SoccerBlogs

The tifo against the Vancouver Whitecaps was maybe not as audacious as the one against the Portland Timbers, but it was very impressive in its own right. Love that ECS keeps coming up with awesome displays.

On a final note, I may be retiring on tonight, but in my heart I'll always be part of the Seattle Sounders family. I'm really looking forward to joining you in the ranks of the Sounders' supporters. Whether it's jumping up and down in the Brougham End with the ECS, taking in a game and the bigger picture from the Green Zone, or sipping on Red Hook's ECS No Equal Amber Lager in a crowded Starfire beer garden, I'll be right there with you supporting the Sounders every step of the way!

It wasn't necessarily the easiest to read Tifo that ECS has ever done, but once it became clear, it was a pretty creative one. The display honors Zach Scott's 10 years with the Sounders and features the Hawaiian-born defender riding waves on a Brek Shea surfboard.

In Tumwater, the Sounders U-23 just beat the Timbers U-23, 1-0.

The Timbers had more of the play, especially in the second half. They failed to take numerous chances, due to a couple nice saves, a couple desperate slide tackles, a few shanks high and wide, and one clearance off the line that had Timbers calling for a handball.

In a season of excitement, disappointment and passion it is difficult to figure out which moment is most memorable. For 2009 there was a scene in the early hours when hundreds of fans met the team to celebrate their first trophy. In 2010 another US Open Cup win was highlighted by Sanna Nyassi's brace.

Preston Burpo, who spent nine seasons with the USL Seattle Sounders, will be the goalkeeper's coach for the Montreal Impact during their inaugural MLS season. After leaving the Sounders in 2006, he played for four different MLS teams before ending his career with the New England Revolution when a collision with Dane Richards snapped his leg.

I hope everyone is dried out from the storms drenching Qwest field this weekend. The 1-1 tie against the Portland Timbers was a bit of a let-down for sure, but it was a decent result considering the huge hit injuries have had on the Seattle Sounders. One thing that certainly wasn't a let down was the massive tifo put together by the ECS for the match.

The ECS put on a tremendous display of support before the Sounders FC played the Portland Timbers last weekend.

The Academies played California's Arsenal FC this morning in the cold drizzle at Starfire, and I thought I'd swing by to catch the U-18 match, which turned out to be a tale of two halves. It was a good showing from the homem side, with about 20-30 ECS (complete with drum and some flags) and about 20 other miscellaneous supporters along the sideline.

Today offered us all another insight into the potential of the Seattle Sounders Academy. With a local "away" game it gave the Sounders crowd the opportunity for a display of passion in late January, and the ECS the opportunity to taunt some high school kids. The U-18 game wasn't just marred by the 2-1 result with Seattle's only goal coming from an own goal, but also marred by a scuffle that resulted in dual Red Cards to players on each team, as well as a Yellow Card to the Crossfire keeper.

When Chelsea was announced as Sounders exhibition match, the reaction seemed a measured sigh of disappointment with the exception of Chelsea fans. Despite winning the UEFA Champions League Chelsea was not a draw. Chelsea had been to Seattle in 2009, and with the notable exception of Didier Drogba, Chelsea remain much the same side.

One of the biggest complaints about games at Stafire Sports Complex is that they are a pain to get to. As someone who has been to his fair share of events there, I understand your complaints. It's certainly not as accessible as CenturyLink Field, but I also think the problems are a bit overblown.

Watching games at Starfire is really an experience every Sounders fan should enjoy at least a few times.

When approached to do our first ever sponsored post at Sounder at Heart, the decision was easy. Samsung and SB Nation wanted us to present and chat about our favorite sports highlight. This is easy. Part of it is because I never saw the home game goal (Zach Scott's goal is the only other CenturyLink MLS goal I did not see live).

Here's ECS's tifo from last night. I'm a big fan, as I love the celebration of the multi-cultural nature of this team. In case you need a little help in deciphering it, there are flags representing the country of origin of each player on the team with the saying "E Pluribus Sounders" which I guess loosely translates "From Many, Sounders"

UPDATE: A reminder that Steve's memorial is tomorrow. You can donate to his memorial Melanoma Research Fund online, and cash donations at the memorial will be matched up to $5,000 by Sounders FC.

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Last week a Sounder supporter passed on the way to watch the team face Jaguares de Chiapas.

As you know, Sounder at Heart does not have any official supporters' group affiliation. We do, however, consider ourselves friends of most of them. If you'd like to know any of them better, we highly recommend that you attend one of their two end-of-year parties. As it turns out, Kasey Keller is scheduled to be at both of them.

There are few things more fun than going on a roadtrip to watch your team play. As you may remember, I documented my experience going with ECS to Vancouver. Well, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, ECS wants to make sure you are more than welcome to join them.

From the look of it, there is no organized bus trip, but they are organizing carpools and helping people finding lodging.

The Alliance Council met prior to the match against the Columbus Crew. An update is now posted over at the SoundersFC.com Alliance Council Blog (which will be getting frontpage attention soon). The main issues resolved around voting changes, work on the Constitution/ByLaws/Charter (which will be public for voting in Sept) and the End of Year Meeting.

They have opened up sales to non-members, so if you need a few seats act quickly. The atmosphere at Starfire is always amazing, and this is a must win game as Seattle goes for the three-peat in the US Open Cup.

The ECS wants, and expects, no issues on this match day in particular. Any individual caught instigating altercations with Portland fans or supporters will be banned from the group – permanently – with all membership privileges revoked. We are taking such a hard stance on this because of what is on the line.

Once again talking beer, wine, food and maybe other beverages. Others will talk coffee - I can't as it is my full time job.

Let's get a few things out of the way. If you are not of legal consumption age in your place of residence do not drink alcohol. Do not drink in excess, unless you are around people you know in a private place.