Hudson Street Hooligans

Who'd have figured Columbus, OH as a hotbed of soccer hooliganism?  

It looks like things turned unfriendly during Sunday's "international friendly" between the Columbus Crew and West Ham United, after a few (dozen) West Ham supporters entered the heart of the Crew supporters section in the North End.

Words were exchanged, then $8 beers were spilled, and then punches were thrown. That's the way things roll in the C-bus!  Here's a picture of yellow and black Crew fans mixing it up with claret and blue West Ham fans.



West Ham supporters have a reputation for this sort of thing in England, and the Crew's North End supporters who call themselves the "Hudson Street Hooligans" (from Green Street Hooligans, the documentary about West Ham's ICF) are developing their own reputation for rowdiness. The Crew's flier advertising the game ("US against the Brits!") could have also helped fuel pre-match hostilities between the team's supporters.

Shortly after the halftime conflict, West Ham fans in the opposite of Crew stadium unfurled a banner reading "ICF - 30 Years Undefeated". According to reports, the fight was a draw, and West Ham won the real game 3-1.  Their (North) American tour concludes this week at the MLS All-Star Game in Toronto, so we'll see how their "ICF" will fare against Canadian sockey hooligans.

Edit: Quoting ICF.. I know they weren't the real ICF.