The Philadelphia Union are an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 2010 as an expansion team. The club's home stadium is Subaru Park, a

soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...

located in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

on the banks of the Delaware River. The Union are currently owned by Keystone Sports & Entertainment, with Jay Sugarman serving as majority owner and chairman of the club. Professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball f ...

also serves as a minority owner. The club's current head coach is Jim Curtin. Curtin has been coaching the Union since 2014. The Union finished as runners-up in the 2014, 2015 and 2018 U.S. Open Cup tournaments. The club lost to Seattle Sounders FC 3–1 in extra time in 2014, and to Sporting Kansas City 6–7 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the 2015 edition. They lost 3–0 to the Houston Dynamo in the final of the 2018 edition. In 2020, Philadelphia secured the

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since ...

, winning the first title in the club's history, and in 2022, they played in their first MLS Cup Final.

History

Drive for expansion

Despite being one of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the country and a top-five media market, the

Philadelphia area The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware V ...

was not represented when Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996. Philadelphia was previously represented by the

Philadelphia Atoms The Philadelphia Atoms were an American soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). They played from 1973 to 1976, at Veterans Stadium (1973–75) and Franklin Field (1976). The club's colors we ...

(1973–76) and Philadelphia Fury (1978–80) in the

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

-backed, major professional

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league ba ...

(NASL). The Atoms won the Soccer Bowl in their inaugural 1973 season. Philadelphia goalkeeper and Ridley Park, Pennsylvania native

Bob Rigby Bob Rigby (born July 3, 1951, in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania) is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper. Rigby played twelve seasons in the North American Soccer League, three in the Major Indoor Soccer League, one in the Western Soccer Alliance and earn ...

became the first soccer player to be featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

'' following the club's championship. The Atoms folded after the 1976 season, having been bought by Mexican owners whose plans to move the team to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

were not approved by the league. The Atoms and the Fury both played at Veterans Stadium, though the Atoms played their final season in Philadelphia at Franklin Field. The NASL folded in 1984, leaving the United States without a top-level soccer league until Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996. The first effort to bring professional soccer back to the Delaware Valley commenced in 2001, when a group of investors attempted to bring an MLS franchise to Trenton, New Jersey. The centerpiece of their efforts was a $31 million soccer-specific stadium to be built across the street from the CURE Insurance Arena and with access to the under-construction NJ Transit River Line. "Union FC" was the intended name for the Trenton MLS team if it came to fruition. However, the MetroStars (now the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

) held the right to block a franchise in Trenton, as it would infringe on their 75-mile competition-free zone. Five years later, plans were in place to construct a 20,000-capacity stadium on the campus of Rowan University in

Glassboro, New Jersey Glassboro is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 18,579,Jon Corzine. Shortly after the Rowan proposal fell through, Keystone Sports & Entertainment (the group that would eventually own the Union) looked at a site underneath the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester to develop a soccer-specific stadium. In 2007, the Sons of Ben supporter group formed to raise interest toward a Major League Soccer team in Philadelphia. They are credited with demonstrating to MLS an established fan base in the market. Major League Soccer added Philadelphia as its sixteenth team on February 28, 2008. The finalization of the club was the result of a $47 million package approved by Delaware County politicians and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

governor, Ed Rendell, that included the cost of Subaru Park and a major

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project.

Walter Bahr Joe Biden at Lincoln Financial Field for Philadelphia Union match (cropped)

In December 2009, the Union added the Reading Rage youth soccer organization as their official minor league affiliate in the USL Premier Development League. As a result, the Rage were rebranded as "

Reading United AC Reading United AC is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club plays its home games at Don Thomas Stadium on the campus of ...

" with a new logo and colors for the 2010 PDL season. In the

2010 MLS SuperDraft 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, the Union selected forward

Danny Mwanga Jean-Marie Daniel "Danny" Mwanga (born July 17, 1991) is a Congolese-American soccer player. Career Youth Mwanga's father, who was an adviser to former Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, was killed during the nation's civil war in 1997, and ...

from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering ...

as the number one pick, as well as sixth and seventh picks Amobi Okugo from UCLA and

Jack McInerney John Seamus "Jack" McInerney (born August 5, 1992) is an American soccer player. Career Youth Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, McInerney moved with his family to Colorado, Illinois, California, and Florida before finally settling in Alpharetta, G ...

from the U.S. U-17 National Team in the first round. In March 2010, the Union signed an affiliation agreement with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer League. And in January 2012, the Union formed their first international partnership with Deportivo Saprissa of the Costa Rican Primera División.

Inaugural season

The Union played their inaugural game on March 25, 2010, in which they lost 2–0 to Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field. Sébastien Le Toux became the first player to score a goal for Philadelphia in their home opener on April 10, 2010, a 3–2 win over D.C. United at Lincoln Financial Field. The team again played Seattle Sounders FC for the first match at Subaru Park on June 27, 2010. Le Toux scored the Union's initial goal at the venue from a penalty kick, which was instrumental to their 3–1 victory. All 12,000 season ticket packages for 2010 were sold prior to this opener. At the end of the inaugural season the Union finished 7th in the Eastern Conference and 14th overall in the league with a record of 8–15–7 (W-L-T).

The Piotr Nowak era (2010–12)

The Union picked up three players in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, most notably Zac MacMath, who was the fifth overall draft pick. On January 11, 2011, the Union acquired shirt sponsor Bimbo Bakeries USA. On January 20, Philadelphia introduced two new players: Colombians

Faryd Mondragón Faryd Camilo Mondragón Alí (born 21 June 1971) is a Colombian retired professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Since his debut in 1993, he has played over 50 times for the Colombia national team. He was named in the Colombia squ ...

(GK) and Carlos Valdés (D). Mondragón had recently come from playing with

1. FC Köln 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., commonly known as simply FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English, is a German professional football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs ''Kölner Ball ...

in the German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footb ...

, and has at least 50 caps with the Colombia national team. Valdés came from Independiente Santa Fe in the Colombian First Division, where he served as captain before coming to Philadelphia. The Union also signed during the summer transfer window US International Freddy Adu. The team made a complete turnaround in the 2011 season, finishing 3rd in the Eastern Conference and 8th overall in the league with a record of 11–8–15 (W-L-T) scoring 44 goals and allowing 36. This marked the first time the Philadelphia Union qualified for the

MLS Cup Playoffs The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams qual ...

. The Union had a stellar start of the season that saw them win 4 and only lost 1 of their first six league games. In the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs the Union lost the first leg of the MLS Eastern Conference semi-finals 2–1 at home on October 30, 2011, with the 1st playoff Union goal coming from Sebastien Le Toux. The Union then lost the 2nd leg 1–0 on November 3, 2011, against the future MLS Cup finalist Houston Dynamo. Sebastien Le Toux (cropped)

Nowak to Hackworth (2012–14)

John Hackworth became the Unions' interim coach on June 13, 2012, receiving the role permanently on August 30, 2012. The Union finished their third season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and fifteenth in MLS overall, with a record of 10–18–6 (W-L-T), scoring 37 goals and allowing 45. Antoine Hoppenot, who was selected in the third round of the 2012 Supplemental Draft, netted four goals within 817 minutes of play. Subaru Park, then known as PPL Park, was the site of the 2012 MLS All-Star Game in which the MLS All-Stars defeated Chelsea F.C., 3–2. The Union also made it to the semifinals of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after defeating the Rochester Rhinos 3–0 in the third round and winning against D.C. United on the road 2–1, after extra time, in the fourth round. They subsequently defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders, their main affiliate at the time, 5–2 in the quarterfinals. The Union traded allocation money in order to take the first overall pick, which was used on goalkeeper and Jamaican international Andre Blake. They then traded down multiple times in order to select

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

midfielder Pedro Ribeiro. Other new, preseason acquisitions included

Maurice Edu Maurice Edu (born April 18, 1986) is an American former professional soccer player. A highly touted prospect, Edu was the first overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft and won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award with Toronto. His performances for To ...

, French midfielder

Vincent Nogueira Vincent Nogueira (born 16 January 1988) is a French former professional association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and current manager of RC Strasbourg Alsace, Strasbourg's women team. Club career Sochaux Vincent Nogueira, w ...

, Argentinian midfielder Cristian Maidana, and former MLS Rookie of the Year defender Austin Berry. Despite these additions, the Union still languished in mediocrity, winning just two of their first 14 games, posting a record of 2–7–5 (W-L-T). On April 20, 2014, the Union traded forward

to the Montreal Impact for winger Andrew Wenger, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania native. Hackworth's coaching career with the Union ended on June 10, 2014.

Jim Curtin takes charge (2014–present)

Although failing to make the playoffs, the Union reached the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup finals for the first time in the club's history. During the offseason, the club traded for forward C. J. Sapong from Sporting Kansas City. They also traded long time defensive midfielder Amobi Okugo to Orlando City SC. Other new preseason acquisitions included

FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as ...

loanee Fernando Aristeguieta, S.L. Benfica loanee Steven Vitória, and free agent Cameroonian 18-year-old midfielder Eric Ayuk. During the 2015 MLS SuperDraft the Union drafted forward Dzenan Catic from Bosnia-Herzegovina, midfielder Eric Bird, and defender Raymond Lee. During the expansion draft, Orlando City SC drafted Philadelphia midfielder Pedro Ribeiro. Despite all the offseason transactions, the Union only registered one win in their first ten league games with a record of 1–6–3 (W-L-T). During the 2015 summer transfer window, the Union traded longtime defender

Sheanon Williams Sheanon Antoine Williams (born March 17, 1990) is an American soccer player. Career College and amateur Williams attended The Rivers School in Weston, Massachusetts and played club soccer for FC Greater Boston Bolts before being offered a plac ...

to the Houston Dynamo for allocation money, which they used to sign Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta on July 29, 2015. The club achieved a successful run in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, earning a second consecutive appearance in the Open Cup final. This match took place against Sporting Kansas City, at Subaru Park on September 30, 2015. In 2016, the Union would acquire

Chris Pontius Chris Pontius (born July 16, 1974) is an American stunt performer and television personality. He is best known as a cast member of the reality comedy show '' Jackass'' and co-host of its spinoff ''Wildboyz'' with fellow cast member Steve-O. ...

from D.C. United, Surinames midfielder Roland Alberg, and Brazilian right midfielder Ilsinho. They would also acquire U.S. international Alejandro Bedoya in the summer transfer window. The Union would also add key players from the 2016 MLS SuperDraft including

Josh Yaro Joshua Yaro (born 18 November 1994) is a Ghanaian footballer who currently plays for St. Louis City SC in Major League Soccer. Career Youth and college Joshua moved to the United States on a scholarship to attend Cate School in Carpinteri ...

Keegan Rosenberry Keegan Rosenberry (born December 11, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids. Early carrer He played at Penn Fusion soccer club. Rosenberry played his four years o ...

, and

Fabian Herbers Fabian Herbers (born 17 August 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire. Club career Early career Prior to playing in the United States, Herbers competed for both FC Twente, S ...

. The 2016 season saw success from Goalkeeper Andre Blake who later would win the 2016 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award. The Union were in constant playoff contention, however went 0–5–2(W-L-T) in the final 7 matches of the regular season. The Union would still reach the playoffs for only the 2nd time in team history, beating out

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...

on goal differential. The Union were beaten 3–1 in the Knockout round of the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs by Toronto FC. Jakob Glesnes (51200171217) (cropped)

The Union were unable to build on their 2016 success, finishing with the same record but still missing the playoffs in 2017. Despite failing to make the playoffs, Curtin was announced to retain his head coach position for the 2018 season. Ahead of the 2019 season, Union Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner, announced that Curtin would be retained for the upcoming season on a one-year extension. By July of that season, the Union reach first place in the Eastern Conference and hitting the club's best start to a season. This success lead to the club announcing Curtin signed a two-year contract extension, to remain head coach through the 2021 season.

First trophy and success

The 2020 season was the most successful to date for the Union. Despite disruptions from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the Union reached the semi-final of the MLS is Back Tournament and went on to win their first trophy finishing top of the league standings and earning the 2020 Supporters' Shield. The team's performance over the season earned Curtin his first Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award. Winning the Supporter's Shield earned the Union their debut in the CONCACAF Champions League, where the Union earned their first international win against Deportivo Saprissa; a victory that marked Curtin's 100th win as head coach of the club. Within two days prior to the Union's first ever conference final match in team history, it was reported that 11 players, including six starters had to undergo the league's COVID-19 protocol. Philadelphia lost to eventual champions New York City FC 2–1. It was later stated that it would've been impossible to delay the game, as the players would not have been available for the MLS Cup Final. On July 8, 2022, the Philadelphia Union defeated D.C. United 7–0, setting a club record and tying the MLS record for biggest goal differential win. The overall

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

proved to be special, as Philadelphia topped the Eastern table with 67 points—equal with Supporters' Shield winners Los Angeles FC (and with better goal differential but lost out due to MLS' tiebreaker of total wins). Philadelphia beat FC Cincinnati in the conference semifinals, 1–0, on a Leon Flach goal, and then defeated defending champions New York City FC 3–1 in the conference finals to advance to their first-ever MLS Cup final. In MLS Cup, the Union erased 1−0 and 2−1 deficits and center back Jack Elliott scored twice in the match, including late in extra time. Ultimately LAFC came back to force penalties and won the Cup in a penalty shoot-out.

Colors and badge

On May 11, 2009, the Philadelphia Union's name, crest, and colors were officially announced during a ceremony held at

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. ...

. "Union" alludes to the union of the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centu ...

, of which Philadelphia was the first capital as well as the area's historic role with the labor movement. The name was chosen following a fan poll held between January 19, 2009, and February 6, 2009; the other three options were AC Philadelphia, SC Philadelphia, and Philadelphia City. The Union's colors are navy blue and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

, representing the primary colors of the Continental Army's uniforms during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The team's crest is circular, symbolizing unity. Its thirteen gold stars represent the original Thirteen Colonies, while the shield's contour derives from the Philadelphia coat of arms. The rattlesnake pays homage to the " Join, or Die" political cartoon by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

that was featured in the 1754 ''

Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...

'', and is also reminiscent of the Gadsden flag, another Revolutionary icon. The light blue in the middle of the crest is a tribute to the Sons of Ben, and is further derived from the civic flag of Philadelphia. Coincidentally, the navy blue, gold, and light blue colors of the Union are also the predominant colors in the state flags of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The team's secondary logo is a simplified version of the aforementioned design consisting of the blue shield with the rattlesnake, augmented with a gold border and a ribbon bearing the team's official motto: "jungite aut perite", a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

translation of the phrase " join or die", which was also used in the 1754

political cartoon mentioned above. The Philadelphia Union's name and colors also allude to the state's important role during the Civil War. In February 2013, the team unveiled a third uniform that commemorated Bethlehem Steel F.C., one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. The kit was primarily black with white trim, featuring a sublimated Union emblem, and a Bethlehem Steel F.C. jock tag.

Sponsorship

Stadium

* Subaru Park;

(2010–present) * Lincoln Financial Field;

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

(2010)

The Union play most of their games at Subaru Park (formerly Talen Energy Stadium, and prior to that PPL Park), an 18,500-seat

located at the southwesterly corner of the Commodore Barry Bridge (

U.S. Route 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was concurrent with ...

). The structure was designed by

Rossetti Architects ROSSETTI is an architectural design and planning firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.Contact
" ROSSETTI. Retrieved on November 16, 2009.

and the ICON Venue Group, with the actual construction contracted to the Ardmore-based T.N. Ward Company. Subaru Park's design allows clear views of the Delaware River for approximately sixty percent of its spectators, and is the centerpiece of Chester's urban renewal process. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked with the city of Chester to ensure that construction activities did not impact the nearby parking facility which had been the site of the

Wade Dump Wade Dump was a rubber recycling facility and illegal industrial waste storage and disposal facility in Chester, Pennsylvania. It was located at 1 Flower Street on the western bank of the Delaware River just north of the Commodore Barry Bridge. ...

, a previously polluted Superfund site. The Union train at YSC Sports in Wayne, a community located 17 miles north of Chester. In addition to Subaru Park, the Union also plays select games at Lincoln Financial Field, the home stadium of the NFL's

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

and the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

's Temple University Owls football team. Prior to the completion of the then PPL Park, the Union played their home opener at Lincoln Financial Field on April 10, 2010, against D.C. United as well as their May 15 match against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

. Originally just scheduled to play only the home opener at Lincoln Financial Field, the second game was played there due to construction delays at Subaru Park. Lincoln Financial Field remains the team's secondary home, for matches with anticipated high attendances, such as a friendly against Manchester United, during their 2010 tour of North America. For the home opener, the team limited ticket sales to the lower bowl and club sections, totaling about 37,500 seats. On June 27, the Union officially opened their home with a 3–2 win over Seattle Sounders FC. Lincoln Financial Field also hosts international friendlies involving teams other than the Union; the most recent being Real Madrid against the Scottish Premier League's

Celtic FC The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

in August 2012. Celtic FC met with the Union in their first international friendly in July 2010.

Training facility

The Philadelphia Union training fields are right outside Subaru Park; Chester, Pennsylvania. The training complex features 2 grass fields that were constructed in fall 2014. Prior to having dedicated training fields, the Union was practicing at a nearby municipal park called Chester Park or directly at Subaru Park. In 2016, the Philadelphia Union opened a 16,500 square foot training facility and offices built in the former machine shop of the

Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company is a historic former coal-fired power station, located on the Delaware River in Chester, Delaware County, southeastern Pennsylvania.Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 1 ...

that will compete in the United Soccer League (USL) starting in 2016 with matches being played at Lehigh University's

Goodman Stadium Goodman Stadium is Lehigh University's 16,000-seat stadium located on its Goodman Campus in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Lower Saucon Township. It opened in 1988, replacing Taylor Stadium (Lehigh), Taylor Stadium, which ...

. As a part of the announcement, the Union agreed to dissolve their partnership with the Harrisburg City Islanders. On October 27, 2015, Bethlehem Steel FC's name, crest, and colors were officially announced during a ceremony held at the ArtsQuest at SteelStacks. "Steel FC" alludes to the historical Bethlehem Steel F.C. soccer club, which played from 1907 to 1930. The name was chosen following a fan poll held between September 8, 2015, and September 30, 2015. In December 2019, the Union announced that the Bethlehem Steel identity would be retired ahead of the 2020 season and the club would become known as Philadelphia Union II. On December 6, 2021, the Union II announced the team would join the newly established MLS Next Pro.

Philadelphia Union Academy

CINvBST 2018-06-13 - Derrick Jones (31507296808) (cropped)

The Philadelphia Union operates an elite youth Academy training and competition program starting with the Under-9 age group and running through Under-17, after which players graduate to Union II, the Philadelphia Union's second team. As for competition, the Union participates in

MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth soccer league in the United States and Canada, that is managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Developme ...

starting with the Under-13 age group. MLS Next is an elite North American youth soccer league organized, managed, and controlled by Major League Soccer. The league was launched in 2020. The Union's younger age groups from Under-9 through Under-12 participate in various regional leagues and tournaments, often playing one year up. The Union Academy teams train and compete in

Wayne, Pennsylvania Wayne is an unincorporated community centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on the Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs located along the railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the wealthiest area ...

, as well as in

, home of Philadelphia Union's first team organization. While the Union's competition rosters in MLS Next are composed of boys teams representing age groups Under-13 through Under-17, the Union Academy is unusual in that with many of its young players are competing with and even starting for the Union's USL Championship team, Union II. Widely considered one of the top youth academies affiliated with an MLS club, the Union Academy has seen success in tournaments both domestic and international. The Union Academy sources talent internally through the Union Junior Academy, as well as externally through well-regarded local area programs such as FC Delco, Real Jersey FC, and The SWAG. Families have even been known to relocate to Pennsylvania to take advantage of the many benefits provided through the Union Academy such as admittance to the YSC Academy, a world class soccer training and college preparatory school that operates in an alliance with the Union Academy. The Philadelphia Union Academy has produced numerous players for the Philadelphia Union, Union II, elite NCAA programs, and professional clubs across the world.

YSC Academy

Between 70 and 80 of the Philadelphia Union Academy's players attend private schoo
YSC Academy
which was founded by Philadelphia Union investor Richie Graham in September 2013 as an innovative, first-of its-kind, soccer-specific school for elite soccer players from grades 6 through 12. The school has campuses in Wayne, Pennsylvania and at the Union's training complex in Chester, Pennsylvania and is designed for student-athletes who aspire to play professional-level soccer. YSC Academy's first graduating class was in 2015. A substantial portion of the school's graduates have gone on to play professionally for the Philadelphia Union and other teams, with the balance going to college.

Club culture

Supporters

Philadelphia Union versus Chicago Fire at Subaru Park 8-13-2022

Grassroots support was instrumental to the founding of the Philadelphia Union and the construction of Subaru Park. This backing came in the form of a

supporters group A supporters' group or supporters' club is an independent fan club or campaign group in sport, mostly association football. Supporters' groups in continental Europe are generally known as ultras, which derives from the Latin word ultrā, mea ...

known as the Sons of Ben, which was founded in January 2007. The Sons of Ben petitioned Major League Soccer to expand to the Philadelphia market until the official expansion announcement was made in January 2008. Named for Founding Father and Philadelphia icon,

, the group was included in the expansion press conference, singing their anthem, " I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", and closing the event by presenting scarves to the ownership group. They were also present on May 11, 2009, for the naming ceremony at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

. While the Sons of Ben are the predominant and official supporters group, smaller supporters groups also exist. These include the Tammany Saints (sections 101 and 133), the IllegitimateS (section 133), the Corner Creeps (section 134), the Bridge Crew (sections 120–121), La Union Latina (section 114), The Keystone State Ultras (section 140), and the Chester Soccer Casuals (section 140).

Rivalries

The Philadelphia Union's primary rival is DC United. These rivalries exist primarily because of geographical proximity and the traditional animosities between the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in other

professional sports leagues A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

. The Union has a smaller rivalry with the

due primarily to geographical proximity. Harrison, New Jersey, where the Red Bulls play, is roughly a 90-mile drive from

Center City, Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous wi ...

. The Union also have a bit of a rivalry with Seattle Sounders FC despite the between Philadelphia and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

. The cross-country feud started when the Philadelphia Union played its inaugural MLS game in Seattle. It continued when Subaru Park's first-ever home game pitted the club against Seattle. The rivalry culminated as they were regularly compared to the 2009 expansion Sounders FC during their inaugural 2010 season as noted by defender Danny Califf, "Last year there was all this measuring of us against Seattle in their inaugural year, so maybe it created a bit more of a rivalry. They're a good team coming in here, and after the start they had they'd really like to take it to us." In recent years, the Union have also developed a rivalry with New York City FC. Though early fixtures between the two clubs were relatively routine, the rivalry began to develop after New York City controversially eliminated the Union in the 2021 Eastern Conference Final after the latter lost several players due to MLS's COVID-19 protocols. They would avenge the loss the next year, defeating NYCFC 3–1 in the same round to advance to their first MLS Cup final. * ''Figures correct as of February 8, 2020. Includes all competitive matches'' M = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; ''Matches played include all

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cl ...

and playoff games. The win percentage is calculated from the total of games. Note Open Cup matches decided by penalty kicks are officially recorded as draws''

Sponsorship

On January 11, 2011, the Philadelphia Union announced a four-year agreement with Bimbo Bakeries USA to be its official jersey sponsor. The company's U.S. headquarters is located in the Philadelphia suburb of Horsham, thus providing local and global exposure to the team. It was also announced that Bimbo will be the official bread and baked goods partner of both the Union and Major League Soccer, as well as an overall league sponsor. The sponsorship deal is valued at about $12 million. Bimbo and the Union agreed in 2014 to renew their sponsorship arrangement for five years at an annual value of $2.3 million. On November 26, 2014, the Union announced the Milton, Delaware-based Dogfish Head Brewery as their official beer sponsor. The deal included the establishment of a beer garden at Subaru Park.

Broadcasting

Until the 2022 season, WPHL-TV and WPVI-TV were the main English-language television broadcasters for Union matches not carried by Major League Soccer's national media partners, with

JP Dellacamera John Paul "JP" Dellacamera (born January 11, 1952) is an American play-by-play sportscaster primarily for Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union, as well as major soccer tournaments and ice hockey. Commentary career Soccer In the 19 ...

on play-by-play. The broadcasts were produced by WPVI, and part of the package was aired by the station. Prior to the 2018 season, CSN Philadelphia (now NBC Sports Philadelphia) produced the games for 6ABC, removing the NBC peacock from its graphics. During the 2012 MLS season, seventeen select home and road matches were broadcast on radio by WIP. The Union also collaborated with WIP on a weekly hour-long soccer show. Beginning with the MLS is Back Tournament in July 2020, the Union moved to WDAS. From 2023, every Union match is available via MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

Players

Current roster

Reserves

Management

Current staff

Head coaches

This list includes all those who have managed the club since 2010, when the club joined Major League Soccer for the first time, whether coaching on a full-time or interim basis. Games played include all

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cl ...

, Playoff, and the win percentage is calculated from the total of games. . ''Includes all competitive matches'' M = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost;

Sporting directors

Ownership

Keystone Sports & Entertainment (S&E) owns the Philadelphia Union and Bethlehem Steel FC. Jay Sugarman, (

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

) of iStar Financial, leads this group including Christopher F. Buccini, Robert Buccini, and David B. Pollin – co-founders of the Buccini/Pollin Group; Joseph J. Greco, chairman of the RevSpring technology company and president of Premier Management Services; and David Seltzer, principal and co-founder of the Mercator financial advisors. Nick Sakiewicz was the former CEO and investor in Keystone S&E until October 3, 2015, when Sugarman purchased his shares in the club and discontinued his involvement. His termination was primarily due to his strained relationship with the Union's fanbase, which blamed Sakiewicz for the team's mediocre record. On June 15, 2020, it was announced that

player

had become an investor and community partner for the club, purchasing five percent of the club with potentially another five percent in the near future.

Honors

Team

In 2020, Philadelphia Union won their first major MLS trophy, the Supporter's Shield.

Team records

Year-by-year

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Union. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Philadelphia Union seasons. 1. Avg. Attendance include statistics from league matches only.
2. Top Goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League,

, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.

International competitions

Player records

Most goals

Bold signifies current Union player

Other player records

As of October 22, 2022 ''Stats only include MLS regular season matches. These do not include domestic cup, international, or playoff matches. '' Field players * Games played:

Raymon Gaddis Raymon "Ray" Gaddis (born January 13, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati. College career Gaddis grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, attended North Central High Sch ...

(221) * Minutes played:

(18,702) * Goals: Sébastien Le Toux (50) * Assists: Sébastien Le Toux (50) * Shots: Sébastien Le Toux (320) * Shots on goal: Sébastien Le Toux (144) * Game-winning goals: Sébastien Le Toux (10) * Penalty kick goals: Sébastien Le Toux (8) * Multi-goal games: Sébastien Le Toux (4) * Hat tricks: Julián Carranza, Daniel Gazdag (2) Goalkeepers * Games played: Andre Blake (205) * Minutes played: Andre Blake (18,413) * Wins: Andre Blake (90) * Goals against average:

(1.06) * Saves: Andre Blake (635) * Shutouts: Andre Blake (65)

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Association football, United States U Soccer clubs in Pennsylvania Association football clubs established in 2008 2008 establishments in Pennsylvania Chester, Pennsylvania Major League Soccer teams

History

Drive for expansion

Inaugural season

The Piotr Nowak era (2010–12)

Nowak to Hackworth (2012–14)

Jim Curtin takes charge (2014–present)

First trophy and success

Colors and badge

Sponsorship

Stadium

Training facility

Philadelphia Union Academy

YSC Academy

Club culture

Supporters

Rivalries

Sponsorship

Broadcasting

Players

Current roster

Reserves

Management

Current staff

Head coaches

Sporting directors

Ownership

Honors

Team

Team records

Year-by-year

International competitions

Player records

Most goals

Other player records

See also

References

External links