I guess that a significant number of soccer fans have seen the acronym FC being associated with the names of favorite soccer clubs and occasionally SC also comes into play. The truth is that many fans can’t help but wonder how the terms FC and SC came about in soccer as well as what FC means in soccer, and also what SC means in soccer.
Regardless, FC means Football Club in soccer and this would have been guessed by many folks that are interested in the game of soccer.
In the MLS, some of the teams prefer the use of SC over FC and we will be giving a thorough explanation of what these terms mean in soccer.
A Brief History Of How The Terms FC and SC Originated
In late nineteenth-century England, groups of people who were members of an Association Football team would refer to themselves as “football clubs.”
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They would abbreviate their name with FC in order to make it easier to describe where they were.
Therefore, if your group was based in Manchester, you could be referred to as Manchester United FC, or even Manchester City FC in association football.
Meanwhile, it should be known that there are other football clubs in Manchester and we’ve thrown more light on them in a separate article.
Due to the convenience of the FC abbreviation, it has been in use by many organizations to refer to their favorite soccer teams. Later the abbreviation became very popular and started being used in other countries like Spain where its equivalent in the Spanish language is Club de Futbol, meaning Football Club in English.
What Do FC and SC mean in Soccer?
We already know that the round leather sport is referred to as football in England and as soccer in the United States. This is one of the reasons why the term SC is more prevalent than FC.
In the United States, when you mention Football, the sport that comes to mind is the very popular American Football under the Umbrella of the NFL. Therefore, for clarity, soccer is used to refer to Association Football.
For instance, FC stands for Football Club while SC stands for Soccer Club.
Fans of Major League Soccer would attest that the term SC is used alongside the names of a club in the professional soccer league in the United States and this should come as no surprise.
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It can be recalled that The Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise played its inaugural season in the United States in 1996. Since 1996, they have expanded the sport by bringing in more teams and soccer players from new cities to compete.
Major League Soccer (MLS) is gaining popularity in the United States, which translates into increased interest in association football and soccer. The league is now gaining fans all over the world and is attracting some of the best legs from Europe.
Why all SC teams in the United States of America are not referred to as FC?
Since its inaugural season in 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) has faced an uphill battle in establishing the sport of soccer (football) in the United States.
Soccer will always be difficult to brand when compared to sports like Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and the NFL (American Football) in the United States, but interest in the sport is growing.
However, because many soccer teams call Major League Baseball or National Football League stadiums their home, it can be tough to be considered anything other than the second-best team at a venue.
Regardless, other teams, such as New York City FC, include the letters FC into their names in order to promote football. The term “football club” dates back to the late 1800s in England, and Major League Soccer (MLS) enables teams to maintain the tradition by using that phrase.
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FC in the United States Major League Soccer
Based on the fixtures of the 2022 season that has kicked off already, Major League Soccer (MLS) has 28 teams. The teams are divided into two conferences, each of which has 14 teams.
The term “soccer” is mostly applied to association football in the United States, but most teams utilize the FC word in their names to promote the sport. Find the list of MLS teams here.
FC in the Premier League
It is no more news that the Premier League consists of 20 teams and that there are new teams that gain entrance to the league every season due to the concept of relegation that is in place. Some of the popular Premier League clubs are Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, etc. They could also be abbreviated such as:
- MCFC for Manchester City Football Club
- MUFC for Manchester United Football Club
- CFC for Chelsea Football Club
- AFC for Arsenal Football Club
- LFC for Liverpool Football Club.
What does CF mean in Soccer?
Club de Futbol is the Spanish acronym for Football Club. For instance, La Liga giants Real Madrid CF are among the most well-known teams in the world of soccer. There’s also FC Barcelona, Getafe CF, and Atletico Madrid CF, amongst others.
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Summary
In soccer, FC stands for Football Club, while SC stands for Soccer Club, as explained at the beginning of this article. Some MLS teams prefer the abbreviation SC over FC.
The abbreviation became very popular and began to be used in other countries such as Spain, where the equivalent in Spanish is Club de Futbol.
Major League Soccer (MLS) has faced an uphill battle in establishing the sport of soccer (football) in the United States since its inaugural season in 1996. The league is now gaining fans all over the world and attracting some of Europe’s best legs.
In the United States, the term “soccer” refers primarily to association football, and Major League Soccer (MLS) allows teams to keep the tradition alive by using the letters FC in their names.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.