Tuesday, December 4, 2007

United States - Gold Cup 2007

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Easily the best scarf I have right now. This is one of the special edition scarves that Yanks Abroad periodically puts out for major tournaments involved the US national team. Obviously, they know what they're doing. Sadly enough, I didn't see a ton of these on TV during the Gold Cup itself.

Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham is my English team, so this is my English scarf. Another first, and another bland one. This one I won't trade just yet since English scarves are harder to come by and these are my boys, but we'll see. This one I actually eBay-ed in my zeal to get some Tottenham gear.

DC United

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My first ever DC scarf! Sadly, it's boring and corporate, especially since adidas uses this exact same template for every team in the league, down to the fonts on the reverse side. MLS has serious issues with merchandising, in case you couldn't tell.

Anyone who's looking for MLS scarves can make me an offer for this one.

West Ham United

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A West Ham scarf also purchased by my father when traveling in London.

This is one is not bad, but kind of a snooze. I've seen this same template used for several clubs in England, so not a lot of character there. Willing to trade this one if anyone's interested.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Emerald City Supporters (Seattle Sounders)

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ECS is the supporters' group for the Seattle Sounders. Seattle is the reigning bad-ass team of the USL 1st Division, having won their fourth title this year. ECS is, I think, only two years old, but they do good work and will be the supporters' group for Seattle's MLS team when it starts up in 2009.

This is another favorite because of the argyle pattern, which is the first genuinely unique thing I've seen on any football scarf.

AC Sparta Praha

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Great design, one of my all-time favorites. The best part is the Prague city skyline, which is one of the most intricate things I've ever seen on a scarf. Purchased for me over the summer by my father during his European travels.

Stanford University

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Stanford is another college soccer power in the Bay Area. This one was picked up for me at a game between Stanford and Davidson College from North Carolina.

La Barra Brava (DC United)

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The 2007 scarf for La Barra Brava, supporters' group for DC United of Major League Soccer. This is the group I belong to and with whom I saw my first-ever competitive soccer game. Obviously, they are the best of MLS and arguably the country, but I'm not biased in any way.

Texian Army (Houston Dynamo)

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Despite DC not making it, I went to MLS Cup anyway and made it my mission to trade for another scarf. This one is what I came up, courtesy of a Houston fan in a massive sombrero and his wife. Texian Army is one of the Houston Dynamo's two major supporters groups, and they showed up to MLS Cup in style.

Timbers Army (Portland Timbers)

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This is the official scarf of Timbers Army, the supporters' group for the Portland Timbers of the USL 1st Division. Arguably the best supporters group in the country, including all MLS teams. I bought this one from the TA guys over the summer.