Emerald City Supporters

May 19, 2012 – The Day We Take Back America’s Hat

ECGooner — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:18:03 +0000

These plans are currently firm, but are subject to change if circumstances dictate. Please check back here often, and also monitor the Away Thread (http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=17596) — Please take your questions, comments, and suggestions there. If any changes are made, this OP will be updated.

If you selected Tacoma as your pickup location:

Be at the pickup location SR512/I5 Park and Ride (address: 10617 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma) NO LATER than 6:00 am. The buses will leave promptly at 6:15 and they WILL leave without you.

If you selected Seattle as your pickup location:

Be at the Northgate Park & Ride (address: 10200 1st Ave. NE) near NE 103rd St. & 1st Ave NO LATER than 6:30 am. The buses will leave promptly at 7:00 and they WILL leave without you.

If you selected Bellingham as your pickup location:

Be at the Copper Hog (address: 1327 North State Street) out front NO LATER than 9:00 am. The buses will leave promptly at 9:15 and they WILL leave without you.

If you are driving up on your own:

The buses will be parking in ImPark Lot #315. We are entering at Gate C. YOU NEED TO BE AT ImPark Lot #315 BY 12:00 TO ENSURE YOU ARE ABLE TO PICK UP YOUR TICKET. ECS is going in as a group, and tickets will not be left at will-call. Give yourself plenty of time for traffic and try to get there a little early. You WILL be able to pick up your ticket at 11:00 if you wish to enter BC Place early to watch the UCL final. BlueEyedBhuddist will be passing out tickets from 11-12 at the parking location. Parking in the lot is $10 per car. You aren’t required to park there, but you might as well.

YOU MUST BRING YOUR PASSPORT/PASSPORT CARD/ENHANCED DL

The buses will NOT be making a food stop. You might get hungry. Bring food to eat. Bring drinks, too. NO GLASS.

We will arrive at BC Place at 12:00 pm. When you get off the bus, you will line up in an orderly fashion and collect your match ticket.

We are then passing through security together and entering the stadium. We will be in sections 218-221. All seats are to be treated as GA. AT NO TIME IS ANYONE PERMITTED TO LEAVE THE BUS/TICKET/ENTRANCE AREA. We don’t want anyone getting separated from the group and winding up in trouble.

It is always good protocol on away trips to keep your scarf tied at all times. I cannot stress how important it is to do so for a derby. x100.

Match starts at 2:00 pm. Go mental for 90+ minutes and never let up. NEVER LET UP. Don’t drink so much that you get sloppy and give anything less than your best. YOUR BEST IS EXPECTED. You should work to exceed that.

We’ll be held in the section for 20-30 minutes post match. Do not wander off. Do not attempt to leave. There is safety in numbers and we will walk out in numbers.

Get back on the bus (same bus, please) and we’ll head home. ETA in Seattle is 9 pm or so. Tacoma will be a bit later. Even travel monkeys have to respect the time space continuum.

You should expect that you will be under surveillance at all times while at BC Place and conduct yourselves accordingly. There will be security everywhere that you can see. There will be plainclothes officers everywhere that you may or may not see. There will be cameras trained on you wherever you are that you will not see. BEHAVE AS THOUGH YOU ARE BEING WATCHED, BECAUSE YOU ARE.

Up the Sounders! Up the ECS! Give more than your best, go fucking mental, and bring home 3 points and a head start on the Cascadia Cup!

Talk about Saturday’s fixture here: http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18754

Here’s the ECS travel link for those of you that are going to the match:
http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=18869

Portland Away Tickets On-Sale 5/20 @ 8pm

Rumors are true! ECS tickets for PDX Away will go on sale this Sunday 5/20 8pm. Members only, one per member, bus/ticket combo only. $85

Check here for more info: http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=18891

Hosted by Emerald City Supporters

Seattle: The Atlantic Crossing (6508 Roosevelt Way, Seattle, WA (206) 729.6266)

Live Saturday, May 19th, 2012 Kickoff at 14:00

Viewing Parties Outside Seattle

Armed Services Group
Tacoma: The Office
813 Pacific Ave
Tacoma, WA
(253) 572-3222

Black Hills Militia
Olympia: O’Blarney’s Irish Pub
4411 Martin Way East
Olympia, WA 98516

253 Defiance
Puyallup: Twisted Kilt
109 Meridian Ave
Puyallup, WA

West Sound Armada
Poulsbo: Hare & Hounds Public House
18990 Front St
Poulsbo, WA 98370

509 Prime
Spokane: Tecate Grill
2503 W. Wellesley Ave
Spokane, WA 99205
(509) 327-7817

Bellingham Border Boys
Bellingham:The Copper Hog
1327 North State Street
Bellingham, WA 98225-5711
(360) 927-7888

Wenatchee: The Wildcard
560 Valley Mall Parkway
East Wenatchee, WA 98802
(509) 888-9453

Issaquah/Eastside: Field of Champions
385 NW Gilman Blvd
Issaquah, WA 98027

Viewing Parties Outside Western WA

Seattle Sounders East
New York City: Carlow East
1254 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10028
(212) 650-9118

So-Cal Sound
Manhattan Beach: Grunions Pub
1501 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-9910.

Bay-Area Supporters
San Mateo: The Swinging Door
106 East 25th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 522-9800.

The Heartland Horde
Nebraska: Zum Biergarten German Restaurant
513 Fort Crook Road North
Bellevue, NE 68005
(402) 733-1900.

Details/Times:
06:00 Tacoma Peeps Arrive for Bus
06:30 Northgate Peeps Arrive for Bus
09:00 Bellingham Folks Assembe at Copper Hog
14:00 Match Kicks Off
14:01-16:00 Go Mental!

See you on the terraces,
ECS Leadership

May 12, 2012 – Sounders Score Three, Beckerman Haircut Free

ECGooner — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:12:11 +0000

There’s a team from California that’s well known for a mantra that they’ve espoused since the sixties: Just win, baby.

For the fourth time in just twelve days, Sounders FC did just that.

With a kickoff lineup missing seven starters, the Boys in Green weathered an early assault from a wickedly fast Dallas side. Dallas were unable to find the back of the net due to some good Sounders defense, a Save of the Week candidate (and no doubt winner…) from Bryan Meredith, and a few questionable offensive decisions during the run of play. Too bad for them, as Fredy Montero came on in the second half, scoring a brace inside of three minutes (68, 71).

Fredy entered as a second half substitution for Mauro Rosales, who was unlucky himself as the Dallas keeper, the Dallas woodwork, and a Dallas defender all got in the way of a perfectly good rapid series of strikes early in the first half.

The interesting part of the story is that Montero’s goals were assisted by Cordell Cato, making his first appearance in MLS play, and Alex Caskey, also a relative newcomer. If you’d said earlier this week that our midfield was going to be Caskey, Carrasco, Rose, and Cato, only one of whom was with the squad last season, you’d have been forgiven for raising your eyebrows a bit. But the pace of all four of them showed sparks of something interesting, and you can be sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of all of them over the coming months as fixture congestion kicks in full, and US Open Cup play and CONCACAF Champions League begin again.

Another great showing yesterday was Bryan Meredith’s play. Challenged more this match than he’d been in his previous (and only) two appearances, Meredith came up huge in the 31st minute, getting fingertips on a great Sealy header to push it against the woodwork. (What are they feeding those goalposts in Dallas?) Sealy looked stunned, shaking his head walking away from the attempt.

Which brings us to Saturday. The win over Dallas yesterday pulls us even for 2nd in the West with San Jose (22 points.) Thanks to Chicago drawing RSL (0-0) for us last night, RSL is at the top of the West table with 23 points. That makes Saturday’s match a battle for the top of the table. San Jose plays Chivas on Sunday, which could make things interesting for all three sides.

There’s plenty of bad blood between RSL and Sounders FC throughout their history, culminating in last year’s playoff series, where the Boys fell just short after a great season. But that’s 2011. This is 2012.

Real Salt Lake sat US National keeper Nick Rimando against Chicago last night with a shoulder injury. He is expected to return for Saturday. Fabian Espindola also missed last night’s game, remaining in Salt Lake City with his wife and newborn son (awwwwww….) Javier Morales left the match with an injury which is to be evaluated today, but is not thought to be serious. Kyle Beckerman picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, but through the League’s “Good Behavior Incentive” will be available on Saturday. Beckerman (He of one of the worst haircuts in the league…) will be forced to serve a one-game suspension upon receipt of his next yellow card. Instead, they should shave his head. In public. I would pay for this.

What does all of this mean? Real Salt Lake looks to be largely healthy and in one piece for the matchup on Saturday, unquestionably Sounders FC’s first real test of the season. RSL also has a bye week after this match, so there’s no reason for Jason Kreis to rest anyone. (Sportsmanship Comedy Clip, anyone?)

Are the Boys in Green as good as their record shows? Some critics claim that they’ve been the recipients of good circumstance, beneficial scheduling, poor opposing coaching decisions…

Well, there’s certainly a way to shut all that up.

Just win, baby.

Vancouver Away – May 19th, 2012 – ON SALE NOW!!!

In a little more than a month 600 ECSers will be making their way to Vancouver for the first match of the 2012 Cascadia Cup tournament. Tickets went on sale April 8th at 8pm and they’ve been going fast. As of press-time we only have about 200 tickets remaining! Depending on where you will be picked up from the bus ride and match ticket are a tidy $70 (based on Seattle pick-up). Add $10 if you’re south of Seattle and subtract $10 if you’re north.

This year we’ve listened to our members and have added a ticket-only option in addition to bus-only, a family bus and our typical drink and sing bus. If you’re only looking for the match ticket it’ll cost you about $35.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to the ECS Store and get stuck in! This trip will not be one you’ll be happy to miss!

ECS Shop – http://www.weareecs.com/shop/

2012 Membership Kits – Sold In Stadium and Online

We’re making it easier than ever to join our ranks in 2012! We began selling memberships in the stadium March 7th against Santos Laguna (from 90 minutes to 15 minutes to kickoff). Thanks to all those who made it out and helped us test our new system and we patient while waiting in lines. This week we’ll have a few more tweaks that should help smooth out the process! Please note that during the months of March and April we will only be selling ECS memberships at the merchandise table. We will not have extra t-shirts or scarfs.

If you can’t make it by the table to pick up your gear we’ll ship it to you. Pricing is $30 if you want to purchase in the stadium and $40 for us to mail it to you (note: all purchases in the stadium are credit card only; we will not accept cash at CenturyLink Field). As in years past all kits include a shirt, scarf and membership card.

Gear will be able for purchase from 90 minutes before kick to 15 minutes before kick. The ECS membership and information table will be conveniently located on the 100-level concourse behind section 122.

Head here for more info: http://www.weareecs.com/join/

Where to Watch Outside Seattle:

The So-Cal Sound is meeting at Grunions Pub in Manhattan Beach – 1501 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. (310) 545-9910.

Bay-Area Supporters are meeting at Danny Coyle’s in San Francisco. 668 Haight Street San Francisco, CA 94117. (415) 558-8375.

The Heartland Horde is meeting at Zum Biergarten German Restaurant in Bellevue, Nebraska. 513 Fort Crook Road North, Bellevue, NE 68005. (402) 733-1900.

Talk about Saturday’s fixture here: http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18676

Recap:

PREFUNK @ Fuel, Temple Billiards or McCoy’s Firehouse

Fuel
164 S. Washington St
Seattle, WA 98104
206-405-FUEL
21+ only

Temple Billiards
126 South Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98104-2821
206-682-3242
21+

McCoy’s Firehouse Bar
173 S. Washington St
Seattle, WA 98104
206-652-5797
All ages friendly

Details/Times:
16:00 Find your pub
18:00 March to the Match
17:00 Kickoff

See you on the terraces,
ECS Leadership

May 9, 2012 – It’s not Ghonorrea it’s the Burn (FC Dallas)

ECGooner — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:09:39 +0000

Three matches in seven days. Nine points. Frankly, it doesn’t get any better than that. Well, unless you consider that three of those points came against LA.

Against Philadelphia on Saturday, the juggling of the lineup continued. First MLS starts for Andy Rose (who was lucky not to be ejected after two bad tackles inside the first thirty minutes) and Bryan Meredith (aka the goalkeeper who gave us the hardest time during the 2011 US Open Cup tournament, in the match against Kitsap Pumas).

Meredith finished the LA match on Wednesday after Michael Gspurning left at the half with a hip injury which will likely keep him out for 2-3 weeks. So for his 135+ minutes played this season (and his MLS career…), Meredith has kept a clean sheet.

This week has the boys in green traveling down to Dallas where they’ll be facing a much depleted side. Red cards for Daniel Hernandez (he of the flying elbows) and striker Blas Perez removes a lot of the fangs from the FC Dallas attack. Truthfully, the straight red given to Perez seemed harsh, as I’m pretty sure that he didn’t even see the Colorado defender when he went up to trap the ball. Even so, the flying karate kick nature of the foul probably warranted the card.

Brek Shea sat out on Sunday (turf toe, exhaustion), but is expected to be available against Seattle. Even so, should Shea start, the offensive threat could be seriously narrowed.

Seattle traditionally plays well against Dallas (2-1-3 MLS, 3-1-3 All Competitions) and against a weakened Dallas side, the Boys in Green should feel pretty confident going in to Wednesday’s match.

If you’re not traveling down to Dallas (and it sounds like a lot of you aren’t…) our viewing party in Seattle is at Atlantic Crossing. Can’t get to the AC? Plenty of other viewing parties around Washington and the rest of the country.

GET IN.

Talk about Saturday’s fixture here: http://www.weareecs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18275

Here’s the ECS travel link for those of you that are going to the match:
http://www.weareecs.com/travel/chi2012/

The match starts at 730 CT so the plan is to tab out and be ready for the bus by 4 (bus will show at 4:30). For more information please view the page!

Hosted by Emerald City Supporters

Seattle: The Atlantic Crossing (6508 Roosevelt Way, Seattle, WA (206) 729.6266)

Live Saturday, April 28th, 2012 Kickoff at 17:30