HDR image of inside Qwest Field from the Southwest corner during a MLS Seattle Sounders FC Match. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Back in April, Terminus Legion, an Atlanta club supporting soccer and championing the addition of an MLS team here, announced that Falcons owner Arthur Blank would be bringing one to the metro area.

But what will the team be called?

Terminus has whittled the list of suggested names to nine. The finalists are:

– Bantams. Terminus Legion’s website says, “Bantams are small chickens noted for their aggressive nature. This would allow the team to embrace a scrappy, tenacious form of play.”

– Black Harts.  Terminus says, “Hart is the Old English word for a stag or a deer. The southeast is known for having a large deer population, and it is not uncommon to see them in Metro Atlanta.”

– Empire. Terminus says, “Georgia is known (unofficially) as the Empire State of the South, which is meant to represent the desire to be the leaders in industrial and economic development in the Southeast.”

– Firebirds. Terminus says, “While many of us completely dread even the slightest chance of being called the Phoenix, a description of a phoenix could work, in the name Firebirds.”

– Kings. Terminus says, “In addition to superiority, the Kings name would bring incredible heraldic imagery with crowns, scrolls, and a legitimate reason to have a shield shape. It would also bring a nice nod to Atlanta’s civil rights history.”

– Locomotives. Terminus says, “Atlanta was founded as Terminus, the end of the line of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which connected Savannah to the Midwest. Atlanta was the railroad hub for the South during the Antebellum era.”

– Railrunners. Terminus says, “The railroad history of Atlanta is distinctive and strong. A team name in conjunction with those rails would really tie into the city.”

– Resurgents. Terminus says, “The beauty of this name is two-fold. First, it is not a common word, so much so that Chrome spell-check underlines it, but it is still immediately understandable. So we could own the name but wouldn’t need to explain it. Secondly, the meaning is perfect. A version of Atlanta’s Latin motto ‘Resurgens,’ the team name would mean those who rise again.”

– No name. Terminus says, “There are some who feel that a team name could be an organic process and point to the EPL which is full of teams simply named after their city.”

Have a preference? Make it known by casting your vote. The deadline is Jan. 11.

To vote, click here.