The Oldest Supporters Group in MLS
Back in 1995, Kevin McAllister and a ragtag bunch of punk rockers, skinheads, leftists, and soccer obsessives had an idea: New York deserved real supporter culture. Not corporate entertainment. Not soccer moms and polite applause. Something with teeth.
They started at New York Centaurs games in Downing Stadium. When MLS kicked off in 1996, they claimed Section 101 at Giants Stadium and never looked back. MetroStars years. Red Bull rebrand. Three decades of highs and lows. We've been there for all of it.
"Our basic creed is that we're a nonracist, nonviolent supporters club that just comes to support our team... We stand and sing for 90 minutes, but that's basically it." — Corey Jamison, ESC member, 2007
Anti-Fascist from Day One
ESC was founded with one clear mission: make sure soccer in New York couldn't be hijacked by far-right racist elements. In 1996, when neo-Nazis showed up at a MetroStars game, ESC members physically removed them. That wasn't some random incident — that was the whole point of the group.
"We wanted to make sure that if soccer was coming to New York, New Jersey, that supporters sections were not allowed to be taken over by far-right racist elements." — Greg Pason, founding member
In 2023, when Dante Vanzeir used a racial slur, ESC walked out alongside Viking Army — because the founding principles still matter.