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21-598: The club was founded in 1995 by members of the New York City Firm (NYCF), a supporters group for the short-lived A-League New York Centaurs , in anticipation of a Major League Soccer franchise starting play in the New York/New Jersey metro area. To reflect the initial franchise name, Empire Soccer Club, the supporters chose to name themselves the Empire Supporters Club. By the start of the inaugural year

42-575: A fundraiser for Joe Vide , an ex-player diagnosed with cancer. February 2011, a month before the start of the 2011 MLS season, saw the ESC men's soccer team play in the inaugural South Ward Football Challenge, winning the Spanish Pavilion Cup. The tournament saw teams representing the ESC, Garden State Supporters, Viking Army supporters and NY Red Bull front office play for the cup and bring in both cash and equipment donations for Balls Without Borders and

63-877: A new team there. The franchise was named the Staten Island Vipers , which began play in the A-League in 1998. Neale ultimately went on to be General Manager of the San Jose Earthquakes and COO of the MetroStars of MLS . Winograd, a former professional soccer player in Kfar Saba , Israel and assistant soccer coach at the University of Richmond , went on to law school at the University of Pennsylvania . Joe Vide Joe Vide (born May 16, 1984, in Fort Worth , Texas )

84-466: A walkout at Red Bull Arena at the start of a match against Houston Dynamo. The groups protested the actions of New York forward Dante Vanzeir , who was suspended six games after uttering a racial slur during a game on April 8 against the San Jose Earthquakes, as well as manager Gerhard Struber, who insisted on keeping the player in the match after the incident. The club voted to protest from within

105-665: Is an American soccer player. Vide attended high school while playing for TSV Munich 1860 's youth team in Munich , Germany . He played four years at the University of Virginia as a defensive midfielder and became a regular for the Cavaliers by his senior year. In 2004, he spent the collegiate off season with the Richmond Kickers Future in the USL Premier Development League . Vide was selected fifth overall in

126-400: Is the middle of 3 sections composing the supporters end known as the "South Ward." In addition to its base membership, the ESC acts as an umbrella organization for a variety of smaller groups, including a revived NYCF, Sparta Metro Firm, MDS, Cobra Kai Metro Firm, La Banda Imperial, Hub City Hooligans, Metro Ultras. The Red Bulls' two other largest supporters groups, Garden State Supporters and

147-632: The 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft by MetroStars . He made his MLS debut July 4, 2006 as a substitute against Los Angeles Galaxy . He would go on to appear in 7 matches for the re-branded New York Red Bulls during the season, including two starts. After not featuring in the clubs plans during the early part of the 2007 campaign, Vide began to receive significant playing time earning 16 appearances and 13 starts due to injuries to first team midfielders Claudio Reyna and Dema Kovalenko . He also made his playoff debut against New England Revolution on November 3, playing 77 minutes. His tenacious play and ability on

168-594: The USISL Pro League , debuted in 1994, playing two seasons in the league before merging with the Centaurs organization in 1996. The unified New York Fever team competed in one season in the A-League in 1996 before folding. The Fever originally played out of Barrett Stadium on the campus of Westchester Community College in Valhalla , New York . The Centaurs played their games at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island ,

189-666: The ESC organizes viewing parties, usually at the Football Factory in Legends in New York City . The club also handles away ticketing and transportation for many away matches (particularly matches against neighboring teams New England Revolution , D.C. United , New York City FC , and the Philadelphia Union franchise). On April 15, 2023, the club - alongside fellow supporters groups Viking Army and Torcida 96 - voted for and staged

210-561: The U.S. Soccer Foundation. 2012 saw the return of the South Ward Football Challenge with the ESC team defending its title and helping, along with the other participating teams, to raise money for the Harrison Housing Authority. New York Centaurs The New York Centaurs were an A-League professional soccer club, based in New York City . The team played only one season in 1995. The New York Fever of

231-577: The Viking Army, can trace their roots back to the ESC as well. It is not uncommon for members of the ESC to hold dual memberships with any of the other Red Bulls supporter clubs. Many of these same supporters have joined independent US men's national team supporters clubs like the North Jersey Brigade, Sam's Army and the American Outlaws. For most away games and US men's national team games,

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252-411: The ball in the center of the field was a revelation and quickly established Vide as a fan favorite. On November 21, 2007, he was selected by San Jose Earthquakes in the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft . He was waived on July 14, 2008. On July 16, 2008, he was claimed by D.C. United . He scored his first MLS goal for United against Colorado on August 23. Despite solid performances for D.C., he was waived by

273-705: The former home of the New York Cosmos . The saga of the New York Centaurs/Fever began in 1994 when English businessman Bob Butler launched the first pro soccer club in the New York City area since the NASL New York Cosmos of the 1970s and 1980s. Butler founded the New York Fever as a USISL Pro League team in 1994 with the objective of building a robust franchise and soccer training center for

294-467: The large and untapped population and youth of New York City. The team's coach was George Vizvary . The New York Centaurs, owned by Roger Gorevic , debuted in 1995 at Downing Stadium to considerably small fanfare. The Centaurs started their season under coach Len Roitman , who would step down amid poor results to focus on his role as general manager, making way for former Cosmos star midfielder, Yugoslavian Vladislav Bogicevic . The team would absorb

315-592: The lower tiered New York Fever for the 1996 season and compete under the Fever name. For the 1996 season, Goervic brought in Tom Neale to be the team's General Manager. Neale in turn brought in Mike Winograd, his college roommate and teammate at Lafayette College , to head up ticket sales, marketing and team development. After one season, Gorevic moved the franchise to Staten Island and tapped Neale and Winograd to start up

336-529: The past, the ESC tailgate took place in parking lot 16-A at Giants Stadium . Starting in the 2010 season, the official game day pub of the club is El Pastor Restaurant in Newark, NJ. During games, supporters stood in section 101 of Giants Stadium, directly above the player's entrance tunnel, and supported the club with songs and chants. Section 101 is also where the ESC now stands at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. 101

357-468: The stadium for the next home game on May 6, after which they returned to usual operations following Struber's firing. The ESC has performed hundreds of chants throughout the years. The ESC chants in both English and 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" (also

378-404: The supporters have become much closer to the general public, in both communication and proximity. Sitting mere feet from the goal, and surrounded on all sides by unaffiliated fans, the club is able to encourage, and often lead, the surrounding crowds in song. The atmosphere the club helps create is improved in the arena as sound carries much more under the roof as compared to Giants Stadium. With

399-415: The supporters' Motto), "Baila Hinchada Baila", "Ole Ole Ola", "El 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. To maintain cohesion, most chants are started by designated supporters in the section, leading the club in song when needed. With the building of the team's own stadium, Red Bull Arena,

420-480: The team owners had elected to call the team the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. Since its founding, the variety of backgrounds amongst club members has influenced the style of the group in the stands. The end result is a mix of South American Barra, European Ultra, British Supporter and American flavor with the members singing in both English and Spanish. Prior to New York Red Bulls home matches in

441-564: The team's new arena and a local restaurant acting as supporters' home, the Empire Supporters Club has begun reaching out to the community by hosting or participating in charity events. From 2009 to 2011 the club played in the Downtown United Soccer Club's annual supporter's club charity soccer tournament in support of the City Soccer Initiative. In August 2010 the club used its home venue at El Pastor in Newark to host

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