The USA Supporters Section Did Not "Bring It" in the Gold Cup Final

I don't know about this Metroflip guy...

Actually I think you nailed it with this post. The Rose Bowl, along with Reliant Stadium in Houston, were outliers in terms of support for the USA. Take those two games out of the month of June and the USA had outstanding support. I was at every game except for Tampa and Houston and I was impressed by every crowd. I thought the crowd in KC was going to suck, the march in was paltry, but somebody must have flipped a switch because that section was loud and organized.

Detroit, again, a town with two games (right?) since 1990 and they had an awesome crowd.

RFK, great as usual.

Gillette, large crowd, all red behind the goal, great tifo *Pats self on back*, looked great but it sounded ok and I think this has more to do with Gillette being Gillette. The shiny new stadium just doesn't compare to the old Foxboro stadium, plus it was a friendly. It was the first time I saw the entire Fort sold out, that's 2100 seats. I'll admit we could have done better organizing chants but and this is partially my fault as I was preoccupied on organizing the tifo displays. Plus, we didn't put as much of a plan in to spreading the chants out as we could have because the acoustics of Gillette just totally suck hairy balls.



You guys saw this, right?

Again, this goes back to my strong belief that in stadiums where the sound sucks we should focus on displays over chants. A sea of red with a bunch of flags and overhead displays can help make up for crap acoustics.

 

The following is a a list of places where we played WC qualifiers between 2004-5

Second Round 2004
Columbus

Third Round 2004
Gillette
RFK
Columbus

The Hex 2005
Birmingham
Salt Lake
East Hartford
Columbus
Gillette


The following is a list of places where we played WC qualifiers between 2008-2009...

Second Round 2008
HDC

Third Round 2008
Toyota Park
RFK
Dick's

THE HEX 2009
Columbus
LP Field in Nashville
Soldiers Field
Rio Tinto
RFK

So the next time the Midwest or West Coast bitches about not getting big games from the Fed throw that in their face:

4 Meaningful games in the Midwest
3 in the West
Only 2 on the East Coast and at the same stadium.

For kicks 2009 Gold Cup Venues selected by CONCACAF:
Qwest Field*
RFK
Gillette Stadium
The Linc Philadelphia
Soldiers Field
Giants Stadium

*For all talk of how Seattle never gets USA games well they had one on July 4 against Grenada and drew 15k, the lowest attendance of any USA game in the 2009 Gold Cup.

If I were to guess where 2014 qualifying will be held...

*No second round play as we get a bye straight to the third round this time.

Third Round
HDC
PPL/RFK
KC

THE HEX
RFK
Portland
Columbus
Red Bull Arena
Houston's new stadium
Rio Tinto

As far as 2013 Gold Cup who knows.

 

I am not against this but I think it's something we as USA fans need to step up. I've always wanted bigger tifo displays accompanying audio support. There are some stadiums where I think you just can't get the chanting levels at the same level because the stadium sucks, like Gillette or the Rose Bowl. I just set me expectations based on the venue. In 2012-13 though we'll have the benefit of all the new SSS stadiums so this may be a moot point by then.

Before this Gold Cup AO Boston and AO Providence made two overhead banners that made it to every game but Houston. I have about 100 USA,DTOM and all 50 state flags on about 5' flag poles just chillin' in my basement waiting to go to the next game. I transported as many as I could in a golf bag. (Side note, TSA must have been so confused when they opened that bag and just saw this massive display of AMERICA.) I know Screaming Eagles/AO DC have about 75 or so good size American flags on about 3' poles in their pods at RFK.

I'd like to see similar efforts in 2012-2013 where groups around the country are bringing out more than just the large USA flags but bring out more flag poles, bring out more streamers, bring out more balloons, more everything. This year Tanya in Iowa got a big USA flag for Midwest games which is awesome because I don't believe there was one before.

Monty and Kirwain have the two big ass flags on the East Coast
Jay in DC has the big DTOM flag as well as another big American flag
Tanya has a good size one in Iowa
Chase has another on the West Coast

This is good. We could possibly use one in the South somewhere too, maybe Dallas or Houston.

I think we're at the point now where we can really step up our tifo game at the national team level. MLS clubs have set the bar and we need to meet or top that for big games. I expect big ********ing things in Columbus in 2013. Big things. I know there was the card display in 05, we should be able to do that again or maybe something even bigger.

 

I too think tifo should be a bigger part of the total experience. It's just as easy as getting small flags on small sticks to wave combined with some medium sized flags, large flags on poles and BAFs. One thing we rarely use to our advantage as much as we could is the fact we have possibly the most badass flag on earth, one with a great deal of symbolic importance not just in the banner itself, but the colors as well.

 

Jesus H.

If it weren't for the tiny DCU banners on the light posts in the back I would assume that game was held in Honduras...speaking of which San Pedro Sula had an RFK feel to it.

Did I mention I love RFK Stadium?

 

Yes, but your flag has 87236483 rules with it too We brought out about 40 3x5s on poles for USA-Jamaica and all I could think of beforehand is when is some tard gonna crawl out and point out any flag infraction But noone did so maybe next time we go bigger, reading these forums it sounds like there's flag police hehe

 

The Flag Code is long, I agree, but also unenforceable. Most of the "flag police" only seek to make sure the flag is being respected while being displayed. I don't mind flags as capes (I've done it before) and I'll gently point out to people the correct way to display the flag but am not a stickler. But, seeing a sea of U.S. flags lining the field and waving in the stands could create an intimidating atmosphere no matter where we are or who we're playing.

 

Only issue I have is when people write on the flag or fly it upside down, otherwise the cape thing doesn't bother me.

Buncha dudes in AO Boston and Providence are vets and they were the flag as capes, doesn't bother them.

 

Ok...

I don't think the national organization has formally or informally dissed other supporters or other groups at all. Have some our nearly 7,000 individual members? I am sure. When you get that many people you're going to have some jackasses but that being said doesn't mean I am going to hold it against the entire group. People will always talk shit about us publicly and behind our backs. People call AO frat boys, bros, etc. Whatever. As people have said in this thread that was the same charge leveled at SA in the early days.

Lots of Mexican fans throw bottles and crap at games but there are plenty of Mexican fans who are decent guys.

I am not really sure what you're getting at.

What do you mean doing your own thing? What are you on about, I am not really sure I follow ya.

It's a bid hard to organize people who are unaffiliated or not organized into something. AO isn't for everybody just as some club supporters groups aren't for everybody but I am not sure how you organize people who don't want an organization. Who speaks for the unorganized non-organization fans?

AO has a guy who tries to organize everything at every game in Hexsel. He has been at every game, I think, since 2009? He handles tailgates, banners, setup, and night before stuff. I think of the AO National guys I am right behind him in most games since our inception in 2007.


I think everybody is really overreacting to one game. Was it a final against Mexico? Yes, but it was AT THE ROSE BOWL. The support at the rest of the tournament was very good and everybody is having a meltdown because of one game that, let's be honest, most of us weren't confident we would actually make it to so they didn't buy tickets or commit to go. The second the tickets went on sale I bought tickets in the supporters section.

Again, I think everybody is overreacting over one game against Mexico at the Rose Bowl.

 

This. All of this.

And AO does link up with supporters groups in different cities. In Detroit, MCS was helping out AO Detroit because many of them are in both. Here in DC, all the DCU supporters groups were instrumental in helping us put on the best damn tailgate ever...again, we have tons of crossover between AODC and the DCU groups. But, getting those supporters groups aren't necessarily the key. Their first purpose is to support whatever (insert domestic league) team they organize to support. Many of their members may not be US fans. For many years, the Barra never really had anything going at U.S. matches in RFK because many of their members were Bolivian or Salvadorean, etc. They weren't American fans. That has since changed, and again they help us out immensely with support on road trips and home matches.

This is why there is AO. Or SA. They are supporters groups for the U.S. National Teams. There's never any doubt that AO or SA members are U.S. supporters. That may not always be the case with MLS supporters groups. That is why AO (and SA before) take the lead on every U.S. match.