branded into the website‘s flag through the soccerball and the country flags that seperated it from the remaining content. The team logo was also redesigned.
From many backgrounds, one team!
The logos and international flags were integrated with a shallow team photo and navigation. To build support for the team, a weekly calendar was built into the design to inform the team‘s boosters.
At the start of the season when the website was designed, the team was hopeful of their prospects after a successful preseason. Two of the players would later fall victim to tragic events (The players with jersey numbers 13 and 14). The soccerball icon would later be updated to commemorate Lamar Thompson, number 13, who died early in the season from an accidental drowning.
Hard work pays off
The Presidents would narrowly lose to Brockton in the first round of the playoffs. Since the team had not made the playoffs for over a decade, making the playoffs was considered a major achievement. I designed the homepage playoff promo to honor the player’s, team’s accomplishments.
Peaking late in the season
The team had already made the playoffs and would meet Hingham, one of the division’s powerhouse teams, before the end of the season. After Quincy beat the team in a hard-fought match, they realized they had experienced a special season.
Three presidents made the all-star team. They hailed from Japan, Brazil, and Ireland.
Fighting to make the playoffs
In the finals weeks of the season the Presidents racked up a string of victories. I created a chart on the homepage where I counted the number of points the team would accumulate with each victory. If they hit a certain number, the magic number, they would be playoff bound. The chart was a popular feature.
Playing through tragedy
Midway through the season, Bai Kanu, one of the team’s many talented midfielders, would be run over by a car and suffer severe head trauma. Bai had taken on wearing during games his fallen teammate’s jersey, no. 13. After Bai’s accident, that jersey number would be retired.
Tough enough just being a teen
As I mentioned earlier, the team started off on a strong note when tragedy stuck. They paid tribute to Lamar Thompson, from Jamaica, during and after a home soccer match.
With all the misfortune, I wondered how the team managed to have a successful season. Did they make the march to the playoffs in spite of the adversity of because of it? I don’t know but it was the most exciting, memorable, and painful season I have ever experienced.