MLS ultras

Steven Wells recently wrote an article for the Guardian titled, US soccer punks 1,McFans 0. In it he talks about the growing American fan base and the difference these supporter groups are making. He writes:

"With the entire US soccer press (such as it is) fixated on how Mr Posh Spice is going to save American soccer (from what, exactly, nobody ever says) very little attention is being paid to the ongoing revolution in US soccer fandom. Sick of the dull, pasteurised, one-size-fits-all, preprogrammed Disneyfied McFan experience that's all but got a deathgrip on US pro-sports, soccer fans have increasingly been doing it for themselves."

For those that think the MLS supporter groups aren't as hardcore as Their European counterparts or South American "ultras" he notes:

"Recently I was at an indoor soccer game working for FourFourTwo magazine, cheering on the Philadelphia Kixx in the company of a rowdy mob that calls itself the Sons of Ben. With their custom-made scarves, raucous chants and vigorously thumped bass drum, the 60 Sons made more noise than the rest of the arena put together....
Now here's the thing - the Sons of Ben aren't Philadelphia Kixx fans. They're fans of Philly's Major League Soccer team. But Philadelphia doesn't yet have an MLS team. Which is to say that, despite having scarves, songs, chants, replica shirts and flags, they're fans of a team that doesn't yet exist. It's almost as if - in the manner of the South Sea cargo cultists - they're trying to will a Philly team into existence. They even organise trips to New York Red Bulls games, just so they can boo them. How hardcore is that?"

This is a great time to be a soccer fan in America.
Here are the links to DC UNITED's supporter groups:
BARRA BRAVA
LA NORTE
The Screaming Eagles

That SOB (son of Ben) Brad asked for a link, so here it is:
Sons of Ben

Here's a video highlighting MLS supporter groups: