Did you hear about the email that Celtic sent out to its fans today? In a nutshell they are encouraging their fans in the Seattle area to turn out to the Sounders' upcoming CONCACAF Champions League match and root against the home team and for Santos Laguna, their sister club. Sounds crazy, I know, but just to prove I'm not lying here's an excerpt from the email:
"Celtic's partner club, Santos Laguna, will face MLS outfit Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals at the start of March.
And Celtic fans in the area are being urged to come out and support the Mexican side, who now also include former Bhoy, Marc Crosas, among their ranks, as they aim to advance to the last four of the competition.
The Seattle district, of course, is home to a sizable Celtic support which was in evidence when the Hoops took on the Sounders in recent pre-season tours of North America.
While it may not be the Hoops from Glasgow in action, the club is asking supporters to turn-up and give the Los Guerreros some green and white backing from the stands."
Now there may be MLS cities where this tactic might work to bring out a few more bodies for the opposition but, let's be honest here, Seattle probably isn't one of them. Asking Seattlites to come out and root against the Sounders is akin to...hell, I don't know. I'm not sure there is a scenario out there that is preposterous enough for me to draw comparison with it.
Seriously, what are Celtic playing at here? After all, this is club that has played in Jet City four times, including three matches in the last 9 years, so it's not like Seattle is a market for which they hold no ambition. If they've made any new friends among the Sounders' sizable fanbase in the last few years they may have just broken up with them with this move. Are the Bhoys burning a bridge in the Emerald City? Or are they fanning the flames of rivalry for their next visit?
