A New Galaxy Supporters Group

I've always sat with LARS...ooops, once I sat in the section next to them not with them. The WGA strike kinda blew my season tix funding but I'll check out ACB when I manage to get to a match early this season and see how they compare. I'm all for singage... I had the luck to go to Stamford Bridge last year ('06) to watch my Chelsea lads play and I have to say, atmosphere is everything, nah, next to sublime, glorious, what I imagine heaven, if I had to, would be like. The HDC is a small ground but one that has tremendous atmospheric potential. LARS are cornered but they get the south end and a little of the east side going, but more is always better. Anything to drown out the damned plastic horns....

Come on guys! The time is now. Songs and chants are most certainly a must. It's football/soccer for goodness sake. It's a different sport and game. Team support does require that we sing and chant. It's part of the whole sport. I can't wait until we have all the lyrics and music down pat and awe the opposing teams with our support. Sing on L.A. Galaxy!! Be the first to start and leave the other teams in our dust!

I'm very greatful for the Riot Squad, but I decided to join up with the Angle City Brigade. Were not going to compete against the LARS, we want to extend a singing/cheering atmosphere to the other side of the stadium. In fact there are some thoughts on coordinating both groups singing the same song at the same time.

Will we ever get the entire stadium singing on their feet from start to finish - never, we need to stop and buy refreshments. But when you get a couple hundred, then a couple thousand, then ten thousand people singing the same song - it is an awesome feeling.

For those of you who watch games on TV from Europe and say 'wow that is cool, a great atmosphere' - you have no idea until you sit in the stadium and FEEL how great it is.

And the simple fact of the matter is those people singing are not paid actors, they are the same type of people who are currently sitting on their hands in our MLS stadiums. This ACB group has formed to help convince those fans that it's ok to stand up every once in a while, it's ok to cheer, it's ok to sing along and become a part of 10,000+ people cheering the LA Galaxy on to their next championship.

Riot Squad has the history and more consistent organization so if I had to bet on who would still be there in 5 years I'd put money on them.

That said at any well supported club there is room for multiple groups. Section 8 is not really one organization but multiple groups who share a section. DC does not just have the Barra Brava but the Screaming Eagles and La Norte (and maybe Esquina United though they are small and not really web organized). Toronto started with both the RPB and U-Sector. So they could develop into a viable group of size without hurting the Riot-Squad.

What I don't think will happen is them managing to get the entire stadiums standing and singing the entire game every game. There are portions of most MLS clubs who prefer to sit and just watch unless there is something particularly dramatic. And LA has more than its fair share of those including some celeb watchers. They'll succeed in getting their moments (knock out tourneys, goals, wins ect) but I don't believe they'll get the entire HDC on their feet from start to finish.

I'm just going to say this: having watched three EPL games in the past weekend (such is my desperation), I can say without a doubt that the singing turned "off" with fair frequency. Watch a game broadcast from anywhere in the world and you'll see these lulls; these are entirely natural. Some games don't deserve chanting because they, y'know, suck. I don't get the whole blind support thing, "mandatory" singing, etc. What's wrong with crowd noises serving as a real-time commentary on what's happening on the field? Why the need to hold these guys' hands through the full 90? They're professionals, aren't they?

It's a great idea but I don't think you can just create the kind of culture they want to bring to Galaxy games. It has to develop, more like the other great supporter groups in MLS (Barra Brava, Sector 8, Red Patch Boys).

I wouldn't dismiss the ACB though. LA has its fair share of the ex-pat population. You never know how things might turn out if the leadership is truly great and dedicated.

OT: My friends and I just paid $50 for sideline tickets for the home opener. As much as I want to keep loving the Galaxy, the ongoing media farce and increasing ticket prices is making it harder and harder.

So they want to make Galaxy ultras?