Philadelphia Union
is an American professional soccer team based in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, that will participate in Major League Soccer. Starting in 2010, the team will play its home matches at Union Field at Chester, a soccer-specific stadium located on the banks of the Delaware River.
|
PHILADELPHIA UNION TICKETS
|
History
In 2007, the
Sons of Ben supporter group formed and began advocating for Major League Soccer to grant Philadelphia an expansion team. They are credited with convincing the league that the area already had an established fanbase for soccer.
[1]
Major League Soccer added Philadelphia as its sixteenth team on February 28, 2008.
[2] The finalization of the club is the result of a $47 million package approved by
Delaware County politicians and
Pennsylvania governor,
Ed Rendell, that includes the cost of
Union Field and a major
urban renewal project.
[3] Keystone Sports & Entertainment's plan for Chester was initiated in late 2006, soon after the
New Jersey legislature terminated an earlier proposal for a soccer-specific stadium at
Rowan University.
On May 11, 2009, "Philadelphia Union" was officially announced as the team's name during a ceremony held at Philadelphia's
City Hall. This name alludes to the Union of the
Thirteen Colonies, of which Philadelphia was the first capital.
[4] The team's 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.
[5] [6] Before the Union moniker, the Sons of Ben nicknamed the team as the "Zolos." At a "Meet-the-Owners" event held two days before the expansion press conference in Chester, they wore nametags with handwritten numbers intended to read "2010." The number was mistakenly interpreted as "ZOLO" by ownership group member,
Nick Sakiewicz. This led to Philadelphia Union being referred to as the "Zolos" in a series of inside jokes by the group.
[7]
Colors and badge
Philadelphia Union's colors are navy blue and gold, representing the primary colors of the
Continental Army's uniforms during the
American Revolutionary War. The team's primary logo 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 a political cartoon by
Benjamin Franklin that was featured in the 1754
Pennsylvania Gazette
. The rattlesnake eventually became a national symbol during the American Revolution, representing the danger of disunity, and was featured on the
Gadsden flag.
[8] The light blue in the middle of the badge is a tribute to the Sons of Ben, and is further derived from the
civic flag of Philadelphia.
[9] Union's secondary logo also features the rattlesnake, with the team's official motto: "jungite aut perite", a
Latin phrase meaning "
join or die."
Stadium
Philadelphia Union will play at
Union Field at Chester, a 18,500-seat
soccer-specific stadium located at the southwesterly corner of the
Commodore Barry Bridge. The structure was designed by
Rossetti Architects and the ICON Venue Group, with the actual construction contracted to the
Ardmore, -based T.N. Ward Company. Chester Stadium's design allows clear views of the Delaware River for approximately 60% of its spectators, and is the centerpiece of Chester's urban renewal process. Union will share the stadium with the
Philadelphia Independence of
Women's Professional Soccer, which will also play its inaugural season in 2010.
Supporters
Grassroots support was instrumental to the founding of Philadelphia Union and the construction of Union Field. This backing came in the form of a supporters association 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,
Benjamin Franklin, 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.
[10] They repeated their entry on May 11, 2009 for the naming ceremony at
City Hall.
Ownership
Philadelphia Union is owned by Keystone Sports & Entertainment, LLC, a group of investors led by Christopher and Robert Buccini, co-founders of the Buccini/Pollin Group; Jay Sugarman, chief executive of iStar Financial; James Nevels, a former chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission; William Doran, a Philadelphia lawyer; and
Nick Sakiewicz, a Major League Soccer veteran formerly employed with the
New York Red Bulls and the defunct
Tampa Bay Mutiny.
[11]
Head coaches
thumb, Union's first manager
On May 29, 2009, Philadelphia Union announced the hiring of
Piotr Nowak as its first manager. He was the captain of the
Polish national team for three years, and has also enjoyed success in Major League Soccer. As a player, Nowak led the
Chicago Fire to an
MLS Cup title in their 1998 inaugural season. As a coach, he led
D.C. United to win the 2004 MLS Cup. Nowak has also coached the
under-23 U.S. men's national team and assisted
Bob Bradley, the head coach of the
United States national team.
[12]
Joshua Gros, a native of
Mechanicsburg, , will join Piotr Nowak on Union's staff as the team coordinator. He played as a member of the 2004 MLS Cup-champion D.C. United, of which Nowak was the head coach. Gros will be in charge of all player-related issues.
[13]
References
- Sons of Ben rejoice in Philly expansion
- MLS awards Philadelphia 2010 expansion team
- Major hurdle cleared for Philly expansion
- Press release
- PHILLY Soccer 2010 Name The Team
- Philly-area soccer team holds vote for team name
- The Sons Also Rise
- Philadelphia Union brand narrative
- Philadelphia Union supporters club
- Sons of Ben rejoice in Philly expansion
- City of Brotherly Love embraces MLS
- Union names Nowak as first ever Team Manager
- Nowak and Gros reunited with Union