Heyyy, I know that dude.

San Jose City Hall has an exhibit on the history of San Jose soccer called "City of Champions: 2001, a San Jose Soccer Odyssey".

If you look closely, you might see someone I know. :)

The new season

MLS begins
Two new teams with shiny hopes
and serious fans.

My beloved Quakes
Going up and down, again.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

San Jose Ultras
Getting in trouble again.
Oh you rascals you.

The new Casbah flag
has advertising on it.
Times are a-changin'.

It's Getting Better All the Time

You know, I tore 'em one when they looked bad, but I gotta admit these past two games the Quakes have looked like they could be a playoff team this year.

Don't go getting the MLS Cup polish yet, but I will admit the boys in black and blue are looking much better than the train wreck of that first game. It's nice to see the crowds filling Buck Shaw too.

It's hard to tell from TV, and I sure as hell don't trust stuff I read from BigSoccer, but I'm wondering how the merged supporters sections are doing getting along side by side? Are you trading off chants? Are the Ultras dominating the cheering? Is anyone other than Sean reading this thing? :)

I don't hate Mexico

The biggest soccer rivalry in North America adds another chapter tomorrow afternoon in Mexico City when the U.S. Men take on Mexico for a World Cup qualifier in Estadio Azteca.

I fully admit that nothing would please me more than to see the Yanks finally get their first win against El Tri on Mexican soil. A trouncing by the U.S. would bring a wonderfully Grinchy smile on my face as I walk around in my U.S. jersey.

However, I will also say that the rhetoric surrounding any game with Mexico by some of my fellow supporters can be problematic. I can recall hearing an individual yelling "Mow my lawn!" in the Sam's Army section in Columbus during the 2005 qualifier. I usually challenge such bigoted stuff when I hear it live, but memory fails if I managed to find the culprit that time around. There's a lot of racism and xenophobia when it comes to this game, and there are a fair number of U.S. fans who let their fear of brown people color their feelings and language around this matchup.

People, you need to let it go. Spending the last decade here in the Bay Area, being around communities of color, and of course being a soccer fan has given me respect for Mexican fans and their passion. I had Mexican co-workers at my previous job, and our passion for our respective national teams never clouded the respect we had for each other as people. I'll miss the bet we usually had, especially for this game. Last time I had to grow out what hair I had left for a month.

I got to see the Chivas supporters Legion 1908 put on a full display last Saturday at Candlestick Park. It was incredible to see. Did they sneak most of that stuff in? Probably. However, that wasn't where my head was. Most folks would find that display frightening. As for me, I wondered if the Casbah took notes. :)

By way of introduction...

Is it me, or does Clint Dempsey seem lost when playing for the National Team? I mean no disrespect to the man, because he can play, but it's like he just can't find in groove out there with the other Yanks. Please don't be another Twellman.

Oh hai.
It's me, Guy. Yeah, that Guy.

I figured my non-soccer fan friends were sick of my rants and raves so I'll just take them here. I'm sure some of you will be challenged by some of the things I say. Feel free to disagree in the comments, but don't expect a back and forth debate from me. Cuz, I don't have time. So if you wanna say something make it a complete statement. Comments by trolls, racists, homophobes, and annoying motherfuckers happily deleted.

Humor appreciated.

Here's a interview I did with Under the Blue Banner last week. I talk about how I got into The Casbah. I come on about 15 minutes in.

Under the Blue Banner: Episode 13

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