Brougham Times for March, 2010

March is finally here! The season is starting, and I don't know about you but I am more than amped! No more talk, no more preparation, just time for action! But before the game on the 25th, there are few other details to take care of. Foremost in most of our minds is the march 11th game against P*rtland. It's all GA so make sure to come on down to the South End and we'll show the scum what real support is. We also have a preseason away game march 6th against the scum north, Vancouver. The ECS will have buses and tickets to this game so check out the travel page for more info. The last thing before the season starts is the St Patric's day parade. Bring a friend or three, have a beer or six, and march downtown singing and shouting at the top of your lungs. The perfect warm up to the season.

-The Emerald City Supporters

Editor: Sean is one of our resident Caops and wanted to get everybody onto the same page for the start of the season.

I would like to expand a bit on what Robby Branom spoke about at the ECS off season party back in January.

He talked about what we as Capos are trying to accomplish. He mentioned
that we are not there to dictate whether you have a good time or not.
We are there to bring the various groups of people standing in the GA
with the ECS together as a single entity supporting the Sounders. We do
that by giving directions when it comes to tifo displays, keeping the
chants and songs going when the group seems to be at a lull, and
keeping the GA on the same page.

I know that some people are
unfamiliar with this type of support. It is not that they are wrong to
want to support the Sounders in a different way, but if we want to make
Qwest the most feared MLS stadium to play at for the opposition, being
on the same page is a must. This group mentality covers everything from
following the Capos songs and chants, to not being upset when the flags
and banners block your view.

We know that there are smaller
groups forming within the GA and ECS. This is a good thing. That said,
we feel that everyone in the GA (121-123) should be following the ECS
Capos. If everyone starts to do their own thing, the GA will not be as
strong.
There are a few easy things to remember to make The Brougham End the best it can be.

1)
Follow the Capos when it comes to songs and chants. Sing loud! Don't
just mouth the words or stand there like you are scarred to sing and
chant. There are very few good singers in the ECS (I am not one of
them) so there is no reason to be embarrassed.
2) When it comes to
organized tifo choreography, please do not put up banners or flags that
are not apart of the choreography. This makes the choreo look bad, and
it makes us all look unorganized. Do not get upset if someone asks you
to put down a flag or banner during a choreo if your flag or banner is
not apart of the choreo.

If you find yourself reading this and
not agreeing with any part of it I would encourage you to find a way to
switch your GA tickets so that you are not upset when you view is
blocked or if you are being asked to sing/chant.
We want everyone
to enjoy themselves, and now that we are in our second season the
people that were not happy in The Brougham End in 2009 have no excuses.
To those of you that complained about the flags in the GA. If you did
not learn from last season and you did not purchase tickets in another
section for 2010…well then you have no reason to be upset this season
when the same thing happens. If you act out and physically grab the
flag or the flag waver, this season you will be asked to leave the
section.

The Brougham End is the area of Qwest that was set
aside for active supporters. We are not able to do what we do elsewhere
in the stadium. In 2010 we are going to kindly ask that parents not
bring young children to the front few rows of 122. There are a number
of reasons for this request. There are plenty of seats in The Brougham
End that will allow them to see the match (aisle seats, the seats in
121/123 behind the camera wells, etc…) and not be right in the middle
of what some might consider offensive language (when children are
present) and potentially dangerous activity (the pogo). This will also
allow them to still be apart of the activities and atmosphere that goes
on in The Brougham End.
We want to see more active supporters in the front of 122 in the 2010 season.
I
know that this might not sit well with everyone. That said, we are not
asking parents to remove themselves and their kids completely from GA.
Just be aware that the front of 122 is not be best place for young
children to be and that everyone will have a better time if they are a
little more considerate of each other.

My intention with this letter was not to upset anyone. It was to get everyone on the same page.
I think every request in it is reasonable and for the overall good of The Brougham End.
I am open to discussion on any of the content of this letter.
I can be contacted via Personal Message on the Forums at http://www.WeAreECS.com (username – Ultra666)

Thank you for your time, and UP THE ECS!

• ECS
  is going to designate a trip planner for every single away match this
  season. For all matches we'll coordinate a group ticket purchase using
  the new ECS Store, so you can securely order there and know you'll be
  with other Sounders supporters.
• We're urging all ECS members try and attend the trip to Salt Lake City if possible; it's our designated group "West" trip.
• We'll
  also be designating an "East" trip (not yet decided but coming soon),
  and the CONCACAF Champions League away game as our big trips that we
  really want everyone to try and attend.
• With the new ECS Store,
  ticket ordering for each away game is much easier and more convenient
  for ALL fans to join our group seating section. Order and pay via the
  store, and then the ECS Travel Planners will get the tickets via group
  purchase- often saving a few bucks per ticket for you that way.
• We have recategorized our forums for trip planning discussion.
• We've also created a single source for anyone, ECS or not, to use as the central station for travel information: http://www.WeAreECS.com/Travel.
• We
  are open to any/all SSFC fans joining us for games, pre/post game
  functions, etc. ECS members will get a discount on several
  travel-related items.
• After discussion with nearly two dozen
  airlines it looks like fan charters are unworkable due to excessive
  costs. The one possibility for a charter is to the CCL away game,
  depending on location and level of interest.
• We have negotiated
  a discount of 7% for all paid ECS members on our hometown airline,
  Alaska Air, to destinations that Alaska serves. This means 10 out of 15
  away trips will have discounted airfare available.

Editor: Brady is one of the founding members of the SCS and has had a large part in bringing the ECS down south.

I've lived in LA for the last 10 years, but my heart never left Seattle.
I only discovered ECS by googling "the brougham end" when I saw the
rail banner during the opening match. Uhoh…the 2009 season opener was
3/19, and the first game in LA was 4/18. I knew I wanted to be a part
of the action when the club rolled through HDC. I checked the boards
and found Simon [Westbrom1976] had already made a thread scouting for LA-area
supporters. I also realized that it was going to take major legwork to
avoid a lame experience of a handful of fans in green scattered all
throughout the stadium vs the goats. I called the chivas ticket rep and
asked if I could block 20 tickets and have people buy them individually
from her (huge). I went nuclear on every Sounders forum & blog I
could find, hoping to find 20 people, so I didn't look like an ass. We
ended up with 84 at that game – and SCS was born! We went bigger with
the 2nd game in June vs Chivas with about 100 – and about 170 vs galaxy
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbvksPbkZBA).

This year, we are currently 43 members strong on the facebook
group, with an awesome season opener viewing event at Barney's Beanery
in Santa Monica on 3rd st promenade (Thurs 3/25/10). If you are – or
know – a Sounders supporter in the LA area, please direct them to the
SoCal Sound facebook group and SoCal Sound section of the ECS forum. We
have big things in the works for the 7/4 game vs Galaxy – they hate us,
and now we're do our best to earn it! Check the ECS store regularly to
see when 4th of July tickets @ galaxy go up for sale, because we expect
to sell out our allotment! Catch you grill-side on the 4th!

-Brady (seadoc on ECS)
SoCal Sound

" I have decided to run for the SSFC Alliance Council because I am a passionate Seattle Sounders supporter and active ECS member. For those who don't know me I am a stay at home mother of three with a knack for making TIFO. Last
season, my husband and I opened up our home, aka, Null's Sweatshop, so
our group could produce some of the most fantastic displays in the MLS. I am a season ticket holder that gives 110% at every match.
If
you want an accessible and effective liason between ECS and the
sounders front office that will nuture and maintain our standing as the
premiere supporters group in the MLS, then vote Lori Ross. Up the Sounders! Up the ECS! "

Voting is simple and easy: Head on down to the ECS forums and see who are the endorsed candidates, go to the voting website, log in, select ballot "Sounders FC Council Member Nomination", and watch democracy in action.

Play List: Dave a.k.a. Little Blood

Each month we are asking one supporter about what music they are currently listening to. This month it is Dave a.k.a. Little Blood who has pr us that NO ONE will be killed on our CCL away trip.

Robby and I capo'd the
Kansas City Wizards game, Stephen King scored the Houston overtime
winner during The Blue and The Green (the horto adaptation I composed)
and the flare duct-taped to my leg was the one ECS danced around after
the Portscum win. The last two were happy coincidences, but I traveled
to DC for two reasons. 1) I wasn't about to miss the first championship
of the MLS Sounders after attending every Open Cup game, and 2) If my
lyrics say "We will follow you wherever you may go," I've gotta fucking
show up. So show up I did, and in skinhead fashion at that.

"What
the Fuck? Where's your hair?" were Robby's first words as I was picked
up and whisked to Sea Tac Airport. "Shaved it," I said. Sadly, these
same words would greet me again in Washington DC as Anna, my sexy
traveling companion, lamented her inability to "grab and hold on."

David, Robby, and I had the same flights into DC; we departed Seattle
11 pm, transferred at 6:30 in Detroit, and landed at 8:40 am in DC.
Couldn't sleep a wink due to the adrenaline.

We took the Penn
Line south to WADC Union Station, boarded a Redline Metro and got off
at the Gallaudet stop. We checked into the Courtyard Washington
Marriott a mere 100 yards away, and the huge King-size bed that was
waiting. The first night out Anna and I hit up the Odeon Cafe in Dupont
Circle; their portabella mushrooms were to die for. You could tell that
everyone working was family and the disruptive Italian kids running
around was a cute touch. Afterward we stopped off at the Brickskeller,
famous for having over 1,000 bottle of beer on their list, and drank
some brewskies before hitting the upstairs for cask ale. This was our
first time in Washington DC, and we spent the late night navigating the
monuments of our nation's capitol: the Lincoln memorial, Korean War
Memorial, WW 2 Memorial, and the Ellipse. We ended our stroll at the
White House, and at the sounding of the Midnight bells I turned to Anna
and kissed her senseless.

Tuesday morning we checked out of our
hotel and rode the Red Line to the Omni Shoreham, our hotel for nights
two and three, rooming with the generous Dan McCooey. Had brunch at a
famous DC spot Kramerbooks, hit up the International Spy Museum, and
then dropped by the Capitol Brewing Company. Later that evening we
dressed up and partied at the exclusive 18th Street Lounge run by the
Thievery Corporation, before heading out to RFD to meet up with the
early ECS contingent. Some pints of Guinness later we all strolled to
DC's Chinatown for some laughs and food before cabbing it back to the
hotel.

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009, dawned, a beautiful
matchday full of promise. In the morning we decided to check out the
National History Smithsonian and the Hope Diamond, and then met
everyone at the afternoon White House photo op. A mini-march to RFD
later, everyone was drinking ECS style. The wings were amazing, Ayinger
Celebator was the most popular beer, and every time a Sounders fan
joined us a huge cheer went up. We took over that bar completely, and
the one DC United fan who dropped by for a pint couldn't believe his
eyes when he walked in (and promptly walked out).

Then, as Paul
so eloquently put it, "We fucking took it to them. From RFD through the
streets of DC to the Metro Center subway stop, we sang and chanted with
a walking group of at least 150 people. Heads turned, traffic stopped,
people pulled out their cameras and were like "WTF"?"

The Metro
ride was all blue and green, and we marched to the top level of RFK
behind our ECS away banner. By good fortune I happened to be the first
supporter and as the section tunnel opened up to the expanse of RFK my
gaze first fell on our boys. I stopped, drew a great breath, and
bellowed as loud as I possibly could, "ALL HAIL THE KING!" The Sounders
players looked up, and Levesque gave a cheeky wave before the wave of
ECS and Sounders fans entered together, and once settled, wasted no
time getting down to business with a massive rendition of "We're Gonna
Win the US Open Cup!".

Paul got everyone set up with confetti
for goal celebrations and streamers for the opening throw, Dan went in
search of the elusive 2$ beers and hotdogs, and those of us in the
front row spotted Russ hanging out around Barra Brava. As he put it,

"It's not like it's fucking Old Trafford now is it?" Pre-match went by
in a flash, and then it was time for the national anthem. In retrospect
I should've realized we'd be the only ones singing it since Barra Brava
was founded mostly by Bolovian immigrants, but Robby, Dan, and I had a
hell of a time trying to keep the Sounders supporters from jumping
ahead of the DC singer. At the end we shouted "the home of the…
SOUNDERS!!!" It echoed so loudly, and was such a weird dichotomy; us
traveling to our nation's capital, and yet we were the ones trumpeting
nationalism. Then the match started, the streamers flew overhead and
down into the seats below, and we began "The Bluest Skies".

We
had our first shot at goal at 9:50, when Gonzalez received a throw in,
streaked through the midfield, threaded on the ground to Zakuani, who
in turn had a deft pass to Montero. Fredy blasted the ball straight at
Wicks though, and everyone in the upper decks of RFK moaned in agony.
At 18:40, Le Toux stripped Fred of a ball, and sent Ljungberg a perfect
ground ball, only for Premier League experience and skill to desert him
as Freddy sent it straight at Wicks. In the 44th minute, Tyson Wahl
collected a cleared ball and sent it wide to Le Toux. He calmly looked
up and sent a perfect cross into Montero, who infuriatingly sent it
straight at Wick's hands. As halftime was signaled the bags of unthrown
confetti looked as if they wouldn't be used, and our inability to score
had now evolved into a full blown curse. ECS represented the entire
half though, with Take Em All around thirty-fifth minute the loudest
chant. We moved the cement upper deck in RFK close to six inches while
pogo-ing to Seattle Sounders Ole,

The 2nd half got off to a
woeful start as Vagenas' first touch sparked a counter, and Gonzalez
took his first yellow to end the threat. Barra Brava and Screaming
Eagles started their signature chant "Shit on those Bastards Below,"

motioning up to us, and we returned fire with middle fingers raised. If
I remember correctly the response was "Fuck off, Fuck off, Fuck off you
DC Cuuuu-unts!" As the game progressed, and Kasey Keller saved a few
troublesome shots, our support grew louder. Then, out of nowhere
Sebastien Le Toux, Mr. Open Cup, had ridiculous amounts of space as he
dribbled across the midfield. He crossed a perfect floater to Zakuani's
head on the left, and that was redirected ahead of Ljungberg who raced
to fire a shot at Wicks. Montero collected the rebound and slammed it
home at the beginning of the 67th minute.

Pandemonium. Most
everyone remembered to throw the bags of green and blue confetti that
had been lying around just waiting for a goal, and we all were jumping
and screaming with joy, crossing rows of seats to celebrate with
friends and strangers alike. Scarves were raised, flags went up, and
like most I missed the Wick's stomp. Once everyone realized play had
stopped, we got to see Wick's get Red carded. The glorious feeling of a
goal was amplified knowing we now had a man advantage. To thoroughly
take the piss out of the DC Supporters, we chanted "Wicks Sucks Dicks,"
and turned the heat up on our chants.

"Le Toux's sprung a
leak… to win it… Levesque…. Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!! The
French Connection! Though the recipient's from Maine!" Later on I'd
find out this was the announcer's call of our second goal, and it
perfectly captures how I felt when Le Toux battled for his assist and
found his longtime collaborator unmarked. Absolute delirium resulted,
and when a few DC United fans decided to leave early to beat the
traffic, we responded with a rendition of "Na na na nah, Na na na nah,
hey, hey, hey, GOODBYE!"

Finally after five minutes of tense
non-stop pressure and a DC United goal, the whistle blew, the players
and coaches began celebrating, and we all went fucking nuts. From that
point on the ECS chanted until they turned the lights out on us at RFK.
We had ourselves a 45 minute party, basking in the afterglow of
victory. We showered our boys with ECS songs from the rafters of RFK,
supporting them until the very end, and then left to drink away the
remainder of the night back at RFD.

Simply attending a Cup Final
was a privilege, and winning one was an unbelievable experience. The
fact that it happened away only amplifies the brilliance, and leads to
my closing remarks. Traveling to support the Sounders away feels
completely different than supporting at RBP, and the bonds that are
grown while in enemy territory strengthen our supporters group. If you
haven't experienced an away match yet, I implore you to put that on
your 2010 to do list. If you do, I'll be seeing you around.

Up the Sounders! Up the ECS!

- Jon "Framlingham"

Next moth well have a couple games under our belts, a note from the Bellingham Border Boys, a look back at the soon to be legendary trip to Vancouver and much more…

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