MLS pulls false alarm over Timbers flags
By Forrest Tucker Black and red flags waved as the supporter’s section bounced up and down, shaking the old concrete they stood on. From across the pitch, we could hear Barra Brav a, District Ultras and the Screaming Eagles, all DC United supporters' groups, sing ing and chant ing inside RFK Stadium. DC United ’s diehard fans could be as entertaining as the match itself . T heir colorful flags and banners, called tifos , are a major entity of soccer culture . In my experience watching American soccer, tifos and flags were always about badgering the opposition and showing club pride. They were never about politics . But, in Portland, Oregon, th ings are different for fans of the Timbers . The Timbers Army has display ed the Iron Front, a symbol strongly linked with A ntifa, at their home matches for years . These displays were surpris ing because my MLS experiences have always been apolitical. On the other hand, it is not u