From a fans perspective I don't know if we will have a real rival until Portland/Vancouver are brought in.
I was thinking of who is in the league now. If/when Portland/Vancouver get in , then yes, there will be a great rivalry between the teams and fans. Possibly better than any rivalry that exists at this point in the league.
I'm just saying, do you know anyone in the Seattle area that doesn't hate the Lakers, which is where the "beat LA" chant comes from? Heck, my boss moved up here from SoCal four years ago and she's still embarassed to tell people she came from California after the reactions she used to get when she first moved here. Californicators! And it's harder to hate NorCal considering San Fran is one of the only citites more liberal than Seattle. Pretty similar places. It's really, really hard to hate Salt Lake City. I mean the nice people on the bikes wearing ties and all. Seem like nice folk.
Once we start playing each other in MLS it won't be hard. It's not going to be anything like Seattle - Portland but I can muster up some Bay Area hate for 90 mins. Hell, I can hate anybody for 90... Not to go off-topic but just ask a Mariners fan what they think about the demon spawn from the Bay. I'm sure they won't have anything kind to say about Beane-ball.
I hate the A's, deeply and passionately. However, I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Billy Beane as a baseball GM. Anyone who could build a consistent winner in the environment he's been in over the past, what, seven years or so is the kind of guy I want running MY baseball team.
Hmm, you´d better hope that Chelsea or Roma don´t win the Champs league then.. The G-14 group are really a rather mixed group with plenty of minor clubs in the organisation...and several big ones not involved. But yes, of course I understand what you are hoping for.
I don't think I could get myself to hate San Jose. It's not the best city in the world or anything, but I generally like the people from there, I feel somewhat bound to the tech culture that began down there, and I have rooted for the Quakes since MLS began. The Sounders and the Quakes have actually had a couple great USOC matches in recent years. They beat us 4-3 in 2002 in an extra-time thriller at Interbay Stadium where Sawatzky whiffed on a shot that was sure to make it into the goal, but the ball bounced wrong in a dirt patch at the top of the box. Then we beat them 1-0 in 2003 at Husky Stadium in the rain. - Paul
Yeah we won't have a "real" rival until Vancouver/P*rtland come in... although the toothpicks would likely to play Seattle MLS in the Open Cup every year they qualify for the final rounds when MLS enters. There's some good history with the Earthquakes, both in the NASL days and in more recent years with the Open Cup and a fair number of friendlies to boot. That's a more enticing road trip and matchup than RSL any day. Still, they're too far away to have an "intense" rivalry with, and getting more than a couple/three dozen people to road trip to/from will take some doing, at least early on.
Bright and Knucles - you heard my words but you missed the point. It's not about hating the people or me having any problem with Beane. It's about support for the home club and anyone that plays against them we're at war with for 90, 9, 60, 48 whatever... That's all I'm getting at. That attitude is largely missing from Seattle sports and I want to see people getting to that point.
Well, it is admittedly difficult for me to get "to that point". It all starts to seem ridiculously silly when taken too far. Respectfully, I can't accept an analogy such as "war" for a mere game that at its foundation is a cause for happiness and friendship. And I don't much worry about other fans mocking me or some stereotype of "Seattle" that I may fall under. We can get collectively into our teams without becoming sociopaths. - Paul
SPU program...... Cliff McGrath UW soccer program Jimmy Mac The Schmetzers Jeff Stock Kasey Keller The WSYSA Years of support for the NASL Sounders and Tacoma Stars Brent Goulet Frank Hall Jeff Durgin Jimmy Vaughn Joey Gjertsen That is just some of the reasons........
Seattle U soccer program PLU soccer program Keith: Oh, I got your point, I'm just not that kind of fan. I'm pretty passionate, but not that passionate.
Topic 4: Some guys SounderMan left out: Alums: Marcus Hahnemann Cam Weaver Peter Hattrup - league MVP, 1995 Dusty Hudock's development (UW & Sounders) - keeper of the year 1997 Wade Weber - defender, Sounders all-star 1996 Current: Chris Eylander The Obriens (Leighton and Kieran) Ben Dragovan ***** Off Topic ***** Bright and Knuckles (sorry to misspell last time): I know you both understand me and that bright is playing a very straight line, which I totally understand. I'm not going to personally get involved with opposing fans or any of the sort so you don't need to worry about sociopath behavior out of the likes of me. Regarding the "war" analogy: I think the war analogy, in the modern sense, is wrong... but I like to think of the athletes as gladiator-types.
I forgot Chance........ I knew there was another "local" that played on the Sounders NASL but was drawing a blank. He was on the Sammamish team that obliterated my team at state one year. ( No wonder I forgot him......)
Thankfully, he was away at the US U17 camp when my high school team faced Sammamish in the '81 AAA state finals.
When my family and I moved back to the Pac NW in 1994, Chance was working in the front office. Don't know if he's still there or even in the area anymore.
I got that one. It was my first year (like the Sounders, 1974) playing in a brand new club, brand new association (SounderMan, it was the year before my family moved to Lacey). We had a coach who was in his 60s, who believed in the formations of his youth...yes a 2-3-5 Ended up being 13-0 or something like that.
I remember hanging out with the GK on your team, listening to the Sounders the night Chance got a hat trick against the Cosmos as a rookie. Tony was pretty stoked, since he only gave up two to Fry in the state tournament match.