Shoegirl, I'm sorry for not contacting you. I was too busy getting 40 people to fly across the country for a Thursday night game in NY. Beside that, I think I have a slight idea about what I am doing since I organized every single road trip since the Quakes came back. Regarding us giving the Quakes fans a bad reputation...I suggest you buy the 3 major NY newspapers that had articles about the Red Bulls-Quakes came. You can also read some of the local fans' comments about us. The people who wrote those articles didn't even mention their local crowd, but gave major props to those "rowdy, passionate visiting fans who were singing non stop". But, I know, it's hard to get a realistic impression, when you were not even at the game.
Just a few articles talking about the bad reputation that the 1906 ultras give to the Quakes "supporters" From SF Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/soccer/detail?entry_id=75946 "The San Jose crew in Section 109, the 1906 Ultras, return to their songs, constant, strong, a lambent example of what it means to be true supporters. The maestro with the megaphone conducts the crowd as if it were the symphony, pointing at sections who are temporarily lacking in voice, gesturing them to up the breath. The songs combine adaptations from English football but with a constant river of chants and bouncing more likely seen at La Bombanera in Argentina. Even when Marquez and his New York Red Bulls score the winner in the first leg of the MLS Cup playoffs, the chanting continues, almost like a trance, as if the score matters not, as if the loss can be transcended. At the end of the match, Chris Wondolowski (above), San Jose's Golden Boot winner, spends an extra half signing all kinds of objects thrust in his direction. A player who knows the fans are his source of inspiration. Cool gesture. Going to a football match is just plain great. San Jose has a worthy vibe. Worth a trip next season if you want to feel the passion of the American game. The Quakes head to New York on Thursday to play for the come behind win and progress to the next round." Wall Street Journal " On the other side about 75 San Jose fans chanted for the full length of the game as well, some of them with their shirts off on a 49-degree night." NYRB blog "Perhaps the highlight of the entire evening (from a RBNY fan's point of view) was the arrival of the 1906 Ultras, the San Jose Earthquakes Supporters. These fans get two thumbs up from this guy." More... "Red Bull Arena was quality tonight. Gotta give the crowd credit for a shitty weather midweek game. Also...props to the SJ traveling supporters. They were loud and partying." Sacramento Bee "It was the 1906 Ultras, a Bay Area-based Earthquakes fan group, who proved the loudest, most die-hard and entertaining. Usually numbering in the hundreds, the Ultras travel to as many Earthquake games as possible. They are a well-organized group, dressed in Earthquakes black and blue. Members wave flags and cheer or heckle nonstop during each 90-minute game.The Ultras' motto, according to a T-shirt worn by founder Dan Margarit, is "Win or lose, we'll always be there for you." Margarit, a Romanian-American, said he has not missed an Earthquakes game since founding the group in 2003. Perhaps the extra support helped the Earthquakes win the cup. The winning team ran to the Ultras section to thank their fans before Captain Bobby Burling was presented with the Sacramento Cup."
I'll let you know that this apparent attitude will get you nowhere with the Rapids FO. Barra Real actually cancelled their 50+ person bus for the season finale when they were told thy couldn't bring their drums in and the Rapids FO didn't even blink. Quite frankly, they don't care what you "expect". They have a set of rules and either you'll follow them or you won't come. And no, i'm not defending them, but I want you to know ahead of time what to expect. I'd hate for you guys to spend a lot of money with the expectation that when you get here you'll be able to bend the rules and the Rapids will just look the other way rather than deal with it. They won't. If you can get 100+ out, yeah, you probably can (like the FSL fans did by standing the whole time), but if you're a small group expect to be hassled.
Just read the entire thread. I think I am still missing something. Dick's Sporting Goods is MT all of the matches I have seen on TV, including the last one vs Dallas. You can clearly see the word Colorado spelled out in the MT seats. Or maybe Crapid fans come dressed as seats. I am not sure what kind of crowd Crapids FO wants, but I would start with just getting a crowd first before I started trying to manage the fun.
As a member of the 1906 Ultras I am offended by your insinuation that we give Quakes Supporters a "bad reputation." How did we give Quakes Fandom a bad name when 45 of us flew to the East Coast on short notice, linked up with a handful of our members who live on East Coast and gave our all for our boys for 90 minutes plus at Red Bull Arena? There were no fights, RBA security and Harrison PD didn't give us any trouble nor did we give them any trouble. We stood, we sang, we chanted and we made a whole lot of noise. Tell me, how is that showing Quakes Supporters in a bad light? I basically spent the last of my disposable income and the last of my vacation days supporting my team in New Jersey when the Quakes were very much an underdog. Now the Quakes playoff prospects have improved and now others want to dictate terms on "support," and that hurts me to the core. If these really are the terms of going to Colorado, I wouldn't go even if I the money to spend. Shoegirl, I appreciate your efforts in getting something together. But don't bring division. We are all Quakes fans and we should be united in cheering the Quakes to the end. It might surprise you, but more than a few of us Ultras are contributing members of society. Don't look down your nose at us, because we are doing all we can out of love to this club.
Ok I am not dissing anyone, but just trying to pass on what was told to me by the Rapids FO. and dont want any of our Quakes Supporters going not understanding how there FO is. As one of the Rapids Supporters is saying on here they do not change their policies. It was clear in talking to them that they would not tolerate anything that THEY considered out of line. So what that is I do not know. As for more jumping on the Bandwagon now they are in the finals, that is ridiculous, I personally have been a quakes supporter and season ticket holder since 1996 and supported them through thick and thin. All I was inferring by these posts was lets all sit together and follow their rules. I also have been to away matches this season where the Ultra have had their own section and it has been loud and visual, definately pushing the team when they need it. So that doesnt mean we are not there just because we are not sitting with the Ultras. Lets get this sorted out and go to Colorado as a united group of supporters.
Word. If a standing section is accomplished, don't feel like you need a different section if you are not able or do not want to stand for the entire game. In NY, the ultras stood the whole game and people who wished to sit down sat to the side of them, but still in the same section. Worked out perfectly.
I agree. Let's not make this as an "us vs. them" kind of thing. We support one team---sure others are more vocal and more visual than others but at the end of the day, we're all supporters of one team. I will not be in Colorado for the Conference finals but for those of you who will, I would like to thank you. Our boys need you and I will make sure I am channeling good vibes that way while screaming my lungs out on Saturday in front of the telly! It would be great to have a unified effort. And it probably won't hurt to follow the host team's rules and regulations (I know, they are ridiculous!). Definitely a conversation between the Ultras and Shoegirl needs to take place (and I don't doubt it would happen), and our FO and Colorado's FO. Have fun over there win or lose! We have come so far now! Definitely one for the books!
I hardly ever post on the boards but I feel I must jump in here and try and clear up a few things. I am a member of the Casbah and I have been to in this season alone 2 road trips with the Ultras. And for that reason (and no matter what anyone else says) I understand why some people would not want to sit with them. My parents are one such group. First there is a reputation among other quakes supporters that they can get out of hand sometimes and they do not want to be in anyway associated with that. And most of these people have been around since 1996 so its not like they are jumping on any bandwagon. I for one would have loved to have gone to NY but it was on a Thursday and I have a job I must report to. With that being said I do not think we should be attacking each other on here because we have different philosophies on how we should support THE SAME TEAM in enemies territory.
This seems like a really bad thing to be promoting without coordination with the Rapids Front Office. There are sections that San Jose Earthquake fans, especially organized groups, should not be in. The Terraces, Class VI, or any of the 3-4 sections that overlook the Terraces are bad places to sell San Jose fans tickets. Please tell me you're not saying San Jose fans can buy tickets anywhere and that you're coordination the San Jose sales with the Rapids FO. There's no reason to invite trouble by mixing the SG's inside the stadium.
These guys want to know what your point is: You can make all the attendance jokes you want, we've heard them all (but from Earthquake fans, really?) but there's a new start in Colorado over the last couple of years and now we have a supporters section that's a couple hundred strong on a bad day and for a conference final is fully expected to be sold out. Plus the Class VI section. That's somewhere around 1000 strong minimum. There's no reason to risk trouble by putting opposing die-hards in the same area.
Absolutely agree. However, last week your new stadium looked worse on tv than our high school stadium usually does.
And yet we out-drew you, Dallas, and Columbus with only 96 hours of notice of what day and time our game would be. Getting almost 12K on a school/work night with 4 days notice is damn good for any MLS team that isn't Toronto or Seattle (maybe LA).
Oh man, thanks for the heads up! I was going to travel, but after seeing these two pictures of your die hards, especially the chick with the pony tail in the first picture, I am not sure I wanna end up in some Denver hospital just for wearing my team's colors.
Not our fault!!!! Our high school stadium is capped at 10.5k! I guess I'm just bitter that other teams with SSS are dropping the ball and we're still stuck here at Square 1 (maybe square 2).
I see fans standing with flags and confetti. Why wouldn't San Jose fans be afforded the same privilege?
Because it's a cheer-ocracy, and the Rapids hold the cheer stick. Haven't you seen Bring it On???? You're better than that Don!
You joke, but that's essentially true. The Rapids have put rules into place that suck, but favor the Rapids SG's. One standing section, that only Rapids SG's are allowed into. No banners or drums unless they're inspected by security, and they have to be dropped off 24 hours before the game for that inspection (something that us locals can do but travelling fans can't). Due to some FSL players inciting the crowd and getting beer showers there was a rule in the first playoff game that allowed nothing to be thrown anywhere in the stadium, including confetti and streamers, I have not yet heard if that's still in place for this game. The rules suck, but you'll have to live with them like the rest of us.
Sounds like Jim Crow to me. Discriminating against paying customers based on the colors they wear is no more defensible than the color of their skin.
The Rapids shouldn't mess with Hurricane Don, ESQ. Call the head of Home Depot Center security Jason Born if you don't believe me. Words to live by: Don't mess with the bull if you don't want the horns...