Over 70 years ago, soccer — or fútbol — fans reached new heights of passion and support for their favorite clubs that had never been seen. Marches, chants and fireworks organized by supporter groups became the norm at soccer matches around the world.
Fresno resident Vicente Chavez said he aimed to bring the same level of passion for “the beautiful game” to the Valley through his own supporter group, El Escuadrón de Fresno.
“We wanted to provide a different environment, a different supporter vibe, that didn’t exist here in Fresno,” Chavez said. “Little by little, we started implementing our chants [and] some of our ritmo, our Latino style of drumming.”
El Escuadrón strives to bring that vibe to soccer events all over town, including matches for Central Valley Fuego FC, Valley FC, Fresno State’s women’s soccer team and even making appearances at some high school matches.
Prior to the inception of El Escuadrón, Chavez was a member of Fresno’s first soccer supporter group, Fire Squad Fresno. After joining the group in 2016, Chavez got his first hands-on experience of what being in a supporter group entails.
Chavez enjoyed his membership for three years with the group but also saw an opportunity. He saw groups of fans that had passion for the game, but did not fit in the supporter scene at the time. Chavez decided to take a chance, breaking away from Fire Squad Fresno and creating his own vision.
“We split from Fire Squad to create El Escuadrón because we simply wanted to create a different atmosphere. A different type of vibe that wasn’t really seen with Fire Squad,” Chavez said. “So fire squad, when you translate it into Spanish, it means escuadrón.”
El Escuadrón made its debut soon after in September 2019. At the time, Fresno’s professional soccer team went by the name of Los Zorros. The group made the trip to support Los Zorros at an away game in Reno and quickly made their name known and voices heard.
The unique chants and rhythmic beating drums set El Escuadrón apart from fans of rival teams in the league, earning the group praise from opposing fans, players and coaches.
However, the excitement was short-lived, as Los Zorros folded the following season.
“The Zorros’ final season ended in October of 2019, and when the team left we were like, what now? We don’t have any more professional soccer. That’s when we were introduced to Fresno State women’s soccer and that’s how we kept ourselves going,” Chavez said.
The group found a new home with Fresno State. El Escuadrón’s members immediately engulfed themselves in Fresno State women’s soccer, bringing that vibe to a place where fan culture didn’t exist.
They brought their rhythmic drumming and chanting and even created new chants specifically for Fresno State. They built a relationship in which Fresno State gave them soccer, which kept their group going, and El Escuadrón gave Fresno State a special fan experience that isn’t typically seen in women’s college soccer.
“El Escuadrón gives us a distinct heartbeat at our games,” Fresno State Head Coach Brian Zwaschka said.
When professional soccer returned to the Valley, El Escuadrón continued to attend Fresno State matches. This season the members even created a large poster in celebration of Zwaschka’s 100th win with the program.
“They bring a level of atmosphere to the special moments. When we score, that turns into a festival. A celebration,” Zwaschka said. “When we need a lift, they help spark it with genuine loyalty and encouragement to the players to push – – win, lose or draw.”
This year, the Central Valley Fuego became the focal point for El Escuadrón. The group attended nearly every home game, supporting the Fuego through the peaks and valleys of the long season.
However, El Escuadrón does not support its teams blindly. If the members are unhappy, they are not afraid to make their voices heard in an attempt to make changes.
On Sept. 17, the Fuego were en route to losing their eighth game out of nine, so the fans let their frustrations be known, chanting “fuera Vásquez.” This translates to “Vásquez out,” calling for Head Coach MartÃn Vásquez to be replaced.
“We weren’t happy with the head coach,” Chavez said. “We had enough at that point. It’s just the way we see the game. In the Valley, we’re known to grind. We go for it. We give it our all, and we’ve seen that reflected in teams we’ve had in the past. That’s something that this season we just didn’t see.”
Even through the disappointing Fuego season, the group continued to expand. El Escuadrón no longer felt like a supporter group. It became a family.
“They welcome you in with open arms, and it’s just one big family,” said Liliana Zamora, a member of El Escuadrón. “You need something, they’re there. We just help each other out and love the sport. It’s awesome.”
Enabling that familial atmosphere to grow is a priority for Chavez when it comes to managing El Escuadrón. His goal was not only to create the loudest group in Fresno, but also to create something special that everybody could be involved in.
“Being part of a supporter group is so much fun, especially when the members start getting close. It really becomes more of a family,” Chavez said.
In the process of creating this family, Chavez had to put in countless hours to continue attracting members to the group.
“It’s hard work to get members. This past season was the first season that we created actual El Escuadrón membership packs,” Chavez said. “We designed membership cards and collaborated with local businesses to offer discounts to our members, and it caught the eye of the people.”
Leading a supporter group isn’t easy, but at the end of the day, Chavez does it for the love of the game.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s what we love to do. This is like a side job where we don’t get paid. But I feel like if there was a payment, it’d just [be] being able to be out in the stands chanting, drumming for the team, [celebrating] the victories [and having] the players celebrating with you like that. That’s what I’m here for. That’s what feeds my energy,” he said.
El Escuadrón will be hosting watch parties throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup. For those interested in attending the watch parties or becoming a member of the group, it can be reached on Instagram @elescuadrondefresno.