So I had a lot of time on my hands over the Thanksgiving break from school, and with not much Quakes news to pay attention to, I compiled a rough timeline of the SGs of Quakes and the major events related to them, based on digging through past threads on this subreddit. 1996: Quakes founded as San Jose Clash. Casbah form as first Quakes SG at sometime around this date. Unnamed skinhead and barra brava SGs form but are short lived. 2003: San Jose Ultras form, due to Casbah not being very focused on vocal support. 2006: Quakes move to Houston and SGs are put on hold 2008: Quakes return to San Jose. Sometime around this date, SJU merges with a group called the 1906 (I believe they supported some now defunct SF team) to become 1906 Ultras. 2010-2013: this is what I believe were the 1906 "glory years," in which they grew to around 300 members and occupied two sections totaling 500+ fans at Buck Shaw. They were able to use smoke and had frequent tifos and streamer displays. 2013: several 1906 members get involved in a violent altercation with a Timbers fan in Portland. MLS pressures the Quakes FO to ban 1906 from many of their supporter privileges. The FO decides to do the following: The 1906 Ultras will be placed on indefinite probation. The 1906 Ultras’ travel privileges will be indefinitely suspended until further notice. The 1906 Ultras will not be allowed to utilize controlled smoke at any match. Due to the probation, language will be strictly monitored. SJU hold a protest at a home game and refuse to sing, resulting in a horrible atmosphere. I am not sure when this ban got lifted, but it certainly isn't still in place. The Faultline is formed as an alternative to 1906. 2014: 1906 becomes San Jose Ultras again. Quakes FO rejects SJU request for a bleacher section at the new Avaya Stadium. 2015: Imperio Sismico becomes the second splinter group to form off of SJU. It is alleged that their founders were former Ultras that were kicked out for violent behavior. Avaya Stadium opens, with the Faultline, Casbah and Imperio all occupying the field-level terrace. The FO wanted SJU to also occupy the terrace, but they didn't like the section for numerous reasons and chose to instead situate themselves in the upper level sections of 117 and 118. The SJU sections were packed for the first few games at Avaya, but numbers then begin to decrease for a variety of different reasons. 2016: smoke bombs are let off in the SJU sections, leading to the FO deciding to again ban SJU collectively, due to SJU refusing to name the people who set off the smoke. SJU is, among other things, banned from having flags for the rest of the season. SJU refuses to show against SKC, claiming they were confronted and threatened with jail time by security. Sometime around 2016, a fight happens in the Avaya parking lot between Imperio and SJU. Although a member of the FO has confirmed this to me, it is unclear who was at fault. 2017: before the start of the 2017 season, Imperio disbands, citing a strained relationship with the FO and the time commitment being too much for their leaders. One leader of Imperio defects to LAFC, another moves away, and the third remains active in the SJ supporters scene. 2018: SJU and the FO agree to move SJU to the lower terrace. Midway through the season, the safe standing rails are removed and a simple bleacher-like structure is built for SJU. However, fans complain that the new location makes SJU quieter. Also, the FO initiates a closed section policy that prevents SJU from growing. For an unknown reason, SJU is absent at a match against the Seattle Sounders at Avaya, in which several Peru/Seattle fans got into the terrace and celebrated with Raul Ruidiaz after his goal. SJU are also absent at the Levi's Stadium friendly against Manchester United. 2019: SJU allege that SJPD officers are harassing them at their tailgate outside Avaya and stage a silent protest for the beginning of the Portland home match. Seven SJU members are banned from the stands after a fight breaks out between SJU and a group of LAFC away fans. It is believed that the LAFC fans started the fight by spitting on and dropping drinks on SJU from above. It is claimed that SJU are prevented from displaying their tifo at the 2019 Stanford match. SJU also fails to fill both sections for the first time ever at Stanford. SJU enjoys a numbers boost near the end of the season, thanks in part to a playoff battle and Wondo joining the section while suspended. Epicentro 74 is founded. Although one of their leaders was a previous Imperio leader and they share many of the same members, they insist that they are not affiliated with the defunct group. Epicentro forms a friendship with Faultline and stand next to them for the later parts of the 2019 season. After the season, Epicentro announce that they have recieved official FO designation as an SG. Rumors emerge on Quakes forums of a new group being planned for the 2020 season. Additional rumors emerge on Instagram of a redone lower terrace.
And "the bad and the ugly" is colored to fit a misleading narrative. Didn't see the words, "Collective Punishment," which are central to the history and would be the title of any history of the Ultras I might write. No need to consult a dictionary. This little girl will explain. My daughter actually submitted this feedback at school. Not sure if I should ground her or buy her ice cream... pic.twitter.com/4v8Gjb9riv— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) May 25, 2017
trouble with that is, Don, who wants to run around looking for the culprit(s) if/when there's an incident? nobody. Ultras should be able to police their own. Better yet, the Ultras shouldn't require policing. how about an all inclusive supporter group that is welcoming of all Quakes fans, has an open door, welcoming feel and is just there to have fun and enjoy the game while enhancing the atmosphere while not stepping on toes and avoiding conflict & tension with our FO, other SG's, etc... ...I don't pretend to understand the nature of the problems with the Ultras, I've always found them to be cool, starting with Dan....but there seems to be a cloud of controversy and problems that follow them, season after season. Is that a few bad apples that join looking for drunken rowdiness? People that are interested in conflict and confrontation? Shouldn't our SG be able to weed out those folks, create a set of rules and impose discipline? And if not, should we ask our FO to do the policing, or just turn a blind eye and say kids will be kids? I really feel like it should be up to the Ultras themselves to look after themselves, stay on good terms with the FO, other fans, etc. I mean, we've had years of this, mostly good clean fun and tremendous team support, but a fair bit of nonsense too, can we cut out the nonsense, keep what makes the Ultras great and get on with it? Nobody should have to police a bunch of people who are behaving badly at a soccer game because they've had too much to drink and want to start trouble. that all just seems to be completely ridiculous and something that everyone would want squashed lest our Ultras get painted with that broad brush you're referencing.
Imo, this "history" of SJ supporters groups is just a thinly disguised attempt to denigrate the Ultras. And to be clear, I am not an Ultra, nor have I been a member of any of the other groups mentioned. And what about Club Quake? Weren't they technically a supporters group?
we need the Ultras...we just need the best of the Ultras, the singing, the flags, the beautiful tifo...and not the extra-circulars and controversy that have no place...it would be nice if we could have an honest conversation about this stuff without a bunch of defensiveness. It would be great to hear from Dan, I wonder if he's ever in here? I feel like there's been a ton of goodwill for the Ultras despite whatever shenanigans have plagued them...I don't know the motivation of the thread starter but it seems we should be able to have a conversation about this, regardless...it impacts the game day experience for all who attend and reflects the spirit of San Jose as a community. If I'm Capo I want the feedback and want to be better and want to avoid conflict and tension and behavior that puts me at odds with others. Ultras are an important part of the Quakes family, no less important and no more important than any Quakes fan.
This is a fair criticism and was voiced on Reddit. I edited the Reddit thread to show more of the good.
This is exactly the point I've been trying to make. I literally posted a thread calling for an "honest discussion" that was only met with defensiveness and resulted in me being banned from the group. This makes me think the Ultras are not interested in conversation but I hope they will prove me wrong. If Dan or "Proud Smurf" are reading this, I would love to have a productive conversation. Can't we all put aside our egos and differences in order to come together and improve upon the current supporters situation in San Jose? We're all Quakes fans here and should all have the common goal of making Avaya a fortress.
an honest discussion, seems to me, would have to begin with a conversation on the Ultras supporter culture, how is San Jose modeled? How do people join? What are the rules? How are problems in the ranks handled? Very basic questions, anyone know? Is there something inherent in the culture that thrives on conflict and being victimized, a pervasive us against them mentality that goes beyond the game on the field? What is the basic nature of the Ultras, fun loving soccer fanatics or rabble rousers who are locked in conflict with enemies, real or imagined?
I would say that Club Quake was more of a social group - it was more about the tailgate and things outside the stadium than support inside the stadium. There were some exceptional tailgates on the grass at Spartan Stadium.
In 2007, Ultras who lived in or nearish to SF became the 1906 Ultras to support the “California Victory” who played a Kezar. I think that most of those 1906 folks were before and were again later SJ Ultras. I might be wrong on, but I did hang with Victory 1906 Ultras once or twice and many of those folks are now Ultras. Our FO have never been friendly to the SGs. Never. They got on the Casbah early for “naughty” language. They gave the Ultras a hard time when they first started. They way over reacted to the shit in Portlandia. (I should probably eat some of the blame for that.) But also, the Ultras don’t talk outside their group, which led to them taking more blame than they deserved for the Portland shit. Which includes the Portland Police Department lying about the Ultras and our FO and MLS swallowing it. OK, I should shut up now, and someone should correct me. Go Quakes!! - Mark
I think we all want to see the best of supporter culture representing San Jose...Ultras have almost always been a net positive....I expect most are all good folks who just love the game and the comradery and probably a few who shouldn’t be drinking who might’ve even become a bit disorderly and brought unwanted negative attention that gets blown up - all the more reason for tight internal monitoring. Fair or not, the actions of a few can easily taint the reputation of the group.
Yeah, whenever there is an "incident", we should punish all members of a disfavored group. Even the innocent. You want to have this discussion again?
I remember watching a group of loud, funny, signing fans of the SF Seals when the Seals played a PDL team at De Anza College and then again when the Seals played and beat the Clash at Spartan. Would that group have been part of a "1906" group? (U.S. Open Cup games)
There might have been a couple of people overlapping, but not many in my recollection. By the way, the 1906 supporters of the California Victory from 2007 who merged with the San Jose Ultras are a decade-plus older and many have moved on. Harder to get down to San Jose for games regularly when you still live in SF or environs and have a family. The Guy Gayle / Casbah syndrome hits every group. I can think of one in particular 1906er who became a loyal Ultras member, yet has been for several years also a member of the Israeli military. Hard to attend many games in that posture, though he's been back a couple times.