You're A Hooligan?!?!?!

by Dick Mac

And there it is: Dick Mac wants to be a soccer hooligan. I've tried to keep it from you all along, but the crime was caught on camera.

Here I am marching over the Passaic River from The Ironbound District in Newark to Red Bull Arena in Harrison.

I am wearing the Thierry Henry jersey and lifting my scarf to my face to block the smoke from the flares. The hundreds of others with me are also supporters of Red Bull New York. We belong to three different supporters clubs: Viking Army, Empire Supporters Club, and Garden State Supporters.



Before every home match, each of the three clubs meet at different restaurants in the Ironbound, then simultaneously converge at the intersection of Jackson Street, Raymond Boulevard, and Rodgers Boulevard.

Traffic comes to a stop, the cops try to keep some order, and the march begins. Since we are marching from one municipality over a bridge to another municipality, it seems that neither police department concerns itself too terribly much about the whole thing. Sirens blow and are ignored, authoritative voices blast from police cars and are ignored, and the supporters light flares, march and dance and sing until they reach the stadium.

It's a remarkable lead-up to a match!