After the game, we had a small incident with a handful of wannabe ultras (who were NOT members of ESC), and one of our members was hit in the head with a water bottle. Security saw it, even the kid who threw the bottle, and laughed. When he filed a complaint, the security guards laughed even more.

NJSEA security are a joke. They are glorified mall guards who are abusing the inch of power they have over people. The sooner Red Bull Park opens, the better.

It’s funny that the MLS loves to promote all supporter groups in their ads. But do nothing to help promote that “European/Latin American” feeling that everyone in the world associates with soccer/futbol. They are too busy pandering to the soccer moms and corporate heels.

They forget that it’s people who make up Section 8, L.A. Riot Squad, Barra Barra, The Fort, and other supporter groupls that bring the passion that this league needs.

You take the heart out of the game and it will die.

You can barely get 10,000 into the turnstiles and the ones that do make it out to a game are left to deal with this bullshit? If Major League Soccer wants to ever make it big as an alternative sport to NLF Football, Baseball, and NASCAR, they’re going to have to let the Supporters do what it takes to make the experience exciting.

Even in Toronto we’ve come across a few obstacles, but the stadium personnel have always been eager to compromise with us. Why? Because they know that with the atmosphere the fans bring, soccer will never fly in any North American city if marketed like any other sport.

That provoked security to go into over kill, collaring anyone who had streamers, balloons, an off-color chant coming our of his/her mouth, a cell phone, a camera, and for all I know a tattoo readiing MOM.

Even in the best of days, security yellow shirts would sit or stand with their backs to the game, glowering at the fans in 101. That is their job as described by NJSEA, I suppose: keep those fans in order, and remove those who break stadium rules, which includes fouls language. If they actually enforced that one, the section would be vacated within ten minutes of the opening half.

They content themselves with decimation, tossing the few they can who particularly annoy them, and for any reason. Is someone taking pictures of their invasion? Remove him or at least confiscate the camera or cell phone.

I think if one of the yellow shirts attempted to seize my inhaler (evidently one was seized) I would give serious resistance, and find myself tossed and banned. Why they would seize prescribed medications from anyone is beyond reason.

Nevertheless, it is crucial that ESC — and I am a member — police itself on game day. We know that security is looking for any excuse to roust us, and that is not going to change. It is a simiple matter to not give them any excuse, even if that means an end to streamers and balloons. I suspect the Stadium honchos have calculated that clean up after a soccer game just costs too much. Clean up after a Jet/Giants game is another matter, of course.

Our singing, chanting and drumming is our best feature, anyway, along with the quick wit and sense of comedy that gives rise to impromptu chants (‘One shoe! We only need one shoe’ with the ESC removing shoes en mass to wave in the air at the DC game ).

We have to remember our mission: to support the team, long and loud, and have fun doing it. This is still possible, and it needs to be done at every game.

Seriously, 40+stocky guys staring you down for the whole game who jump at the smallest reason to get in your face really isnt much fun nor is it something that someone would pay for.

It should be noted that both Red Bull and the Metrostars have prior “convictions” in this regard.

When Red Bull took over Austria Salzburg, changed the colours, renounced the honours, and wiped out almost 100 years of history overnight, they encountered massive supporter protests that they responded to with heavy handed stewarding and banning orders.

While nowhere near as bad, the Metros’ relationship with ESC was also marked by periodic explosions of sanctimonious nonsense on the part of the club.

The ideal answer to this would be the formation of a real New York club in MLS that would embrace the incredibly rich and diverse supporter culture of the city and show up the Swamplands Crap Energy Drinks for the Ersatzverein that they are.