But hey, here it is, rearing its ugly head whilst looking for the next little thing to follow. Maybe these guys’ll start following cricket next!

Jim Caple was a character from an obscure Japanese comic from the 60’s. Jesus Clark, get with it.

Dave you need to invite him to a game to continue your education of the masses.

Although I must say I’ve never heard a writer more accurately sum up the problem with Portland fans. He just accidentally ascribed it to us.

When asked about the difference between being a Sounders fan and a Portland fan I’ve generally described it thusly: “Sounders supporters love the team because they are fans of a soccer team. Portland supporters are fans of being fans of a team.”

When portland debuted a mediocre team, there wasn’t a peep from the fanbase in town. By contrast, when the team released a mediocre crest, people lost it. There’s an image of their team and themselves as fans that they studiously maintain, and it’s the most important thing, far more important than the actual team or the game.

It’s not as much about their team as it is about the scene that the team represents. And they will defend their scene to the death. The actual game and the team on the field is sort of secondary to them, to the point that they sort of disregard stuff like a bad team (“SWIWS”). I lived in portland for four years and had a lot of time to see this in person and think about it.

In Seattle we’re actually about the game. We care about the players that play for us. We threw a damn party for a bench player when he got taken in the expansion draft for chrissakes.

Caple is right, there are certain soccer fans who will see the increasing popularity of the sport and success of the league as a threat to their carefully cultivated image and culture. They live about 170 miles south of the greatest city in the world.

And for the record, I wear my scarf to seahawks games.

But who is Jim Caple?

The thing that isn’t genuine is ESPN coverage of soccer.

Just because our league hasn’t been around for 100+ years and we celebrate it different doesn’t make it fake. Caple was an idiot to cite this jackass but this is nothing new. Haters gonna hate. I mean the euro snob doesn’t even watch the games just checks scores and then talks smack about a growing local league. Who’s the fake one here?

But that someone else is incredibly ignorant and a bit of an ass.

but you could also just mention “take me out to the ballgame” at every baseball field in America.

Jim Caple is NOT the one dissing the Sounders. He is quoting a friend of his.

Also, sorry, but there is no free beer. I know; I am evil.

I can see MLSsoccer.com’s kickoff comments now…ugh

Which is about 2/3rds of the games? It’s scarf weather. Has he ever walked around Seattle when it wasn’t summer? There’s tons of scarves on people. Has he ever been to a Seahawks game? There have always been people wearing scarves, we could probably dig up photos if this was worth bothering with. What’s the difference between singing songs and making noise when the opposing team has the ball against the Seahawks? It’s fan participation in the most commonly accepted form for the sport.

He might as well just have typed out HEY YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN! as that’s the equivalent of this article. What a moron.

In this economy even. I suppose his friend Ian didn’t have a flurry of texts from friends the other night going “who is this Cato?” either, but I’m sure those discussions were simply my friends trying to be like Arsenal fans or something.

I think that is a different Ian, too.

There’s probably a ‘take at least one shot at the Sounders a week’ line item in the editorial handbook

Is that how to work this trolling thing?

If he is actually to go to Premiership game right now, he would be surprise how much it changed. The home support with the exception of a few ground is almost nonexistent. All singing and chanting usually comes from the visiting section. Did Roy Keane called once MUtd supporters “Prawn sandwich” brigade?

Every time I go to watch Croatia plays, I take my scarf with me, and there are thousands people like that. Go to any game in Italy, Germany, Spain, Netherlands (but don’t attack keeper)…, and you will see so many scarfs. It was (and still is) a part of the standard dress code for the supporters. Yes, we have casuals, but I am not sure that Ian would understand that.

This isn’t about the physical act of wearing a scarf, it’s the sad eulogy of a man who feels left behind in his sports-loving proclivities, something he’s made a career and a life of. He got a bonus pass to basically move to seattle to be cool to be a random writer for ESPN, like 15 years ago.

Now, this relatively recent transplant, post-Grunge Seattlelite tries to intimate he’s some Seattle old-school hard ass.

He’s ignorant of and hates soccer, that much is obvious, but and therefore this critique shouldn’t be taken as anything indicative of Sounders or Sounders fans. Dont be so defensive guys!!!!!

I forgive you Caple. Seattle is indeed changing. And scarves or not, call it a COSTUME PARTY cause its COSTUME PARTY SOUNDERS and I cant wait til kickoff 2012. CONCACAF CHamps league anyone?!?!

Denying it just makes you sound ridiculous.