Empire Supporters Club
Empire Supporters Club | |
Motto | "Soy del Metro " |
Teams | New York Red Bulls |
Location | New York/New Jersey Metro Area |
Established | 1995 |
Website | EmpireSupportersClub.com |
The Empire Supporters Club, or ESC, is the oldest supporters club in Major League Soccer and the oldest and largest supporters club dedicated to the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. The club was started in 1995 by members of the New York City Firm (*NYCF* the former supporters group for the defunct A-League team the New York Centaurs). Its name reflects the soccer club's original name, Empire Soccer Club, as the supporters' club inception came before the MetroStars name. The club (with the exception of most of the original NYCF members) has continued to support MetroStars after they were re-branded as the Red Bulls. The unique make up has influenced the style of the group in the stands, as the club is part South American Barra, European Ultra, part British Supporter, with local flavor thrown in. The ESC sings in both English and Spanish.
Prior to New York Red Bulls home matches in the past, the ESC tailgate took place in parking lot 16-A at Giants Stadium. Starting in the 2010 season, most members can be found at El Pastor Restaurant in Newark, NJ before games. During games, supporters stood in section 101 of Giants Stadium, directly above the player's entrance tunnel, and support the club with songs and chants. Section 101 is also where the ESC will stand at Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ) in 2010. 101 is the middle of 3 sections comprising the supporters end known as the "South Ward."
The ESC is an umbrella club with many smaller subgroups such as Metro Death Squad, Sparta Metro Firm, Cobra Kai Metro Firm, and La Banda Imperial filling out it's ranks. Some members of the North Jersey Brigade, an independent US Men's National Team supporters club, are also ESC members. Some members of Hub City Hooligans also belong to ESC.
For most away games and US men's national team games, the ESC organizes viewing parties, usually at Nevada Smiths pub in New York City. The club also organizes bus trips for certain away games (particularly matches against neighboring teams New England Revolution, D.C. United, and the new Philadelphia Union franchise).
Songs
The ESC has done hundreds of chants throughout the years. The ESC mainly chants in English but also in Spanish because of the large number of Spanish speakers in the group. Popular English songs include "We Love You", "As Long As I'm Breathing", "Everywhere We Go", "I Believe", and "No Cojones". Popular Spanish songs include "Soy del Metro", "Baila Hinchada Baila", "Ole Ole Ola", "Yo Que no Salta" and "Metro, Mi Buen Amigo". Covers of songs such as The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" are also included, though personalized for the support. Most chants are influenced by chants sung by other supporter groups, most noticeably the songs sung by the Emerald City Supporters of Seattle.
With the building of the team's own stadium, Red Bull Arena, the supporters are now much closer to the general public, sitting mere feet from the goal and surrounded on all sides by viewers of the match. Sound also carries much more than it did compared to Giants Stadium, as there are typically more people in section 101 and a roof on the venue. As a result, the supporters have refrained from cursing in unison in songs to keep the environment family friendly, although it typically still occurs in high energy matches, such as those against D.C. United. One notable exception is the Wipeout, where rows of supporters jump up and down sideways, each row going the opposite direction of the one in front of it. Upon conclusion of the jumping, the ESC is often found in unison chanting "Metro boys ain't nothin' to F*** with", paying homage to the original name of the Red Bulls, the MetroStars.