By Shawn Wheeler

Let’s be honest, Saturday was one of the best days in club history.  The introduction of Clint Dempsey as the Sounders newest designated player, shattering the record contracts for both the club and the league, left many of us in tears.  As he unzipped the sweatshirt, the fans of Seattle got the first glimpse of Deuce in rave green, wearing his traditional #2.  And the deafening roar of approval went up, both for the introduction of Deuce but also as a sign of appreciation for the clubs spending habits.

But that was just the beginning.

After the presentation at midfield, Dempsey made his way around the field and climbed atop our capo stand.  This was his introduction to the supporters, to the die-hards, to those of us that live and die with the club.  Someone put an ECS scarf around his shoulders, a welcoming gesture to the man who will join us as the face of the franchise.  As the national anthem ended and the US Soccer captain stood soaking it up, we deployed our choreo; a display designed, constructed, and painted in less than 4 hours the night before with little more than a hashtag and “confirmed” rumor that we had indeed signed the superstar.  #DempseyWatch was no more, #DempseyFound was our reality.  We stood in tears, hugged and celebrated as much for the present moment as the promise it provides for our future.  Expectations are through the roof now, for both Clint and the club.  And now that it’s a done deal, Clint knows that we’ll be with him every day as we fight together to get some silverware.

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Clint Dempsey: Captain America, Deuce Face, Robert Green Abuser.

SEATTLE SOUNDER.

In the offseason Sounders business review meeting, general manager Adrian Hanauer told Alliance Members “We’re willing to spend more money if it means an MLS cup.”  Owner Joe Roth told us that money wouldn’t be an issue in signing a big DP, “If there is a player like Keane available, we will get him.” Today, these men have put their money where their mouth is.

Rumors put the transfer fee at $9 million and salary at $8 million per year for 4 years and for that price, on a pitch near you, Clint Dempsey will be wearing rave green.  He’ll be assisting on Oba-Goals, playing alongside his long-time friend, the league’s biggest Johnson, USMNT teammate Brad Evans and US U-20 player DeAndre Yedlin.  He’ll be abusing MLS keepers and giving opposing supporters across the MLS a new view of the Deuce Face. 

The Emerald City Supporters welcomes you to Seattle Clint, you’ll find that the skies are the bluest, the grass is the greenest and the salmon are the biggest.  We trust you’ll be quite at home here. 

And yes, you can borrow the ECS yacht any time you want to go fishing.

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Why do we march? Why do we gather in Pioneer Square each matchday? Simple enough questions with simple enough answers.

We march for our club. It’s matchday after all. We sing for our lads from the terraces, why hesitate to gather and sing for them in the streets of our own city? You either bought season tickets and planned on being there anyway, or scrambled to barely get one for today. You wrote songs and you painted tifo. When it’s us versus them, it’s all for the club.

We march for our city. You can’t tell me that the Emerald City is not the most beautiful in Cascadia- if not the world. That skyline as you’re coming into town on I-5 or the ferry? Others can have a different opinion, but it’s wrong and my money is on Seattle. Ballard. Queen Anne. Cap Hill. Even Pike Place Market and those damn flying fish. I love this city, and I know you do, too.

We march for each other. Who else is going to be there when we “get to know our neighbor?” Who else pogos with you until you can’t jump anymore? Who do you grab a hold of in celebration as the boys put yet another one in the back of the net? But it’s more than just what we do on the terraces. We hangout together. Party together. Drink a shit-ton together. Why would you not want to be counted amongst your friends?

We march for tradition. The Emerald City Supporters have marched to Sounders home- and many away- matches since the founding of the ECS. Back in the USL days, twelve at times and twenty at others, we would drink our beers, gather our flags, and start singing on our way out the door. Oh, yeah, we got odd looks in Pioneer Square, but nobody knew we were trendsetters!

From the streets to the terraces, the March is our way to rally support from the pubs and bars. It’s how we announce who we are and why we’re here. It’s where we’ve been and where we’re going. It gets your voice warm and your blood pumping. Just in time for kick-off.

See you at the March!