Posts by Drew Perez

bluewalker92 said:North Mexico - 20 flares from just 30 people... That's 66.7%. Statistically, probably the most intense flare display by any American group we've ever seen. 😁

Which group are you with? How old are you? How many games have you been to?

Respect for those flares in North Mexico, but you know as well as I do that it's the same story there as it is here. Why don't you light up 20 flares in San Francisco or something? Actually, never mind, I didn't even ask that. I was talking about small local matches.

As for the second part, you can keep that little fantasy to yourself.😂

bluewalker92 said:I sent you materials from five small games over the last year where we hit 10-20 bets in a row... If we were pulling 10-20 wins on just five minor games this past year, what makes you think about how many we were hitting in the three years before we hit rock bottom like we have now? 😁

I don't "think" anything. I know. 😁 If you had even ONE winning streak on small games in the last four years, you’d be flooding my inbox with screenshots already...

Go ahead, keep attacking me over nonsense. Keep mocking me. It doesn't change the fact that none of you have posted a single legitimate winning ticket from a minor game in four years. But of course, you'd never admit it. No chance. 😍

Go ahead and brag about those few flares, but we both know you didn't put on a real show during the small games. Why is it so hard to just admit it? Is your bar really that low that you're calling these photos actual flare displays?

Terry Lee3, are you seriously trying to pull my leg with these photos? You calling those flares? There aren't even ten of them, let alone twenty.
The only time you guys actually had a real flare display was back during that '04/'05 season. Since then, you haven't had a single flare display at any of the small games.

bluewalker92 said:Back in the seasons before last, we’d get about five home derbies per season thanks to the cup and the championship format. Those games always went off—usually over 20 flares, probably even more than 50... So, basically, five big flare shows a year.

Gotta get to work. Catch you guys later tonight.. 😉

Right, so you're basically admitting that for the last four years, there hasn't been any pyrotechnics at the smaller games? And those are every single match except for when the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers are playing.

I looked back at the last four years—not that I’m just sticking to the most recent one—and asked about flares... you know, during those smaller games. Not a single thing happened, right?

I’ve only got one question for the Armada. Can anyone actually pull up a photo of some flares from the last four years that isn't from a massive derby? I’m talking real flare action. Like, at least 20 flares in one shot.

Terry Lee3 said:Just tell me, which old glory are you even talking about?
I mean, when exactly did we just vanish? For what? So people can sit around talking about "old glory" and comparing us to the Demon or the Cohort? Unless they’re talking about how much our home crowd has grown over the last two years, I don't get it. But hey, maybe they're talking about the sheer creativity being used to make these comparisons. In my opinion, that's at an all-time high.☕
And if it’s even possible to find out which group you actually belong to? You wouldn't tell me once before, even though you only ever show up in threads about The Armada and Cohort... I mean, it's fine. Nobody's going to come after you. Why bother hiding?🤷

It hasn't just been a thing for the last couple of years. It goes back further than that. And look, I’m not saying I’m comparing us to the Demons—that doesn't even make sense. They were grinding it out in the lower leagues for ages. We can only really start talking about comparisons now that they're up in the big leagues. Or maybe we can't even do that yet, not until they actually start playing home games...

Hard to say which group I actually belong to—if I even belong to one at all. Personally, though, I find the whole Armada-Cohort thing pretty fascinating. There's another group too, but whatever. It doesn't matter. 😁

Lawrence Walker27 said:It’s true, our presence at smaller games over the last few years has been pretty pathetic. There are plenty of reasons. Bans, obviously. Then you have guys who aren't even banned, but the cops at the West stands just block them preemptively—it's actually easier to slip past security during big derbies because of the sheer volume of people. Or some guys are busy drinking right outside the gates and never even make it into the stadium... stuff like that.

Don't go blaming the bans; we aren't the only ones dealing with that. Even the Boysi used to say the same thing back in the day, before the real problem finally came to light.

What kind of nonsense is this? I was just pointing out how some of you guys—who clearly haven't seen a real fight in years—keep talking down to the Demon or the Cohort. You say things like, "Who do they think they are, comparing themselves to us?" or "They just wear white sneakers and look exhausted; we're the real die-hards, we're the only ones who actually care about the club." Give me a break.

Patrick Clark21 said:I’m reading this and I just can't believe it... I honestly can't wrap my head around certain people comparing the Demons and the Cohort to The Armada 🤷 Look, I’ll give credit where it's due—there are some kids out there, and yeah, I'm not exactly old myself, but I remember how things used to be, who started following everything just a few years ago without any respect for the history, mostly just caught up in the hype of sneakers and fancy stadium seating... Generally speaking, The Armada has about half its potential left, making them the third biggest group in the US, though they're the only ones with enough grit to actually step up to the big leagues, and I'm sure they'll do it again (I mean... they have a few shipyards and a major cargo port nearby... plenty of blue-collar workers 😁). But hey, that’s just my take. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, I guess ☕

Alright, you've got your opinion, but... you can't live off past glory forever. The new generations of The Armada? In my eyes, they don't even come close to the old guard. The only time they look like the real Armada is during huge derbies or when there's massive hype. These small matchups? It's almost sad to even talk about them. One game, the West stands are packed, and the next, there are maybe 150 people there. That's been the pattern for a year, and last season—aside from the very end—was a total stain on The Armada's history.

Then you look at the Demons and the Cohort. The Demons are a group that survived 7 or 8 years grinding in the lower leagues, and they were tough as nails back then... Just look at those old photos of the demon 15 rođ and armada 20 rođ. Same year, 2007. The Demons killed it—choreography, pyrotechnics, turnout... for them, anyway. The Armada? Aside from just walking around, it was an embarrassment for a group of that stature. Probably because they were celebrating at some minor little game.

The Cohort is probably the group that has made the most progress over the last few years, all thanks to the sheer work ethic and energy of the younger crowd. And they did it without any help from the club's success; in fact, the club hasn't even seen European play in 8 years, let alone a trophy.

Sure, The Armada can put on a show at a derby that neither the Demons nor the Cohort will ever match. The Armada can roll into Chicago with 500 people or San Diego with 300, which the Cohort or Demons won't do. But the Cohort and the Demons have consistency. They don't have these massive swings between "big games" and "small games." For instance, when the Cohort plays Hajduk, you get 500 in the stands, then 300 against Ohio. Meanwhile, The Armada hits 2000 against Hadjuk 2000, but then drops to 150 against Ohio. Mostly, I'm talking about the Cohort now, since the Demons still have to prove themselves in the top flight at home.

For the sake of the scene, I hope The Armada finds its way back, but I'm skeptical with this current generation. They started the season well enough (though, once again, the turnout at the last game was pathetic).

What is everyone getting so worked up about 😁

How much did those demons screw us over regarding $17 up until now? Honestly, I'm just curious what the Navy is charging for trips out to
these days.

They never actually publish their travel costs publicly, do they?

Why is it that San Francisco, being the third largest city in America, can't even pack out a stadium like San Francisco with a capacity of just 12,000? It makes no sense. We’ve had plenty of games where you'd expect a crowd—derbies against Dinamo Chicago or Hajduk Split when we were actually playing well and everyone was riding that high... but what really gets me is how the cup final wasn't even full.

Does anyone have photos without all the flags and slogans so we can actually see how many of you showed up at the rally?

(Not trying to start anything, just genuinely curious. Looks like a decent turnout based on these shots)

I guess the guys got tired of having their vans totaled every time they hit RI, and since you always show up with a literal mob in Orlando, they decided to return the favor... damn. Life goes on, I suppose. Kinda gotta give props to both sides for what's coming this Sunday.

I don't see the point either. What's the actual purpose of those neighborhood banners that pop up a few times a year at Malibu or during those zero-attendance away games? Especially when everyone just stands there in one big, messy crowd anyway...

Does the stadium capacity in Miami stay the same for both the west and east sides?

I guess I should give the NFL Ultras some credit for yesterday. Truly top-tier stuff. But let's be real—a few decent performances at the end of the year aren't going to save this disastrous season or all those games where we barely had 50 or 100 people showing up.

Great read!!