Sunday afternoon, below Route 322 in Philadelphia’s south suburbs, and the fading sun reduced walking speed to a pace usually seen in art galleries. Soccer fans gather here, hours before their Major League Soccer team faces a showpiece match against the best team in their conference. It’s Philadelphia Union against FC Cincinnati and the atmosphere is… polite.
The Sons of Ben supporters group, named after Benjamin Franklin, hosts this sweet pregame party. At kickoff in two hours, they will occupy the River End of Subaru Park, their team’s purpose-built home in the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge into New Jersey. This is a noticeably softer tailgate than its NFL counterpart. A DJ plays eagerly mixed bangers, urging listeners to raise their hands in the air. A topless, shoeless painter works on a 10m banner while a man in the Union away jersey carries something in a case that should terrify anyone who sees it. A megaphone.
Inevitably, this year’s main theme in American football (and let’s move on to “soccer” now to avoid any further cultural misunderstandings) has been Inter Miami. The arrival of Lionel Messi will do that. Still, there are more established fans across the country, particularly in the Northwest, where MLS teams Seattle and Portland are particularly popular.
Philadelphia has some catching up to do. Forgotten during the launch of MLS in 1996, it was not until 2010 that the Union played its first match. Their first nine years were largely mediocre, but the team has now made the playoffs seven times in a row and has a reputation for developing talent. Manchester City’s Zack Steffen, Leeds’ Brenden Aaronson (on loan to Union Berlin) and Sheffield United’s Auston Trusty have all come through the club’s youth academy.
This Saturday, the Union faces the New England Revolution in the first match of a best-of-three playoff series. They have an outside chance of winning it all and came close last year, losing to LAFC on penalties after one of the most exciting matches in MLS history. And yet their town’s sports weekend will, perhaps understandably, be an NFL regular season game between their Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia is a sporting hotbed with few American rivals, but is it still a soccer city? “It’s true,” says Don Smolenski, president of the Eagles and member of the leadership group of the city that successfully applied to host the World Cup matches in 2028. He recalls the sold-out opening match of his team’s 67,594 stadiums in 2003, between Manchester United and Barcelona.
We’re talking on the field before an Eagles game. “It would have been interesting with Miami and Union playing recently, if this game could have been played here. I think the passion for the city would have shone through. But it may be years before football becomes the main attraction. “When the World Cup is here and the focus is on the World Cup, the city will listen, engage and come together around sport.”
No reluctance from the Sons of Ben group, who cared so much about football that their existence predated the team. “They would go to New England or DC games, not support anyone and do their own cheering,” says Philly Soccer Page editor Peter Andrews. “Everyone would think it was a little weird.”
