Union president Tim McDermott wants to clear a few things up.
McDermott, 51, who has hit multiple stops along the Philly professional sports highway as a former executive with both the Eagles and Sixers, is in his 11th year with the Union.
He’s been able to do a lot with what some might view as a little by resource standards when it comes to the first team — though he readily contends the money is there from ownership “should the right situation present itself.”
But in a town like Philadelphia, he’s well aware that success, when it comes to sports teams, is a year-over-year proposition. From an optics standpoint, after finishing off another successful season last year, winning their second Supporters’ Shield under a first-year head coach, depending on who you ask, the team has temporarily fallen off the precipice of relevancy — at the worst possible time.
With the eyes of the world on soccer courtesy of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, this was supposed to be the Union’s moment, showcasing itself as a powerhouse club in America’s domestic league situated in a city fortunate enough to be one of 16 that hosted FIFA’s grand event.
The Union hosted a series of jam-packed watch parties for the World Cup at Union Yards in Chester. However, it went into the World Cup break with just one win and was forced to take a hard look at where the club was going. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Instead, the Union limped into MLS’ World Cup break with issues both on and off the field, winning just one game and mired in the drama of its head coach losing a locker room and its sporting director undergoing league-mandated sensitivity training after allegations of misconduct were substantiated.
It forced a reset of almost everything. Ownership let both the coach and sporting director go, ushering in a fresh start in the player personnel department for a team that desperately needed it.
That lack of success has also ushered in reflection, as McDermott explained during a recent interview with The Inquirer. A reset that forced everyone from ownership on down to take a look at the club, not just in its current state, but visualize what the future looks like with the sport getting fresh eyes, courtesy of the World Cup.
Tim McDermott spearheaded the launch of the WSFS Bank Sportsplex in Chester, a 170,000-square-foot indoor facility complete with a series of outdoor fields, which opened last July. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
It’s a wide-ranging analysis, and it comes in two tiers. On one hand, you have devout ticket-paying supporters of the club, who contend that the Union doesn’t spend enough, that they rely on youth over experienced, world-renowned talent to win games.
Some say that among a hodgepodge of players, where is the one that you can build a team around? They’ll point to teams like defending champions Inter Miami, whose budget and star power dwarfs that of the Union.
Or Los Angeles FC, or Orlando City, or Vancouver, or…
McDermott will stop you right there. While he admits that those teams have readily found success with bringing in European stars to build a roster around, their model is very different. McDermott told The Inquirer that an annual investment of $10 million is spent on developing within the Union’s academy system, fostering the growth in everything from its school, YSC Academy, to coaching staffs, to maintaining the sprawling WSFS SportsPlex, basecamp for the Union’s youth movement.
“If you look at the entirety of how we do things, it does rely heavily on youth development,” said McDermott. “We’ve been very good at that, and we’ve been recognized as being the best at that.
“If you look at our [first team] payroll, we’re toward the bottom, and that’s what I think people get upset about, and it’s a fair statement. But what I would say is there’s lots of ways to bring players in, right? You can go free agency, you can go to transfers, you can transfer in the market, or you can bring people in from the league, outside the league, etc. There’s lots of different ways to do it. And we’ve chosen many of those methods, but we’ve [also] chosen heavily in youth development.”
But that’s the other issue. Retention of those young players. Over the last few years, the Union has brokered many of those it groomed within its system for substantial transfer fees to and from other clubs.
Perhaps its biggest young star at the moment, midfielder Cavan Sullivan, is set to move to Manchester City upon turning 18, and U.S. men’s national team standouts like Brendan Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, and Matt Freese were all shipped elsewhere. All of this has prompted the Union to be labeled as a “selling club” by many who say that comes first and that the franchise and ownership are content with just getting into the postseason but not doing anything more to lift a trophy.
Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan, a rising American star who hailed from the Union’s youth academy, is set to head to Manchester City as part of a $5 million transfer fee to the English club. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I totally agree. I don’t think they’re wrong; I don’t think they’re wrong at all, but I think that’s more of a big picture problem that’s out of our immediate control,” McDermott said. “I want this not just for the Philadelphia Union, but for the MLS to grow. There needs to be a point in time where the players that are coming through our youth academies are starting to say, ‘No, I don’t want to leave. I want to do it here in my hometown.
“I think it has to also be on the players themselves [who] are not always looking overseas. We’re developing players, and we’re transacting in MLS, but keeping them in the lab right here is what’s going to elevate MLS to a higher profile.”
‘Our goal is to win’
As McDermott tells it, new sporting director Jon Scheer has been “working the phones heavily.” He says the club knows it needs to bring in new players, and added that there’s a board with “bigger name players” that they’re “actively working” to bring in. However, he contends it has to be a player that fits the club’s current methodology, a high-pressing team that will attack opponents from the outside, and frustrate defenders with dizzying diagonal runs wherever space allows.
The World Cup has offered a great look into some potential names, but at the time of this report, it seemed like it was only a discussion.
“I’ll just tell you right now, we’ve fielded calls for potential players over the last two weeks,” said McDermott. “We have a weekly call with ownership, myself, and Jon Scheer, and these names come up. But the question is always what does that do for our team?
“On the other side, we field calls about our own players and we may or may not transact on a player because we want to make sure that our focus is winning, right? What’s the point of the transaction if it’s going to make us less competitive? Maybe now’s not the time to do it. But you’re always balancing that.
“If somebody makes you an offer, you don’t know if that offer will be there a year from now, right? So you’re always trying to balance that. Our focus is we must win. The goal is not just to develop players to sell them. Our goal is to win.”
Bringing back players like Union left back Kai Wagner (27) cements that the team is looking to align itself with players that want to play in Philadelphia. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
A place in Philly
McDermott inherited a hurdle when he joined the Union in 2016. How do you maintain relevancy as Philadelphia’s Major League Soccer representative from 18 miles away in Chester?
He knows that while the team’s marketing efforts aim to keep a grip on the collective consciousness of a city, as it’s stood since its inception, the Union’s success of filling up a stadium each game day heavily relies on people getting in their vehicles and navigating the I-95 corridor. But there begs a question. How many more fans could the club have with a stadium or a facility in Philly proper, situated somewhere fans can access the team by SEPTA, their bike, or even walk?
When asked the question, McDermott noted that the Union isn’t unique in being the only MLS franchise with a stadium outside city limits, and he’s right. Several clubs represent cities with stadiums outside their city limits, but many have begun to realize that there’s a real need to inhabit the city that emblazons your crest.
One of the more recent examples is the Chicago Fire, which last year announced plans for a $750 million, 22,000-seat stadium to be constructed downtown, financed entirely by team ownership.
It’s the type of move that inherently brings interest, and aligns the team more with being a part of the city. McDermott recognizes that too, and didn’t disagree that there is a connection lost by way of the Union’s footprint in Chester. However, in the same breath, he acknowledges just how good Chester has been for the growth of the club.
For the last 16 years, the Union have enjoyed an immense amount of success at Subaru Park, which opened as PPL Park in 2010. Philadelphia Union
But, according to McDermott, that doesn’t mean that the Union isn’t “actively studying” how to replicate what Chicago did.
“We have a great relationship with Delaware County and with Chester; that’s been phenomenal, and they’re incredible supporters of ours,” McDermott said. “But I would say at a more macro level, if you look at all of the teams that have come into the MLS in the last decade, where are they located? A lot of them, not all, but a lot of them are in a downtown location. That fact is not lost on us. I think it’s fair to say we’re proactively studying is that something we need to look at in the future? And is our future in an environment that looks like that?”
The exterior of WSFS bank Sportsplex in Chester.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
As it stands, the Union sits on infrastructure, to the tune of over $300 million, when you consider the cost to build the stadium in 2010 for a reported $122 million, the newly designed WSFS SportsPlex, which came in at a $100 million price tag just last year, in addition to its annex for the first team, offices, and school in the adjacent Wharf Building.
“We are very comfortable where we are right now,” McDermott said. “It’s been a fantastic relationship. I think we’ve done a lot in terms of the development that we’ve done in Chester. But thinking about what a move downtown or some other place [within the city] would look like, I think it’s fair to say we have to be aware of it, studying it and being thoughtful to see if our future would be brighter if we were in a situation like that. So, I can say that yes, we’re actively studying that process and what that would look like.”
‘Still have our homework to do’
Perhaps the portion of the sitdown with McDermott where his eyes lit up was the notion that growth and expansion of the club comes from getting people out to matches. It’s a fair point, considering the Union’s gameday experience has been repeatedly lauded as one of the best in MLS, winning a J.D. Power Award for best fan experience just a year after McDermott joined the club in 2017.
Amanda Young Curtis, the club’s vice president of communications, told the Inquirer that fans who attend just three matches are significantly more likely to lock in as season ticket holders.
She said that it comes down to a few facets beyond just increasing brand awareness, but it’s everything from capturing new fan data to wooing potential first-time attendees with discounted tickets to, and perhaps most importantly, “converting attendees into repeat visitors.”
The Sons of Ben have been a devout supporters group for the club. To McDermott, a goal of ushering in more fans to the Union brand has to be the ultimate goal. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
McDermott agreed, and added:
“We need to make sure that not only do they come and have a good time, but we’re actively always thinking about how do we get them back two more times. The likelihood of locking them in jumps pretty significantly. It’s why we’ve initiated this whole concept around trial and retention, and I believe that the momentum from the World Cup offers a major strategic opportunity for us to do that.”
But an area where McDermott says the Union still has their work cut out for them is cultivating stronger partnerships with youth clubs from an awareness standpoint so young players and their parents gravitate to the Union as supporters.
And for the youth coaches clutching pearls thinking that the Union is trying to woo a player away from their club, McDermott says it’s not about that. In fact, this notion transcends recruiting. Kind of…
“I think there’s two parts,” McDermott said. “There is the fan development part, and there’s the kind of talent identification part, and they somewhat link together. I’ll go back again to when my kids were 6, 7, 8 years old, and I was on the sideline of my daughter’s games. I looked down the sideline, and I saw all these parents wearing Eagles green.
Union president Tim McDermott contends that while the team has celebrated an immense amount of success, more is yet to come through the planning being done behind the scenes. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
“I know we’ll be successful when I look down the sideline at a kid’s game and they are wearing blue and gold. I had many different instances like that where I felt like parents and the kids that were in the youth soccer ecosystem weren’t necessarily matriculating to being a Philadelphia Union fan, and we still have our homework to do to change that.”
McDermott knows the Union has work to do across the board from a grassroots perspective on up. In the immediate, righting the ship in an forgiving league like MLS is the goal, and the club is off to a strong start coming out of the World Cup break, winning two consecutive matches for the first time this season following wins against Red Bull New York and an impressive Saturday win over Seattle, two teams that if the season ended today would be playoff-bound.
It’s a great start in the eyes of a guy like McDermott, who contends his approach has always been to win. And listening to him speak now, it appears that talks are happening between ownership and team leadership about doing so — at all costs.
“As president, my job is solely focused on how can we win, across the board,” McDermott said. “I want to win; everyone in this organization wants that, but the culture is always and has to be first and foremost. You gotta have guys that want to play for each other, that believe in the system, that care for each other, that love one another and that are good quality character people.
“I think on the whole, we’ve really been doing a great job with that over the years. I’m not just talking about where we’re at today, but I’m talking about the last six, seven, eight years; we’ve been building towards having success, and we’ve had success. We’ve won a lot over the last five, six years, so our design works. I think [this reset] provides a real look at what we need to do to get back to that, and in the conversations we’re collectively having daily, I have no doubt that we’ll get there. None.”
Purchase the front page reprint of The Philadelphia Inquirer from Saturday, July 25, 2026, featuring LeBron James following the news that he was joining the 76ers.
A first-half goal from Milan Iloski propelled the Union to a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday evening at Subaru Park.
Iloski finished a long feed from Frankie Westfield in the 31st minute, giving the Union (3-10-4, 13 points) an early lead that held for their second win in as many games since returning from the international break for the FIFA World Cup.
Westfield led Iloski into the 18-yard box with a pass from the right sideline near midfield. The ball bounced once before Iloski finished the chance with a right-footed volley that looped over the head of Andrew Thomas.
Iloski has scored in each of the Union’s matches since the club’s return to play. He’s scored a team-leading 10 goals in all competitions this season, seven of which have come in his last five matches.
“It feels nice to do my job,” Iloski said of his goal streak. “I think I should honestly have five or six from the first two games [back]. As much as I’m happy that I scored two goals and scored in back-to-back games and that we won, I try to do more and hold myself to a higher standard.”
Ryan Richter, managing his second game since taking over as interim head coach in May, repeated his lineup from Wednesday’s win over Red Bull New York against the Sounders (7-6-3, 24 points), with one notable exception.
Neil Pierre earned his first start for the Union against Seattle, taking Japhet Sery Larsen’s spot at center back. The 18-year-old, who spent the first half of 2026 on loan at Danish side Lyngby, came on as a substitute and scored his first goal in the Union’s 3-1 win over New York on Wednesday.
Sery Larsen injured his hamstring during Wednesday’s match, but he was healthy and available to come off the Union’s bench for Saturday’s win.
Richter said his decision to start Pierre was based on his effort in training and the Union’s upcoming crowded schedule. Between the Leagues Cup and MLS play, the Union will play eight matches in August.
“With the stretch of games that we have coming up, if we lose a key player for that stretch, it gets pretty difficult for us,” Richter said. “[Pierre] deserved to play. By the way he performed in training, by the way he performed in the last game. It just made sense, with the timing of everything, to start [Pierre] tonight, and I think he proved that was the right decision.”
Pierre looked comfortable in his first MLS start. He was responsible for five recoveries and four clearances, and he started the play that led to Iloski’s goal.
“[Pierre] did a good job,” Richter said. “He won his duels. He was organized. He was focused. He played a subtle game. It was quiet for him. That’s a good thing for a centerback.”
Iloski’s goal was the focal point of the first half, but another dramatic moment came when Seattle’s Stuart Hawkins collided with Cavan Sullivan in the 26th minute.
Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan gets taken down by Seattle Sounders defender Stuart Hawkins during the first half on Saturday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The two American teenagers collided near midfield as Sullivan tried to control a long throw-in from Kai Wagner, who made his 200th MLS start on Saturday.
Sullivan hit the pitch before popping back up to exchange words with Hawkins. Both parties walked away from the incident without a caution, and the Union were awarded a free kick that Seattle cleared away.
Cavan Sullivan (16yo) gets absolutely decked by 19 year old USYNT center back Stuart Hawkins – and then immediately gets back up and grabs his shirt. 🇺🇸🦅🔥
Seattle logged two shots in the first half, but Nathan Harriel provided a crucial block on one of them.
Harriel chased down Osaze De Rosario as he broke away on a Seattle counter-attack in the 18th minute. As De Rosario turned to shoot on Andre Blake’s net, Harriel slid in and blocked De Rosario’s shot out for a corner.
The Union outshot a shorthanded Seattle team, 16-8. Blake needed one save to secure his third clean sheet of the season.
It looked like Iloski had scored a second goal in the 64th minute, but he was ruled offside after racing past the Sounders’ defense and pushing the ball across the goal line.
Richter made his first set of changes shortly after Iloski was caught offside, bringing on Quinn Sullivan and Ezekiel Alladoh for Bruno Damiani and Indiana Vassilev in the 65th minute.
Another switch came in the 80th minute, with Jesús Bueno replacing Danley Jean Jacques in midfield.
Richter’s final change of the night came in the 89th minute, with Alejandro Bedoya coming on for Cavan Sullivan to help close out the match’s final moments.
After spending the international break with the league’s worst record, back-to-back wins under Richter have lifted the Union off the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Union now sit nine points behind the playoff cutline with 17 games to go.
“It’s two wins, but at the same time, we’re still in second-to-last place,” Harriel said. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be at, but sometimes you have to take it one game at a time, which we’re doing. But the momentum is great. The vibes are great. Everyone’s performing on the training ground and then on the weekends here at home, which is important.”
The win is the Union’s first over Seattle since 2018, and their first home win over the Sounders since 2017.
Up next
The Union return to Subaru Park to face last-place Atlanta United next Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
Philadelphia transformed Lemon Hill into the longest and one of thelargest World Cup watch parties in the country throughout the FIFA Fan Festival’s 39-day stay.
With the World Cup wrapped up, host committees throughout the country are taking stock of how many fans flocked to these festivals. Philly’s fan fest saw the second-highest number of attendees, with 575,304 between June 11 and July 19, according to the festival’s organizer, Philadelphia Soccer 2026.
Miami’s host committee was less precise in its count, but said its festival drew more than 600,000 guests.
Each one of the 11 host cities reported fan totals in the hundreds of thousands, but none quite reached the attendance levels of Philly and Miami.
However, despite South Florida’s high total numbers, Philadelphia set the record for most attendees throughout a single day at a U.S. fan festival with 55,000 attendees during the Brazil vs. Haiti group stage match on June 19. While Philadelphia’s fan festival operated for almost twice as long as Miami’s, opening every day of the tournament, Philadelphia worked with half the capacity limit that Miami did, capping crowds at 15,000 people at a time.
Anu Akinlotan, 19, of Darby, Pa., (right), Sandra Olaniyi, 25, of Drexel Hill, Pa., (left), and her sister Victoria, 22, (center), watch the USA vs. Australia game at FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill Park in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, June 19, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
New York and New Jersey, home to the largest population among host cities and host of the World Cup final, netted more than one million fansacross their decentralized network of official fan zones. The San Francisco Bay Area host committee also chose not to do a single festival but rather a network of watch parties and events. Across those areas,900,000 people reportedly visited during World Cup games, according to CBS.
Philly’s million-square-foot watch party, akin to a Fairmount summer barbecue of epic proportions, featured large swaths of open space for fans to lay down blankets and picnic while they watched the game, with the Center City skyline as backdrop; mini soccer pitches to challenge friends to pickup games; and a line of sponsor exhibits, including one outrageously viral Bank of America bracelet-making workshop. Some later resold the bracelets online for upward of $150.
But the main course was the 60-foot-wide screen playing almost every 2026 World Cup game to a crowd of thousands. This is where Philadelphians and international tourists could experience the energy of the World Cup outside the pricey stadium seats.
Soccer fans gather to watch Mexico play South Africa on a giant screen during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Philly and Miami may win out for the highest attendances, likely due to their singular locations and being open much longer than celebrations in other cities, which opted for shorter-lived festival days or decentralized events. Still, most of the U.S. host cities boasted impressive numbers at fan events.
Atlanta, Houston, and Seattle all reported having hosted at least 500,000 fans at their festivals. Kansas City was close behind, reaching 400,000 fans across its 18-day run. Los Angeles brought in 250,000 people to its festival. Boston hosted 155,000. Dallas’s host committee has not released official counts yet.
It has the potential of being a dream story, really.
It’s also one the Union have played out before. Stop if you’ve heard this: An area native and former professional climbs the ranks to become the franchise’s manager.
Part 1 of that tale was former manager Jim Curtin. Part 2 is interim head coach Ryan Richter, the Southampton native, 2010 Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year at La Salle, and Union draft pick who played seven professional seasons across MLS and other leagues.
On Wednesday, Richter, 37, stood in the coach’s box on the sidelines at Subaru Park and orchestrated a 3-1 win against rival Red Bull New York.
Congratulations to La Salle grad Ryan Richter, ‘11, as he has been named @PhilaUnion interim head coach!
In this role, Ryan manages team logistics, leads specific training drills, and analyzes player performances.
It was the Union’s first league win at home this season, and, despite their starting centerback holding out, which forced a shift along the team’s back line, the Union (2-10-4, 10 points) looked impressive.
But Richter knows one win doesn’t make him soccer’s Winston Wolf. He’s not quite the fixer yet, but he coaches in a forgiving league. Despite the Union wallowing in the basement of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, there’s still time to chase a playoff run. And that would make it hard for Union brass not to consider revisiting history when it comes to their next full-time manager.
But that’s not on Richter’s mind right now. Well, maybe a little.
“I’ve been a part of this club since 2011 and in pretty much every role, from a coaching standpoint, that you can be involved in,” said Richter, who in addition to coaching the club’s reserve squad, Union II, has coached on just about every level of the club’s youth system, including SWAG, its developmental program dedicated to introducing an underserved population to high-level soccer training.
“I think over that period, I’ve made a lot of good relationships with people, staff in the academy, staff in the second team, ownership, everyone that’s involved in the club … this opportunity for me, personally, is a reflection of all the people that have helped me in this club, all the people that have helped me get to this point.”
For now, all Richter can do is continue to replicate the success from Wednesday and wait. There’s a prevailing belief that the Union not bringing him on immediately is less that they want to conduct a global search for their next manager, than that they don’t want to be on the hook for paying three. They’re still paying Curtin’s buyout and remain on the books with Bradley Carnell, who lasted a season and a half before being dismissed in May, but has a contract with the club through the end of the year.
Richter took over in an interim role following the departure of Bradley Carnell (above) in May.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
However, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings, the Union made few moves to bring in candidates over the seven-week break for the World Cup.
Many within the organization believe Richter already has the respect of the locker room, the tactics to make adjustments within the Union’s playing philosophy, and a “ton of energy,” as Union president Tim McDermott said recently when asked about the team’s coaching situation.
But McDermott’s words felt less like a deflection and more like admitting that right now the club’s on-field leadership is in wait-and-see mode, and part of that is waiting to see whether Richter can turn around the team’s fortunes.
“He interacts and communicates and relates incredibly well to our players,” McDermott told The Inquirer. “He is a guy that’s not too far removed from playing himself, and that brings a lot of credibility. He carries himself in a way that’s highly respected, and he’s good at simplifying messages to the players so they get it. They understand what he’s trying to do.”
Drafted by the Union in 2011, Ryan Richter also had a stint with Toronto FC in 2013.
Listen to Richter speak about the game, and it becomes clear that the guy knows ball.
“The philosophy is not going to change,” Richter said. “As someone who’s worked in this club for eight years … three of those years, the Union has had the most points in the league. So what I’ve learned and what I’ve seen produce a winning product is playing this style [and] using this methodology.
“I know it can lead to success when it’s done in the right way. Your job as a coach is to put your players in a position where you only see their strengths. So whether that’s a [4-4-2] diamond [formation], whether that’s a 4-2-2-2, we’re going to try to put the players in a position where we can see their strengths in the game.”
Playing to strengths is a novel idea, considering that Richter had to adapt to a new role when he played for the Union. A striker with a nose for goal, Richter often was used as a more defensive player and even played outside back at times. It may not always have felt comfortable, but he was effective and filled a need that got him playing time.
Union interim head coach Ryan Richter relays instructions from the sidelines during the first half of Wednesday’s game against Red Bull New York.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
What did look comfortable? His transition to the sidelines, particularly Wednesday. He stood toe-to-toe with former U.S. soccer stalwart Michael Bradley, Richter’s former teammate in Toronto and now the manager of Red Bull and son of U.S. coaching legend Bob Bradley, and outperformed him.
There are a lot of games left, and the Union likely will take their lumps as they look to write history as one of the few teams that bounces back from the bottom of the standings to squeak into the playoffs.
They’ll need more goals, more opportunities. Communication. And, of course, stacking wins. And there are intangibles, too: timing, luck, leadership.
On Wednesday, Richter made a team down on its luck believe it can bounce back. Time will tell if all those stops along the way have made that last one, leadership, his most significant contribution in their run toward the top of the table.
Union midfielder Jovan Lukic (second from left) celebrates with teammate Cavan Sullivan (left) and others in Wednesday’s home win against Red Bull New York. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
“The opportunity to take on Union II was something I was really grateful for because it’s so important to learn how to lead a staff,” Richter said. “It’s different when you’re speaking to the players as an assistant coach than when you’re the one making the final decision of who plays on the weekend. Learning that communication piece and learning how to lead people forces you to be honest with yourself every day.
“But, really, it comes down to how you communicate to your players and realizing that everyone’s different. Getting them to do what’s required to be successful is great, and when it all comes together, that’s when you realize that the goals you have for yourself, for them, and for the club are attainable. So, yeah, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m excited to see how far we can take this.”
When Kai Wagner was introduced in the Union’s starting lineup on Wednesday, the roar was so loud that it drowned out public address announcer Kevin Casey. When Quinn Sullivan jogged up the sideline to finally return to the field in the second half, the buzz in the stands was real and wholesome.
But neither of them ended up as the biggest name in the 3-1 win over Red Bull New York, just the Union’s second league win of the season (2-10-4, 10 points). It wasn’t even interim manager Ryan Richter, who earned a victory in his debut on the first-team bench in the first game back from the MLS World Cup break.
Neil Pierre, the prized centerback prospect, played 34 minutes as a second-half substitute after Japhet Sery Larsen felt some hamstring tightness, and finally showed he’s ready for the big leagues.
It was only Pierre’s second game with the first team. His first was when he was thrown to the lions in last year’s infamous 7-0 blowout loss in Vancouver. This time, he was at home and got to take the field in the 56th minute with the game tied 1-1. Mere seconds later, he leapt at a Wagner corner kick service to slam in a header that put the Union ahead.
“I kind of knew when Kai came back, I told him we’re going to score a lot of goals, we’re going to have a lot of moments,” Pierre said. “And then as soon as I ran up to the ball, I was like, there’s no way. My eyes got a little big — luckily, I scored it.”
But between the game’s momentum and the Union’s fragile psyche, it was far from certain the lead would hold. So it mattered that while his defensive stats totaled just two clearances and one recovery, he helped see out the win.
“I knew, even if I started or came in the game, the team’s confidence in me to play,” Pierre said, reflecting the endorsements Richter and sporting director Jon Scheer have given him lately.
“I’ve come up through the academy, so it’s kind of a dream coming to these games,” Pierre said. “To come on the pitch was obviously an honor, and then to score was like, wow, what a dream.”
Perhaps if someone else had finished that play, Wagner’s return would be the feature item here. But Pierre’s arrival has been anticipated for some time, and this felt like it, even as he also put an almost-comical miss off the crossbar from right underneath it. (Asked how many teammates gave him grief for that, Pierre cracked a smile and said, “Every single one.”)
“I think he made another step forward,” Wagner said. “I think it really helped him to grow as a person, as a player, in Europe a little bit, even as it was probably a lower league. But I think we know that we can throw him in now. Today was a good test for him, a good start, solid start for him.”
At just 18 years old, Pierre has a wide range of tools on his 6-foot-7 frame, including sublime passing skill for a centerback. But as he rose through the Union’s academy and reserve squad, the key question was how he’d handle the physicality of the top flight.
New York didn’t have the kind of old brute who will really stick an elbow in your chest with a veteran’s savvy. But Pierre will face that eventually.
It’s the main reason the Union sent him on a six-month loan to Danish club Lyngby, in which the Union have an ownership stake. Even though Lyngby played in the second tier last season, it’s still a more physical circuit than MLS Next Pro, and Pierre helped the club earn promotion before returning to Chester.
There was also the mental side of going somewhere else for the first time, after a childhood in Harrisburg and now having his family in Media.
“I noticed a lot, especially me growing up, finally being by myself away from home for six months,” Pierre said. “I think it made me really sit with myself and think about certain things I wouldn’t think about being home. And obviously, as a player, it made me more mature on the ball.”
The cherry on top Wednesday was seeing Pierre join a game with many intriguing young Americans on the field. The matchup was hyped as one U.S. national team fans could watch to see players who might contend for the 2030 World Cup squad, and it delivered: Cavan and Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Pierre, and New York’s Julian Hall, Adri Mehmeti, and Justin Che.
“I think it kind of showed where MLS is going,” Pierre said. “Trusting the players and showing that yeah, it doesn’t matter your age. I think if you come through the programs and trust the process, you’ll end up playing in MLS and hopefully then going to Europe or whatever it is.”
Quinn Sullivan received a lengthy ovation as he entered for his 2026 debut, just short of 10 months after he tore his ACL. pic.twitter.com/6vxEdg1w7z
When will Pierre play next? It depends in part on how bad Larsen’s hamstring tweak is, with the Seattle Sounders coming to Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Then there’s an Aug. 1 home game against Atlanta United.
An interesting test could come in next month’s Leagues Cup games. Though the tournament understandably still isn’t of much interest to fans, the Union have group stage home games against three Mexican clubs — including former Union striker Julián Carranza’s Necaxa. Those will be interesting tactical tests for Pierre.
For now, it’s a good step that he looked the part in this game. With Olwethu Makhanya away for personal reasons amid transfer rumors, if Larsen is out for any extended time there’s now some proof that Pierre can step in.
“I believe in him,” said Richter, who had his own rise from coaching in the Union’s academy to the reserves to now. “I’ve worked with him since he was 11 years old, and I have seen him progress in every stage of this. I’ve seen him be successful as an academy player, I’ve seen him be the defender of the year in MLS Next Pro, I watched his games when he went on loan and saw him be successful there and work and fight his way into the team there, and now it’s no surprise to see him come in and be ready for this next step.”
You’ve spent the last month engrossed in 104 soccer matches — and now that Spain beat Argentina to win their second ever World Cup, you’re wondering what comes next.
Soccer is a true global sport, so there are many options if you want to keep watching. Nearly every country on the planet has its own league to follow, including the U.S., with the Philadelphia Union right on your doorstep.
But the Union have the worst record in MLS, so we’ll forgive you for seeking a secondary option, and there’s no better place to start than the English Premier League — not only is it the most popular competition, but the games will be easy to find on American television when the upcoming season kicks off on Aug. 21.
Before you tune in, however, we recommend picking a team to support, which can be tough without geography to decide for you — unless you live in Chester County, which features its own Birmingham (Aston Villa), Coventry, and Nottingham. Answer these six questions and we’ll make it a little easier for you by recommending a team based on your results.
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Recommended team
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Arsenal
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a team that plays smart and can win it all.
What to expect
Last season, under the coaching of Mikel Arteta, Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time in two decades. Their style of play heavily relied on set pieces and smart play, rather than trying to be entertaining. However, it’s tough to argue with the results.
Where to watch
Arsenal Philadelphia watch games at both Misconduct Tavern locations in Center City.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Aston Villa
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a sensible club on the come up.
What to expect
Aston Villa has bounced back from relegation in 2016 to become an under-the-radar, sensibly-run club. Under manager Unai Emery, the Birmingham-based club has finished sixth or higher in each of the last three seasons. As a result of this high league finish, the Villans will also play the best clubs from Europe in the continent’s most prestigious competition, the Champions League.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Bournemouth
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a small club punching above its weight.
What to expect
By any metric, Bournemouth shouldn’t be a Premier League side that finishes sixth, but last season, that’s exactly what happened. It was such a surprise that the coach who masterminded it all, Andoni Iraola, was poached by Liverpool. This leaves doubts whether Bournemouth can sustain the highs of last season with a new manager and additional weeknight football in Europa League. Fans of the club will rightly claim this isn’t the first time they’ve faced doubts though.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Brentford
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a team designed in a lab.
What to expect
Brentford successfully implemented a data-led transfer policy to make it to the top flight of English football. Despite the Premier League's lack of a salary cap (similar to Major League Baseball), a Moneyball approach can be even tougher in soccer. But the Bees are proving that theory wrong — this season will be their sixth since their promotion in 2021.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Brighton & Hove Albion
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for every fan to be jealous of your club.
What to expect
It wasn’t that long ago that the Seagulls didn’t even have a stadium to play in. Since then, they’ve been transformed into the envy of all sides. They’re incredibly well-run, use a data-led approach to transfers, and Fabian Hürzeler is the youngest coach in Premier League history at 31.
If you’re looking to get in at the start of an exciting rebuild.
What to expect
Chelsea saw a historic run of trophies under former owner Roman Abramovic, who pumped a lot of money into the club. However, under new American ownership, fans are watching Todd Boehly learn on the job. It’s been a rollercoaster ride since Boehly took over in 2022, with a FIFA Club World Cup win but also several changes of coaches and direction. Fans of the West London club are hoping for a steadier season after hiring highly-rated manager Xabi Alonso.
Where to watch
The Philly Blues are scheduled to watch matches at Cavanaugh’s Rittenhouse.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Crystal Palace
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for some E-A-G-L-E-S … EAGLES.
What to expect
Crystal Palace thrives on bringing through new talent from its youth academy and the lower leagues. World Cup talents like Michael Olise, Marc Guéhi, and Eberechi Eze all went on to join bigger clubs after first showcasing their talents at Selhurst Park, which may look familiar to Ted Lasso fans, who will recognize it as the home of fictional club A.F.C. Richmond. If a Philadelphian really wants a reason to root for them, their nickname is the Eagles — and they’re partially owned by Sixers managing partner Josh Harris.
It wasn’t long ago that Coventry City was amidst a financial crisis – in the fourth-tier of English football and without a stadium. In 2026, managed by former England and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, the club returns to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. Their aim will be to avoid the bottom three spots in the league — and relegation back to the second-tier as a result. U.S. men’s national team forward Haji Wright and Co. will fight to make sure they remain in the Premier League for another season.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Everton
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a club with history.
What to expect
Everton has competed in England’s top league a record 119 times, winning it nine times. However, the club’s last title was at the tail end of the 1980s and it has finished near the bottom-half of the league each of the last five years. Last season, the Toffees looked doomed to finish in the bottom half and potentially face relegation to the second league. However, club legend David Moyes returned to manage, 12 years after his initial stint coaching the side, and pulled them back from the brink.
Fulham is a London-based club that nearly every fan likes because of their small stadium on the banks of the River Thames that houses a cottage built in 1780. There’s also a tiny part where other fans don’t see Fulham as a threat, but last season’s mid-table finish proves they have the ability to compete in the Premier League — not to mention the team features American Antonee Robinson, who starts regularly.
If you’re looking for a season where every point matters.
What to expect
A few seasons ago, the Tigers were nearly relegated to the third-tier of English football. Last season they defied expectations under coach Sergej Jakirović by finishing sixth in the EFL Championship and securing a Premier League berth after winning a playoff. That step up to the top-tier can be tough, but they’ll look to continue shocking critics by avoiding finishing in the last three places and facing relegation back down.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Ipswich Town
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for the unexpected.
What to expect
Ipswich, also known as The Tractor Boys, are tough to nail down. A few years ago they returned to the Premier League after a dominant season in the English second division. However, it didn’t go to plan and they were immediately relegated. Back for a second time in three years, Ipswich will be hoping for an improvement — but they know a tough season is ahead of them.
If you’re looking for a club on the rise with some local talent.
What to expect
Leeds United fell from grace in the 2000s as bets on big signings with the hope of Champions League qualification (and bigger prize money for its involvement) didn’t pay off. The following financial crisis saw Leeds relegated to the third-tier, a low for the Yorkshire club. The last decade has seen the club stabilize and return to the Premier League, where fans will feel they belong. Former Philadelphia Union midfielder and South Jersey native Brenden Aaronson will be hoping to guide the club to another steady mid-table finish this season.
If you’re looking for an exciting club with a history.
What to expect
Liverpool is historically one of the biggest clubs in England, tied with Manchester United for the most league titles (20). The most recent came a few seasons ago under Dutch coach Arne Slot. However, last year didn’t go to plan and Slot was relieved of his duties. He’ll be replaced by up-and-coming coach Andoni Iraola, who most recently brought his brand of exciting football to Bournemouth. Iraola’s first year at Anfield won’t be easy; he has to manage a squad in transition after the departure of Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah.
Where to watch
Liverpool fans meet at Cavanaugh’s Headhouse for watch parties.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Manchester City
Why you should support them
If you’re looking to watch superstar players.
What to expect
Recent investment from Abu Dhabi has transformed them from the “noisy neighbors” of Manchester United into a powerhouse. Former manager Pep Guardiola won six titles in ten years, making him one of the most successful managers in Premier League history. For the first time in a decade, however, the Citizens face uncertainty under new manager Enzo Maresca. Luckily for Maresca, he has a well assembled squad — including World Cup stars like Norway’s Erling Haaland and Spain’s Rodri — with which to work.
If you’re looking for a side with history and unpredictability.
What to expect
The Red Devils have struggled to compete at the top since legendary manager Sir Alex Ferugson left over a decade ago. Since, Manchester United has banked on its historical name to attract big players to Old Trafford with mixed results. Last season saw the club recruit smartly in the transfer market and finish third. This season, it could easily kick on and challenge for the title — or crumble and finish mid-table.
Newcastle’s new owner — the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund — was expected to make them title challengers. However, this season sees the Toon Army facing an uncertain future after key players like Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have been sold to league rivals. The question will be whether they can wisely invest that money back into the squad.
Where to watch
Toon Army Philly meet for watch parties at Kite & Key, near the central library.
Recommended team
Alternative team
Nottingham Forest
Why you should support them
If you’re looking for a scrappy club that always keeps things interesting.
What to expect
The unexpected. Nottingham Forest has spent four seasons back in the top flight of English football — narrowly avoiding relegation in three of them, but finishing seventh in 2024-25. It’s a club with high ambitions but one that can make questionable decisions to achieve them.
If you’re looking for a club that defies expectations.
What to expect
Last season was Sunderland’s first back in the Premier League since 2017, and the expectations were a lengthy relegation scrap. Instead, the club from North England turned a lot of heads by finishing seventh and securing European competition involvement. Whether the extra games in Europe will stretch the squad too thin is a big question. However, a large portion of the squad — 11 players in all — should have an extra confidence boost after taking part in the World Cup. If you want to see Sunderland in person, they’ll be playing Wrexham AFC at Subaru Park in Chester on Aug. 2.
If you’re looking for a perennial underdog with a glimmer of hope.
What to expect
Anything. Tottenham Hotspur have gone from challenging for titles in the 2010s under current U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino to winning a European trophy in 2024 to almost being relegated last season. The shock of a big side almost being relegated prompted the club to change the strategy from investment in youth to spending big to improve the squad for today. Under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, you can expect exciting football. Where that leaves them at the end of the season feels like a crapshoot though.
After a 59-day break for the FIFA World Cup, the Union picked up their first home win of the season behind a 3-1 final over Eastern Conference rival Red Bull New York at Subaru Park on Wednesday night.
Milan Iloski opened the scoring for the Union (2-10-4, 10 points) in the ninth minute. Indiana Vassilev scored the second, and 6-foot-6 defender Neil Pierre scored off a pinpoint set-piece header in just his second career game for the first team.
Cade Cowell scored the lone goal for New York (6-6-4, 22 points) in the 38th minute.
In his return from six months at England’s Birmingham City, Kai Wagner was instrumental in creating Iloski’s goal and was credited with the assist on Pierre’s. Wagner took his familiar spot at left back five days after the Union announced his return to Chester.
The Union’s win over New York was their second win of the 2026 season, and their first league win at Subaru Park in 269 days. Before Wednesday, the Union’s most recent home MLS win was a playoff victory over Chicago Fire FC on Oct. 26, 2025.
Union interim head coach Ryan Richter celebrates a win in his first team debut. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
It also marked a win in the first team debut as interim manager for Ryan Richter. Richter, the longtime Union assistant and former player earned the role after the club parted ways with Bradley Carnell in May.
“It’s a good way to start, but it’s one game,” Richter said. “But it is nice to get some positive momentum going in to the second half of the season.”
Quinn Sullivan made his return from a torn ACL, coming on for the first time in 10 months, to replace Vassilev in the 73rd minute. It was Sullivan’s first match since September, when he suffered the injury in a 6-0 win over D.C. United.
“I’m just really thankful for everyone involved and happy to be back out on the field,” Sullivan said of his return. “Hopefully [I will] get a little bit more sharp and not get pushed off the ball as much. But it was a good start tonight. I was happy with my performance.”
Wagner’s impact was felt before play started on Wednesday. He was welcomed with raucous cheers from Union fans during the introduction of the team’s starting 11.
Kai Wagner gets a loud welcome back to Subaru Park:
In the ninth minute, Wagner sent a cross in from the left flank that Red Bull goalkeeper Ethan Horvath tried to catch out of midair.
Horvath collided with a New York defender inside the 18-yard box and spilled the ball to Iloski, who capitalized on the error with a right-footed blast to put the Union up, 1-0.
Milan Iloski opens up the scoring for Philadelphia! 🤿
It was Iloski’s team-leading eighth goal of the season across all competitions.
Cowell pulled New York level with a goal in the 38th minute. Ronald Donkor made a run through the center of the Union defense before passing to Emil Forsberg near the top of the 18-yard box.
Forsberg laid the ball off to his right, sending Cowell in behind the Union’s defense. Cowell finished the chance with a right-footed shot that beat Andre Blake and tied the match at one.
Combination through the midfield, and Cade Cowell finishes it 😮💨
The Union nearly reclaimed their advantage in the 44th minute, but Bruno Damiani was unable to finish a one-on-one chance against Horvath, who stopped the striker’s shot at close range.
— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 23, 2026
Cavan Sullivan created the Union’s first chance after halftime, launching a curled shot from the right side of the 18-yard box that Horvath tipped onto his left post.
Blake made a crucial save in the 54th minute to keep the match even, coming up with a save against Julian Hall after the 18-year-old forward sped past Nathan Harriel.
Richter’s first substitution came in the 56th minute, when Pierre replaced Japhet Sery Larsen at center back. Pierre spent the first half of the 2026 season on loan at Danish club Lyngby.
Vassilev put the Union up, 2-1, with a goal in the 57th minute. Frankie Westfield played a cross to Vassliev from the right wing, and Vassilev tucked away the chance with a left-footed shot that snuck past Horvath.
It was Vassilev’s second goal of the MLS regular season.
As for Pierre, the 18-year-old homegrown player used all of his 6-6 frame to score his first goal with the Union from a corner in the 66th minute to give the Union a 3-1 lead.
Wagner whipped a cross toward the back post from the left corner flag, and Pierre rose above a crowd of Red Bull defenders to slam a header past Horvath. With his family watching on from the stands, Pierre called scoring his first goal for the Union “a dream come true.”
Richter made his final changes in the 85th minute, bringing Ezekiel Alladoh and Jesús Bueno on to replace Cavan Sullivan and Iloski.
The Union picked up their first home win of the season on Wednesday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The 3-1 score line held through nine minutes of stoppage time, and the Union broke an eight-game, 102-day winless streak.
“It’s so important for us to start this in the right way,” Richter said. “But, again, it’s one game. We turn around and play again in a couple days, and we have to approach with that same fighting spirit in the next game. But for the first game, for me, it was all positive.”
Up next …
The Union will return to Subaru Park to face the Seattle Sounders on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
Well, that didn’t take long. Days after the World Cup wrapped up, fans are reselling their once highly coveted swag.
The FIFA World Cup resale market is on fire, and that includes Fan Fest attendees profiting off their freebies, including the viral Bank of America charm bracelets.
For those uninitiated: Throughout the duration of the World Cup, fans at U.S. host cities lined up in droves to get their hands on free swag, especially these darned bracelets.
Mimicking a Pandora bracelet, the “Fan Bands” are composed of a red, blue, or black woven band and an assortment of metal charms laced through. Available charms included numbers, flags, a World Cup trophy, and designs that pair with World Cup host cities. Philly, for instance, had boxing gloves, a cheesesteak, and the LOVE statue.
It was the World Cup’s hottest free accessory, but it cost interested parties hours of their time. At one point, wait times in Philadelphia were reported to be four to eight hours. Weeks later, Philly’s Fan Fest refashioned the waiting process, citing high demand. Instead of a free-for-all giant line, organizers nationwide pivoted to a ticketed system with set time windows to receive bracelets.
Bank of America called the demand for the bracelets “unprecedented.”
Now, they’re a relic of a time that has come and gone — and are selling for anywhere from $10 to $150, no line required.
Fashion expert and pro-thrifter Virginia Chamlee says this isn’t surprising.
“The secondary market for the FIFA Fan Fest bracelets is all about scarcity and exclusivity — the second something is ‘free but limited,’ or ‘difficult to obtain,’ it stops being a souvenir, and it becomes a status symbol,” she said. “So people aren’t really buying free beads; they’re buying the two-hour line they didn’t actually wait in.”
On Facebook Marketplace, dozens of bracelets are listed across Philadelphia. Some sellers said they waited about an hour; one said they volunteered at Fan Fest, which gave them easy access to swag; another said they were selling after snagging the bracelets for their kids, who evidently didn’t like their charm selection.
In a few listings, bracelet-holders are hoping to trade with others for different charms.
On eBay, things get more intense. A recent scan, filtering for sold listings, shows bracelets have allegedly sold for as much as $500 in some cases. There was also a listing that sold for $1,000 that included bracelets from nearly every host city. By the knockout rounds of the World Cup, Bank of America unveiled a handful of additional commemorative charms. Bracelets with those charms are in especially high demand.
As of Tuesday, eBay showed over 1,600 active listings for the Fan Bands. Chamlee says it all boils down to desire, and maybe a little bit of FOMO.
“To me, this is no different from paying for a resold Taylor Swift Eras tour tee when you didn’t actually go to the concert, or a Trader Joe’s tote that’s been considerably marked up,” Chamlee said. “In these cases, the price isn’t really set by the object itself (i.e. how much it cost to produce) but by how badly someone wants to say they were there.”
Bank of America says the Fan Bands’ success has exceeded expectations. The company had more than 2 million bracelets and 10 million beads to distribute, it said in a statement at the beginning of the World Cup. Within the first two weeks of the tournament’s nearly six-week run, the company announced it had given away more than 700,000 bracelets across the 11 host cities.
“For Bank of America, this is a marketing win by almost any metric,” Chamlee said. “A giveaway meant to build brand goodwill has evolved into a resale market. That’s free earned media most brands would pay millions for.”
This World Cup made a huge impact on a country where soccer wasn’t always welcome, but is now. Look no further than the massive television audiences, not just for the U.S and Mexico, but across the tournament.
A stunning 63 of the 104 games drew audiences of more than 10 million viewers across Fox’s English and Telemundo’s Spanish coverage. Thirty-one topped 15 million, 18 topped 20 million, 11 topped 25 million, and five topped 30 million — capped off by 46.7 million for Mexico-England, 50.1 million for U.S.-Belgium, and 66.4 million for the Spain-Argentina title game.
Yes, that many people watched a game that had just one goal in 140 minutes of game clock, including stoppage time.
— FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia™ (@FWC26Philly) July 19, 2026
But while the World Cup is over, is soccer? Even the critics might finally admit it isn’t. So let’s ask some better questions.
What kind of soccer will Americans now want to watch? Will they treat the sport like track and field at the Olympics, only tuning in every four years? Or will they be interested more often, wanting to see the world’s biggest sports tapestry unfold every week?
If it’s the latter, the line of suitors is already long. The English Premier League, Europe’s UEFA Champions League, and Spain’s La Liga are among the front-runners, along with their respective broadcast partners at NBC, CBS, and ESPN.
They are the most likely to profit from the World Cup’s halo, while showcasing the sport’s biggest stars. But they can’t be alone. The pressure is rising fast on America’s domestic men’s game, Major League Soccer above all.
Philadelphia got to see France’s Kylian Mbappé, one of the biggest superstars in world soccer, in person twice during the tournament.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
No, it doesn’t have the sport’s biggest names, and for some people that will always be what matters. What about an audience that MLS has long failed to properly pursue: People who want to watch the sport in person, and forge a connection with a local team?
You can’t go to Liverpool, Manchester, London, Madrid, and so on every weekend. Once a season, sure, and a Saturday morning at a soccer bar is a fun time. But whether in Chester or the rest of the country, experiencing soccer in person is still unmatched.
This is not meant to cheerlead for the Union. They have to earn fans’ trust, and there’s a history of that not happening. These pages have long chronicled it, especially when it comes to Subaru Park’s woefully limited public transit access.
But soccer also faces a burden that other American sports don’t. Why be a Flyers fan, with no titles in a half-century? Or a Phillies or Eagles fan during the team’s fallow years of the past? Why bother with the eternal angst the Sixers inflict on a basketball city without equal?
We all know the answer, from Northeast Philly lifers to the thousands of newcomers who’ve made Center City a destination. It’s about feeling those teams are yours. Through good times and bad, nothing fuels emotions like that sense of deep connection.
The passion that Philadelphians have for the Eagles is similar to how Europeans feel about soccer, but this city doesn’t always extend the favor to its own soccer team.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Emotion trumps data
For most of its 30-year history, MLS has shied away from doing the work needed to forge those bonds. Instead, it has chased sugar highs from signing big names.
That path has been profitable, to be sure, and the list is long: David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Javier Hernández, Lionel Messi, Son Heung-Min, and now Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski.
But the foundations are still missing in too many cities leaguewide, with Philadelphia high up that list. New York, Chicago, Boston, and Houston are also perennially on it.
This came to a head when commissioner Don Garber met the press at the U.S.-Australia game in Seattle last month. Behind him, a scene unfurled that American soccer fans dreamed of for decades: A thunderous home crowd in a city that not only loves the sport, but loves this country’s game specifically.
How can the league build connections like that elsewhere?
“Part of it is time and part of that is tactical; part of it is actually doing the work,” Garber said to start. He referenced how MLS “got FIFA’s permission to do Fan Fests in every market,” which sounds nice until you realize the need to ask is yet more of FIFA’s greed.
“We want to bring everybody together,” Garber said. “But we want to know, if people are going to support a World Cup match, what can we do to talk to them and give them exciting news and information and connections to become a fan of Sporting Kansas City or the Seattle Sounders? Some of that is just the data and intelligence that we’re going to gather, and be able to do that.”
He sounded good until the words data and intelligence. Because the problem here isn’t a rational one, it’s an emotional one.
For many years, the response from fans to MLS has been: I don’t care, because your product isn’t as good as others.
A league now in its fourth decade should be mature enough to shoot right back: So what? That isn’t the point.
Don Garber facing the media during a pre-World Cup final publicity event at the league’s headquarters last week.Vanja Savic
There’s nothing stopping any soccer fan from watching European games on a Saturday morning and their local team on a Saturday night. Nor do some of the English Premier League’s loyalists understand England’s thriving lower leagues, where crowds can be bigger than Europe’s other top flights.
Why would a Londoner pick Charlton over giant Arsenal? Why bother in Bolton when Manchester is a stone’s throw away? It isn’t just because they dream of winning promotion. To those fans, the teams are theirs in a way the giants will never be.
MLS, meanwhile, has often been too timid to make the case.
“I will say to everybody who has said to me from the day I took this job: If you don’t believe, that’s OK,” he answered. “Right now, soccer is the third most popular sport in our country. We’ve got to make MLS a bigger part of that pie, but the market’s there and it’s up to us to convert it. If we don’t convert it, shame on us.”
That’s more like it. Because though Garber’s legacy is unquestionable ahead of his retirement next year, the league missed a big opportunity after the last World Cup. Now it risks another one.
How many of the Brazil fans who electrified Philadelphia when their team played here would go to a Union game?Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
‘Not just about’ the stars
The second the 2022 tournament ended, North America’s hosting in 2026 was on the clock. MLS could easily have boasted its players featured this year — not just for the United States, but many countries. So what if they would be in Europe later? They were in the league now, and worth watching.
This summer, MLS was almost invisible during the tournament. Of course it was right to not have games, but the lack of publicity on TV was shocking. Especially on World Cup broadcaster Fox, which airs MLS games throughout the year.
And where, yet again, was the marketing heft from Apple? The world’s most famous tech brand was also pretty quiet, instead of trumpeting to new soccer fans that it has every MLS game.
MLS bought flashy advertisements for its return from the World Cup at Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York. But will soccer fans pay attention?Jonathan Tannenwald
Rank the domestic leagues of the world by how many players they sent to this World Cup, and MLS had the second-most of any outside Europe’s traditional big five: England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. Saudi Arabia took No. 6 — by just two players — thanks to the exorbitant, oil-and-gas fueled salaries paid by clubs with sovereign wealth backing.
Along with that, this reporter counted a total of 115 players spanning 24 World Cup teams who play or have played in the U.S. or Canada, whether in the pros, college, or high school.
Those are marketable numbers if the league wants. But how many people know about them?
When MLS hosted the media at its new Manhattan offices last Thursday, Garber was grilled again, and seemed to get it right again.
“It’s not just about those Designated Players, the big names,” he said. “It’s about Alex Freeman, who started as a youth player, played in an academy, played in MLS Next Pro, and now is playing overseas after he was a starter for Orlando City.”
Alex Freeman (center) celebrating his World Cup goal against Australia.Manu Fernandez
As that famous poet Batman might say: Right again, commissioner.
Yes, MLS is absolutely right about Freeman, the U.S. team’s breakout name of this World Cup who moved from Orlando to Spain’s Villarreal last winter. But the league has also been too afraid to admit it’s a launchpad to Europe, even though doing so would likely bring more global eyeballs. Tracking future stars in soccer has become as profitable as doing so in basketball and football.
The Union’s game on Wednesday against Red Bull New York at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV) will be a prime example. At least five young candidates for the 2030 U.S. World Cup team will be on the field: the Union’s Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, and Malik Jakupović, and the visitors’ Julian Hall and Adri Mehmeti.
Soccer fans know those names are worth watching, but the new World Cup fans in town don’t yet. The burden is on MLS to make the point, and there’s no better time than right now.
A historic summer for soccer in the United States was capped off Sunday with one more record broken, as 66.4 million Americans watched Spain’s title win over Argentina.
The audience showed up despite the game ending in a 1-0 score including extra time. Ferran Torres had the breakthrough in the 106th of what proved to be 140 minutes of game clock, counting all the stoppage time.
Fox reported an audience of 42.5 million for its English-language broadcast, a new high for a soccer audience on a single channel. Telemundo’s audience of 23.9 million also set a record for the biggest viewership of a soccer game in Spanish.
¡¡¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE ESPAÑAAAAAAAAAA!!! ¡¡¡FERRAN TORRES!!! ¡¡¡GOL HISTÓRICO!!!
El jugador de Barcelona la manda a guardar y le está dando la Copa del Mundo a La Roja.
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 19, 2026
With the book now closed on the tournament, the big-picture view shows how much the world’s game broke through in America this summer.
A remarkable 63 games of 104 drew over 10 million viewers combined between Fox and Telemundo. Before this World Cup, 42 all-time broadcasts had topped that mark, according to data compiled by The Inquirer over the years. Thirty-one games of this World Cup drew over 15 million viewers; 18 over 20 million; 11 over 25 million; and five over 30 million.
Those five were the Norway-England quarterfinal (34.796 million); U.S.-Bosnia (36.195 million) and Mexico-England (46.690 million) in the round of 16; the U.S.-Belgium quarterfinal (50.125 million); and the final.
The top nine soccer broadcasts of all time in the U.S. were recorded this summer, as were 11 of the top 15 and 14 of the top 20. Each of the new entries involved at least one of the U.S., Mexico, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, star-studded England, or historic power Brazil — the last of which was playing another star in Erling Haaland’s Norway.
The big crowd at Philadelphia’s World Cup fan fest for one of the U.S. games.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Take it out to the top 25 all-time, and 18 of them came this summer. Of the four additions, three had France, with Kylian Mbappé among many big names; and the fourth was Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal facing Luka Modrić’s Croatia in the round of 32.
All these big numbers will not be lost on the networks, their advertisers, or likely the teams themselves. Some of them already knew how popular they’d be in this country, and the rest came to learn it.
Before this World Cup, the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history was the 2014 men’s final, which drew 27,314,274 viewers across ABC, Univision, and their respective streaming platforms. It now stands as No. 8.
The English-only record had stood since the 2015 women’s World Cup final, 25.632 million viewers for the U.S. ending its 16-year title drought in time zone-friendly Canada. The prior Spanish record was the 2014 men’s final, which became the first of Messi’s three title games.
It was no surprise that Lionel Messi’s Argentina was one of the biggest TV draws in this World Cup.Rebecca Blackwell
When will these records be challenged again? That’s a big question around the sport. The next two women’s World Cups are in Brazil and the U.S., which opens the door for big audiences, but their broadcast rights here are currently held by Netflix. The streaming giant has not yet agreed to any sublicensing deal to put some games on traditional television, and there haven’t been any hints about whether it will.
FIFA hasn’t done broadcast deals for the 2030 or 2034 tournaments, and now is racing to try to cash in. But it might struggle.
The 2030 tournament will be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with a game each in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to celebrate the men’s World Cup’s 100th birthday.
The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia. It’s likely to be moved to the winter to escape the Middle East’s summer heat, as the 2022 edition in Qatar was. But that would again put games in the middle of the American football season instead of on their own summer stage.
