BY: OLIVER PULCHER
STAFF WRITER
“Capoing” is not a verb to describe the act of wearing or using a device to change the pitch or range of stringed instruments, but rather a verb describing the act
of shepherding (sometimes drunk) soccer fans in unified chanting and support of their team.
In its simplest form, it is cheerleading, and yet it is so much more. No one really knows when capoing came into being in the soccer world. However, the closest relative to capoing lies in Ultras’ culture, which goes back as far as modern Egypt in the 1950’s.
Ultras are the self-proclaimed “most extreme” fans of soccer. While there can be extreme fans for any sport, Ultras are unique to soccer (or football as it is known across the world).
Ultras are a group of fans who have been known to set off smoke bombs during goals. They often carry flags, tifos (giant banners), drums and megaphones.
These are also fans who often believe that one should never stop chanting for one’s team, no matter what.
In recent years, as soccer has spread throughout the United States, new supporters’ groups have sprouted up nationwide to support their local teams. This is partly due to the rising popularity of MLS (Major League Soccer, the division one soccer league of the U.S.) and national soccer as well. The 2018 world cup 
proved to be one of the most popular international events in recent history, edging out the 2014 world cup by it’s 3.4 billion viewers in comparison to the 2014 world cup’s 3.2 billion viewers.
An enormous wave of support erupted for the sport in the United States and more specifically, for the women’s section after the Women’s National Team won the 2015 women’s world cup 5-2 against Japan.
Since then, there have been three new MLS teams added to the league. After 2014, the USL (United Soccer League, which is division 2 in the U.S.) went from 14 teams to 33 teams, increasing by more than double the amount of teams the league originally possessed.
The closest team to Meramec is STLFC (St. Louis Football Club), a USL team. The supporting group of that team is the St. Louligans.
Capos are a subset of these supporting groups who stand in front of the section of game-goers and lead them in cheering their team on until the final whistle blows. These members use most anything at their disposal, from megaphones to make sure they are heard, hand signals to tell drummers when to start and stop the drum beats for a chant, soccer scarves (which they raise or wave around in support of the team), and their own bodies to raise the energy level of the crowd.
Though capos give up their ability to watch the game and indulge in their own personal reactions to it in order to keep the crowd energetic and dancing, these 
cheer-and-chant leaders say that there is no place they would rather be. They keep the order when things go south, keep the crowd organized when things go well and shepherd a crowd of individuals into one chanting voice that is sometimes difficult to overlook.
Photos by Amanda Harris
