Emerald City Supporters display before the Sounders vs Timbers match

Before the Seattle Sounders FC MLS match against the Portland Timbers last night, the Emerald City Supporters group had an amazing display.

This display is called a "tifo."

Tifo was originally the Italian word for the phenomenon of supporting a sport team, is mostly used as a name for any spectacular choreography displayed by supporters on the terraces of an arena or stadium in connection with a sport event, mostly an association soccer match.

Tifos are most commonly seen in important matches, local derbies and rivalries

Check out the ECS tifo display:



And this is WAAAAAY better than what the ECS used to be like.

Sounders new kits

The Seattle Sounders FC unveiled their "alternate" kits today. And all I can say is, are you the University of Oregon now?

Seriously Sounders? Terrible.

Scarves up!

First off, sorry for the lack of posts the past few days, my computer had a total meltdown and needed to be slapped around for a bit.

Now it is all back in order and I'm ready to get going again.
Today I'll be heading out to Seattle for the Sounders FC match against the New York Red Bulls. Last season the Red Bulls were the team that the new expansion Sounders FC beat 3-0 in their very first game.

Let's hope for another game like that.

One neat thing that the Sounders are doing this season is the commemorative scarfs for each home match. Each home match a limited number of match specific scarves will be available.


And here's the video from the first match of the Sounders FC last year. Go Sounders! Scarves Up!

Epic Photo: Scarves Up! Playoff Style!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, the playoffs have returned to the Emerald City. Only wait, this time it is for soccer. The Seattle Sounders FC are playing the Houston Dynamo in tonights match-up at Qwest Field.

In honor of the game tonight, check out this amazing pumpkin that my buddy Jeff Ernst carved for his favorite team:


Click on the photo to make it larger.

Photo by Jeff Ernst/Bonney Lake.

Got an awesome photo you'd love to share? Send it to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com with your name, location and a short caption. And we'll host it as an epic photo if it truly is!

How to be "that" Sounders FC fan

I've long been known to take it a little far. A friendly night of beer pong turns into me spraying a guy with a can of Raid. A trip to an Eastern Washington University basketball game turns into me wearing a hunters vest and a biking helmet, with no shirt under.

And then there's soccer. No way I can take it to far because fans in Europe kill one another. Phew! But it is possible to take it too far as a Sounders FC fan, so I have compiled a list.

1. Sit in a vat of green dye, meaning that you'll be this hue for not only the game but for the next week at work.

2. Name your first child "Kasey Keller", and your second child "Kasey Keller the second" and your third "Kasey Keller the hat trick."

3. Call hockey fans a bunch of wusses. Bad idea. They carry shanks... at least the people in Tri-Cities do.

4. Leave the Sounders FC players encouraging messages on their home phone answering machines. Make sure you only do this late at night and be sure to leave like four or five messages.

5. Call up NFL talk radio shows and say the Sounders are going to win the NFC this year.

6. Throw bottles at injured players. Oh wait.... Portland fans already do this. Ladies and gentlemen! You're Oakland Raider wannabe fans of the MLS. Punks....

7. Tell your girlfriend she needs to wear a Sounders jersey when you guys are making out.

8. Run out onto the grass at Safeco Field with a soccer ball and see if you can't dribble it past Ichiro.

9. Refer to the hair on your head and (censored but it has something to do with downstairs) as "the pitch."

10. Go to work wearing nothing by your scarf. SCARVES UP!

Epic Video: Great Soccer Goals

It's Sounders FC gameday! They take on the Houston Dynamo at 1 PM in a cruicial game in the West. The Dynamo currently sit in first place in not only the West, but the MLS.

To that I say, SCARVES UP!!!!

Sounders FC Gameday

Today the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup continues and the Seattle Sounders FC are still in the hunt.

I won't be at the game today, but I am currently sitting at my desk, in my jersey, and wearing my scarf.

At 7:00 PM the Kansas City Wizards play the Sounders FC at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, WA.

Here are the rest of the Quarterfinal Games thanks to USOpenCup.com:

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2) at Rochester Rhinos (USL-1)
Marina Auto Stadium - Rochester, NY | 7 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com, 107.3 FM

Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2) at D.C. United (MLS)
Maryland Soccerplex - Boyds, MD | 7:30 p.m.
DCU Broadcast: English & Spanish radio
HCI Broadcast: WMSS-FM radio

Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL-1)
Blackbaud Stadium - Charleston, SC | 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast: USLLive.com

Scarves UP!!!!!

U.S. Open Cup tonight in Portland

I am currently on my way down to Portland, Oregon for the U.S. Open Cup third round game between the Seattle Sounders F.C. and the Portland Timbers. The winner will advance to meet the winner of the MLS Kansas City Wizards and the USL-1 Minnesota Thunder. View the full bracket here. But first, what is the U.S. Open Cup?

In a nutshell, the U.S. Open Cup is very similar to domestic cup competitions popular throughout Europe, South America and the rest of the world. Cup competitions, which usually run concurrent with a country's league season, are open in the early stages to any club that can qualify, giving local amateru teams a chance to compete against the best teams a country has to offer.

View more about the cup history here.

And thanks to USOpenCup.com, here is a preview of tonights match-up. SCARVES UP!!!

Seattle Sounders F.C. (MLS) at Portland Timbers (USL-1)
PGE Park - Portland, OR | 7 p.m. PST

DID YOU KNOW

In 1987, Seattle’s Mitre Eagles were involved in one of the three U.S. Open Cup Finals to end in a scoreless draw, a game they lost on penalty kicks to Club Espana of Washington D.C.. Baltimore S.C. and Chicago’s Sparta played to a scoreless draw in the first leg of the 1940 Final, and eventually shared the title after a 2-2 draw in the second leg (no PK tiebreakers back then). The other was in 1997 when the Dallas Burn used PKs to topple D.C. United for their only Open Cup title.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

While the MLS Sounders are a different animal than the team that was featured as the Timbers main rival in the USL First Division, this quite possibly is the most anticipated meeting between the two cities on the soccer pitch. Portland has faced the USL-1 Sounders twice in Open Cup play. In 2005, Portland came out on top 2-0, and Seattle returned the favor in 2007 with a 2-1 win.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle

Sebastien Le Toux (M) – Le Toux is the link to the Open Cup success enjoyed by the USL-1 version of the Sounders. The French native played for two seasons with the USL-1 Sounders, and was the first player signed by the MLS Sounders. He ranks third in the Professional Era (1995-2009) in Open Cup goals scored with 10, and was involved in all four of the Sounders goals (2 goals, 2 assists) in their 4-1 MLS play-in win over Real Salt Lake on April 28

Fredy Montero (F) – On loan from Colombian club Depotivo Cali, Montero has become the center of the Sounders attack, scoring eight goals and assisting on six others after only 14 games.

Steve Zakuani (M) – The rookie has made an immediate impact for the Sounders, recording two goals and three assists so far. Was a runner-up for the Hermann Trophy in his sophomore year at the University of Akron.

Portland

Brian Farber (M) – After spending time with in the MLS reserve league with Houston and San Jose, Farber played with the Minnesota Thunder in 2007, appearing in all 28 games with 7 goals and 3 assists. He spent 2008 with the Stockton Cougars of the Professional Arena Soccer League.

Cameron Knowles (D) – Knowles has spent the last three seasons with Portland, after spending 2005 & 2006 with Real Salt Lake. In his debut season with Portland, he was named one of the three finalists for the USL-1 Defender of the Year award (won by David Hayes of Atlanta)

Keita Mandjou (F) – The native of Guinea began his career in 2004 with Perak FA of the Malaysian league, and won the league scoring title in 2006. In 2008 he moved to Brunei DPMM F.C. of Singapore’s S-League, and was also the captain of the Guinea Under-23 squad.

OPEN CUP HISTORY

Portland

Overall: 5-5-0, 16 GF 14 GA

vs. MLS: 0-2-0 0 GF 5 GA

Portland has struggled in Open Cup play, winning only three times in eight Open Cup matches prior to 2009, as well as becoming the second USL-1 side to lose to a USASA club (Hollywood United in 2008)

Seattle

Overall: 0-0-0 0 GF 0 GA

vs. USL-1: 0-0-0 0 GF 0 GA

The USL-1 version of the Sounders made a name for themselves by knocking off MLS clubs in recent Open Cup tournaments. In 2006 & 2007, the Sounders were 4-1 against MLS teams. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, the MLS Sounders will try to avoid a repeat of 1995, 1997 and 2006, the only years the USL-1 Sounders fell to lower division opponents in cup play.

Epic Photo: Soccer fan

Oh how fun it is to be a soccer fan. Go Sounders FC!!!

Sounders FC Gameday

D.C. United, we would like to welcome you to the Emerald City. Please don't be alarmed, these people in the stands are called fans, and the Sounders FC have a lot of them. So many in fact that you might be wondering how that is. Well, Seattle has embraced this team and love their blue and green.

Tonight at 7:30 PM the Seattle Sounders FC (5-3-5) host D.C. United (5-2-7).

The Sounders FC currently sit in third place in the Western Standings with 20 points. They are behind Houston and Chivas USA who both have 27 points.

D.C. United has a grasp on first in the Eastern Standings with 22 points.

A win tonight is crucial for the Sounders FC who need to keep pace with Houston and Chivas USA. They also can't afford to allow Colorado, who has 17 points, gain any ground on them.

So let's hear it tonight Green and Blue! Scarves Up!

Epic Photo: Keller's orange jersey

Tonight Kasey Keller was wearing an orange jersey during the Sounders FC 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. It was awesome.

The best part was that the camera was showing fans in the stands that were wearing replicas of his orange jersey. Authentic ones. I want to know how they got one.

Sounders are green again

When the Seattle Sounders FC unveiled their uniforms before the season, they showed a bright rave green jersey for the home games. And a bright blue jersey (shown in the picture) for the away games.

Well, for the home games the team wears the green jersey and the blue shorts with green socks.

But, for every away game so far this season, the Sounders FC have worn their same green jersey, except with green shorts and blue socks.

I'm not sure why they abandoned the blue jersey.

Perhaps the green jersey was just so amazing that they decided to just always wear it.

I personally like the green jersey a lot more than the blue one. I love that green color. Hence why I bought the green alternate jersey of the Seahawks.

I'm still on a mission to find a Sounders FC jersey. The last few stores I have been in have been sold out. But I will find one.

I've got the game on right now and there are a TON of Sounders FC fans that made the trip down to California for the game. The stands are pretty empty, and it's great to see that the team has such a following that the fans travel so well.

The game is currently in the 13th minute. 0-0. Scarves up!

Scarves up Sounders FC!

It's 5:30 pm. It's time to hit the pitch! Put out the Fire tonight in Chicago!

Good God! Is that the Sounders FC Music?

It's Saturday, meaning that I'll be wearing my Sounders FC t-shirt even though the game is in Chicago.

By the way, in true soccer fashion, the Sounders are playing a team that is 2-0-4. That means that the Fire's fans have had to go through four draws already. How do you get excited for that? Do you chant "We're just as good as everyone else!"

or

"We'll score just as many goals as you!"

or

"Go Fire! Just don't go hard enough to win!"

I mean they're second in the Eastern Conference standings with 10 points with just two wins. So it's been a successful season, but also a weird season so far for them.

Anyways, SCARVES UP. Now I'm going to go down a half-gallon of hashbrowns at the Swinging Doors.

Northern Rangers: Sounders FC gameday experience

The Northern Rangers headed out to the XBox Pitch at Qwest Field for the Seattle Sounders FC vs Kansas City Wizards video. We asked fans what it was like to be a Sounders FC fan and showed what a great time game day around the stadium is.

Epic Photo: Your morning dose of Sounders FC

It will be my first Sounders FC game ever today (at 7 p.m.), and to say I'm excited would be an understatement. Now if I could just get Drew Carey's autograph it would be a perfect day. Oh, and that's fruit punch they have in those red cups.