Sounders-Timbers: We came to drink, We came to sing

A fair-and-balanced report, more or less, with a few caveats:

1) It was a *home* match for the Sounders but the Timbers Army outnumbered the home team fan section considerably.

2) Timbers Army road trips involve so much drinking (there were kegs on the buses, a long layover at Tiki Bob's before the match) that the group is rarely in full voice.

3) There's no leader for the Timbers Army, but the folks who travel are the die-hards and they know all the songs. There is a *capo* who begins chants just to keep the noise coming, but it's easy in a group of 125 or less for him/her to get lost in the game/drink and forget to cue up a new song. At home, there are several people who fulfill the role.

3) To a *man* the Timbers Army may have been bedecked in Cinco de Mayo regalia, but there are a lot of *women* in the group -- and hot, too.

For a real comparison, Seth should visit PGE Park on Friday, the only date the Sounders are scheduled to play in Portland. As he will learn, there *is* no comparison.

you made no mention that Qwest security egged on the Timbers Fans with confrontations and the policy of only searching fans from Portland and not anyone supporting the Sounders. Funny when Portland comes to town its also their biggest crowd. Feel free to come to Portland and experience everything first hand.

Maybe a blog on that type of treatment to traveling fans will be something for the future.

Stay classy? Yeah stay hip Mr. Seattlest!

bullshit, the ECS threw just as much shit on the field as the Timbers Army.

Ahhh the art of denial, Seattle style.

Seattle pricks.

Man, this guy sure is a "special" correspondent...strange how you didn't mention that your "Ultras", and that is a term to use very loosely (much like correspondent in this case but why quibble?), were outnumbered two to one by supporters from a city 3+ hours away. That says some really great things about the Seattle support. And as far the Army "losing it's voice" when the boys in green fell behind...well, that may be true. It's tough on the voice to try and fill that empty echo chamber you lads call a stadium, the human vocal cords do have thier limits, after all. By the way, were those cardboard cut outs in the stands or real people? I think cardboard would've made a little more noise...you know, with the wind blowing through all those empty seats. So, in closing...crap security, crap fans, and crap article. Con-crap-ulations!

Actually Darrel was at the front of the gates and he ordered specifically to search only folks with sombreros or folks that were wearging Portland attire. The five folks in front of me were not searched and I was not and the ECS folks behind me were not searched.

I honestly don't understand why Portland supporters have to point out at every possible opportunity that TA is much bigger than the ECS. Everybody knows that. ECS certainly knows that, and people are working hard to make ECS grow. My point is, if TA thinks they are so much better than ECS, why do they feel like they have to post about it all over the internet. Why can't you let what you do in the stands talk for itself? You brought 150+ people to Seattle. That's impressive, and nobody can deny that. What you do on the internet is not as impressive. In fact, it makes you look bad. Looking at this as an outsider on the inside in Seattle, it seems as if a lot of you in Portland have some kind of an inferiority complex – and when you do something better than Seattle, you have to make absolutely sure nobody misses it. Well, you don't have to. Anybody who cares about soccer notices that you've got something good going on down there. Your style of presenting yourselves on the internet makes people only think less of you.

I'm also amused by the complaints about security at Qwest. Equal treatment? Come on! You're supposed to be ultras. You cannot expect equal treatment! I'm surprised that they even let you use the same entrance as the general public. That would be just out of the question in Europe, including my native country. You'd have special treatment all the way, including security check as you step out of the bus. That's the way it should be here too. Otherwise they are just sitting idly by and waiting for something to happen. But I guess this country is just not used to the ultras culture, and does not know how to deal with it. Instead the security does stupid things like confiscating small scissors (from an ECS member).

Oh, that's the other thing that amuses me. You're so easily provoked into arguments with Sounders supporters – and it always seems to converge into the statement that TA is bigger than ECS. True. But what does that have to do with anything in the original article?

If I were in TA, I wouldn't feel any need to comment on anything that ECS does. You'd think that a group of your size would find a group of the size of ECS quite insignificant and not worth it to bother commenting on whatever they do or say.

Why are you going in your gear or to the match? You see unlike in Seattle we actually don't threaten away supporters with guns and we generally leave you alone except for the ocassional song sent your way.

And A - we talk shit about the ECS cause it's called a rivalry and in a rivalry you make fun of your opposing fans. No granted this is more like a older brother patting a small little brother on the head and laughing at them but still that is what you do in a rivalry. And on top of that I have to point out we are responding to a shit article written by a shit Seattle reporter.

Sometimes you need to 'blend in' to get the job done.

I just have to make a comment about Timber fans not threatening visiting sounder fans. I was at a playoff match a couple years ago where the Sounders beat the Timbers, and the Portland security asked us to stay behind for awhile because there where some Timber fans outside ready to start a fight with the few Sounder fans who came to see the game. Maybe things have changed and I hope they have. But I whenever I go to Portland to see a game, I sometimes consider it a risk to my wellbeing.