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Tag: World Cup

  • What sparked Mark McKenzie’s return to the Union? Being closer to ‘family,’ on and off the field

    What sparked Mark McKenzie’s return to the Union? Being closer to ‘family,’ on and off the field

    Mark McKenzie still can’t quite put his finger on it, but a return to Chester feels right.

    On Wednesday, his professional career came full circle when the Union officially announced that he will join the team on Jan. 1 via a designated player contract during January’s FIFA transfer window. McKenzie, 27, will return to the club “that took a chance on him” when he joined its first team in 2018, after grooming the central defender for years in its youth academy and developmental teams.

    He will enter coming off a year as a mainstay on the backline of Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1, with performances that caught the eye of U.S. national team coach Mauricio Pochettino. That landed him a spot on this past summer’s 26-man roster for the FIFA World Cup.

    So how did the Union ultimately land McKenzie? It definitely took some convincing. He had options from other clubs in Europe, and his decision to return wasn’t just a simple phone call from Union brass. However, to hear McKenzie tell it, when he was looking for what would come next in his now nine seasons as a professional, Philly checked a lot of boxes.

    “I don’t think it was necessarily a ‘who called who,’” said McKenzie. “It was more of I was looking for something next in my career, and to be honest [initially, I] couldn’t pinpoint exactly what that was. Some players want more money. Some players want to play in certain leagues, or play in the [UEFA] Champions League. Some players just want to go home.

    Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield’s USMNT debuts vs. Peru weren’t forgotten amid Cavan Sullivan’s hype

    “I think for me it was a mix of different things. And my agent and I were on the same page with what I wanted and what I envisioned for that next step. So we were putting out feelers and figuring out what that would look like.”

    With that as the mindset, McKenzie said his agency representation at The.Team met with Union sporting director Jon Scheer and others on whether a move back would even be viable. It took stages, but according to McKenzie, it worked out that Philly felt like the right choice for the Bear, Del., native, with several family members still in the area.

    In May, Mark McKenzie (center, right) battles Senegal forward Sadio Mané during an exhibition match ahead of the World Cup.Scott Kinser

    Scheer told The Inquirer that convincing McKenzie meant a face-to-face with him and his representation, meeting McKenzie outside of the country just before preparations began for the World Cup.

    “We went out to Spain to speak with him and his agent, and for us it was more a gauge to see where his head was at and what he wanted to do next,” said Scheer. “It wasn’t necessarily easy, as he had options, but at the end of the day, I think we offered a package and an opportunity for him to come home and that’s something he wanted.”

    The dollar amount of that total package remains to be seen but could be revealed when the Union holds their official news conference to announce McKenzie, scheduled for a virtual conference later today at 12:30 p.m. For McKenzie, who is expected to rejoin the team on a designated player contract, he says coming home will still allow him to “continue to develop.”

    Mark McKenzie (left) spent three seasons with French Ligue 1 club, Toulouse FC. Emma Da Silva

    Success in bunches

    Even before his departure for Europe, McKenzie knew immense success with the Union. As a homegrown player, he played along the club’s back line for former coach Jim Curtin, and helped guide the team to three consecutive playoff appearances from 2018-20.

    The 2020-21 season saw him head to Belgium’s Genk on a transfer valued at $6 million. He’d celebrate winning the Belgian Cup later that season with Genk, and go on to play two more seasons before a move to France’s Ligue 1 and finding himself a mainstay on Toulouse’s starting 11. It was his performances there that enabled him to earn that spot on the national team roster for the World Cup.

    He says that all of those stops along the way have helped him grow as a player and as a person in his professional career, choosing to go the gradual approach to stardom as opposed to a big splash that felt unnatural.

    “There was the possibility to go to maybe a bigger league or to a different club [from the Union my first time around], but I think for me, I wanted to take steps that were right for me,” McKenzie said. “I feel that too many times, especially young players, they get fixated on the idea of going to maybe a big club or going somewhere that looks optically like the thing to do, and then end up regretting it, or end up going and bouncing along.

    Mark McKenzie (left) battles Australia’s Connor Metcalfe during their international friendly last year. David Zalubowski

    “I wanted to go somewhere where I can develop, where I can play meaningful minutes, where I could be seen for the player I was and the person I was, and still be challenged in the same way. And going to Belgium from Philly was like that first step for me in getting my feet wet in Europe.”

    Dive deeper and McKenzie says the moves all along the way were more strategic, in terms of acclimating to the rigors of European soccer than being thrust into it from the outset.

    “I was able to experience the [UEFA] Champions League, Europa League and Conference League and after going through those years, it was like, all right, well, what’s the next step now? It was a strategic step of how can I make sure that I’m one, playing week in and week out, and two, still playing against some of the best players in the world and showcasing what I can do against the best in the world.”

    Union’s wild unbeaten streak continues with a dominant win over Orlando City

    Now McKenzie says he gets the opportunity to do that, surrounded by the familiar confines of the Union’s sprawling complex in Chester and in front of familiar faces of family and friends he had to say goodbye to while plying his trade overseas.

    Union defender Mark McKenzie plays against the New England Revolution in 2020.YONG KIM / Staff Photographer

    Family comes first

    Just before the start of the 2025 Gold Cup, McKenzie and his wife, Carley, welcomed their first child, Micah. For the new father, it meant several sleepless nights, getting acclimated to the rigors of parenting on top of preparing for a major tournament. In November, while McKenzie was back in Philly as a member of the U.S. national team, he noted that he was still balancing fatherhood and his thriving professional career.

    So how much did having family and friends minutes away instead of a world away factor into his decision to return, especially having a new, young family of his own?

    “It’s huge, man,” McKenzie said. “I think about the years that I’ve been in Europe, and you get the opportunity for family to come visit, be together and watch games. But now, the opportunity to walk off the field, to come back home and laugh and talk to a lot of the same people? That adds more to your career or who you are as a player than sometimes the wins and losses do.

    “At the end of the day, when I look back at my career, I’m just a product of who my family is and how strong my support system is. So, for me to come back here, not only make sure that they feel that love, but also my family at the Union … family is a core value, you know, and that’s what’s pushed me to get to where I am today. It’s a big part of the reason why I made the decision to come back here, and it’s going to be a big part of the reason why we’re successful as a club.”

    Mark McKenzie and fellow former Union player Paxten Aaronson bang the ceremonial drum ahead of a match in 2023. Philadelphia Union

    On Saturday, McKenzie was in Chester and watched the Union deliver a 4-2 win over Orlando City, setting a franchise record as they now revel in an unbeaten streak of 12 games. McKenzie opened the match with the ceremonial banging of the drum on the field. It not only started the game, but also the countdown of his return to the field in a few short months.

    When asked what that moment was going to feel like, McKenzie was a man of few words, but he had one that spoke volumes.

    “Surreal,” he said. “Yeah, I think that’s the best way to describe it.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Union soccer right here!
  • Despite the absence of key players, Union boss Ryan Richter remains ‘confident’ results will come against Orlando City

    Despite the absence of key players, Union boss Ryan Richter remains ‘confident’ results will come against Orlando City

    Ryan Richter said a variation of the word “confident” or “confidence” six times over the course of his weekly press conference on Thursday.

    The Union boss was referring to several different questions posed, but mainly to his ability to earn a result against a visiting Orlando City team without multiple Union players who have fueled an 11-game unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer since the break for the FIFA World Cup.

    The Union are changing the narrative around the fate of their season in real time

    Orlando enters Subaru Park on Saturday (7 p.m., Apple TV) looking to get back on track after having its five-game MLS unbeaten streak come to an end last weekend against New England. There’s also no guarantee that French star Antoine Griezmann will play this weekend as he picked up an injury during a midweek game against Columbus in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

    Griezmann has been a firecracker since arriving in Orlando during the summer transfer window with eight goals and three assists in just 10 games in all competitions. Whether or not Griezmann makes a return to Philly, Richter knows they are a club not to be taken lightly, but feels confident in who remains in the locker room and is ready for availability.

    ‘Brothers’ Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, and Neil Pierre getting called up to the USMNT together is ‘another level’

    The Union will be without five players due to international duty, which includes starting goalkeeper Andre Blake (Jamaica), defenders Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre (U.S. men’s national team) and midfielders Danley Jean Jacques (Haiti) and teen phenom Cavan Sullivan, who, like Pierre and Westfield, are taking part in their first senior-level camp for the USMNT.

    “When I look at the team that we’re going to put out on Saturday, we still have a ton of quality,” Richter said. “Of course we’re missing players, and some guys [who] haven’t gotten much minutes lately. But when I look at the group, you’re talking about putting in national team-level players; you’re talking about putting in players that have a pretty good track record in this league and other leagues. So … I step in with full confidence and the message is the same; we attack this game, trying to win.”

    With two pieces of the backline gone, two things remain to be seen: whether defender Nathan Harriel will shift into center of defense with the absence of Pierre, or remain an outside back. Also, it’s expected that with Pierre out, the team will see the return of Japhet Sery Larsen in the middle, but who pairs alongside Larsen is very much a wait-and-see.

    Union defender Nathan Harriel is a strong presence at both center or as an outside back for the club. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “We want to give the team consistency, that’s clear,” said Richter. “And one thing that we’re all confident in is that Nathan can do a great job at center back like he’s proven over the last couple of months. But as he’s proven over the last five years, he’s a great right back as well. So we’re totally confident in the group that we’re putting out there. And Nathan is going to be a key piece no matter what position he lines up in.”

    For all the hype, Cavan Sullivan has genuinely earned his moment on the USMNT’s biggest stage

    Offensively, much of the club’s firepower will be available this weekend, most notably forward Milan Iloski, who leads the team with 12 goals. The international window game also opens up an opportunity to see more of midfielder Quinn Sullivan, who has been electric off the bench following a long rehab from an ACL injury.

    Sullivan has started just one match in league play this season, but has contributed a goal and six assists in 11 matches, none more thrilling than his rabona pass for the game-tying goal in last week’s thriller on the road against Sporting Kansas City.

    Another player who the Union could certainly benefit from running back a breakthrough performance is forward Bruno Damiani. Damiani, who has eight goals on the year, five of which came in the last three matches including a hat trick in the club’s 5-0 rout of FC Cincinnati on Sept. 9, is someone who Richter felt was peaking at the right time.

    Now, it’s all about consistency.

    “He makes it a tough game for the center backs, and he gives us an outlet,” said Richter. “Any time we play direct, he’s the target. The main job of the striker is to score goals. And now he’s been doing all the other work. … But he can’t drop that. There will be a run where he doesn’t score again. That’s every player. That’s every striker, but as long as he keeps all the other good work that he’s doing [and] he continues to help the team in a really positive way … it’s incredibly important for the team.”

    Should they emerge with the result, the team will set a record for the longest unbeaten streak in club history at 12 straight. And while it appears that’s the last thing on Richter’s mind, it’s the reality the Union now inherits.

    Not a bad place to be, all things considered.

    MLS levies fines on Union, Sporting K.C.

    On Wednesday, MLS’s Disciplinary Committee issued fines to Damiani, Jean Jacques, Kai Wagner and athletic trainer Paul Rushing for their involvement in a scuffle as the two teams headed into the locker rooms at halftime of last Saturday’s 4-3 win over Sporting Kansas City. It marked the first time the Union had violated the league’s mass confrontation policy, which is surprising for those who remember the fracas that took place during the Union’s home match against Inter Miami on Aug. 19.

    Follow the Union’s complete coverage of Union soccer right here!
  • Reading Terminal Market reports nearly 6 million annual visitors, who spend $1.2 billion in Philly

    Reading Terminal Market reports nearly 6 million annual visitors, who spend $1.2 billion in Philly

    Nearly 6 million Reading Terminal Market visitors, a mix of locals and tourists, spent $1.2 billion in Philadelphia last year, according to a new study on the economic impact of the historic Center City market.

    It’s the first time the nonprofit Reading Terminal Market Corp. has commissioned such a report, and the stats solidify the market’s status as “a beloved civic institution, and a powerful and vital economic engine for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania,” said Annie Allman, CEO and general manager. With the report, Allman said she is encouraging “continued investment in the market, its merchants, and its infrastructure.”

    It highlighted the market’s importance to lower-income residents, with 18 Reading Terminal merchants accepting SNAP and EBT benefits. This accounts for about 55% of the Center City merchants who accept food-assistance programs, according to the report. Reading Terminal Market is considered the largest EBT- and SNAP- redemption location in Pennsylvania.

    “Every dollar spent here is a dollar invested in Philadelphia — in our merchants, our hospitality industry, our neighbors, and our future,” Allman said in a statement.

    The “Feeding the City, Fueling the Economy” report — released Tuesday and conducted by the Philadelphia firm Econsult Solutions at Reading Terminal Market Corp.’s request — found that the market has contributed about $126 million worth of annual economic activity to the city of Philadelphia and $146 million to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These figures include direct spending at the market’s more than 75 vendors, as well as the subsequent spending by those vendors and the employees they pay.

    Diners at the Reading Terminal Market in June.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    The study also cited national accolades, noting that Reading Terminal was recently named the No. 1 public market in America by USA Today travel experts.

    The new report found just over half of the market’s visitors last year, 3.1 million customers, were visitors staying overnight in the region, while the rest were Philly-area residents.

    Some Reading Terminal customers may have first heard of the market online, on a podcast, or on TV and streaming programs: The report found that Reading Terminal reached 10.8 billion people through these kinds of media mentions, equaling $81 million in “publicity value.”

    People enjoy the pop-up outdoor area on Filbert Street at Reading Terminal Market in July. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Between the market’s merchants and the corporation that runs it, Reading Terminal pays nearly 700 full-time-equivalent employees a combined $39 million a year, according to the report.

    And market partners spend about $6.1 million a year on capital improvements, which include mechanical, plumbing, and electrical upgrades, as well as larger undertakings like the 2022 Filbert Street Project that added 15,000 square feet of pedestrian-friendly outdoor space.

    Founded in 1893, Reading Terminal is one of the country’s oldest continuously operating markets. Spanning nearly 80,000 square feet along 12th Street, between Arch and Filbert Streets, the market sells everything from fresh produce and seafood to meats and homemade baked goods.

    At its quick-service restaurants, customers can find Caribbean cuisine, Asian street food, Filipino-fusion eats, Thai food, falafel, cheesesteaks, and vegan bites.

    Allman, CEO and general manager, said 2026 “brought unprecedented global attention” to Philadelphia. This summer, the city hosted the World Cup, America’s 250th birthday celebrations, and the MLB All-Star Game. Any economic impact those events had on Reading Terminal Market, however, would be reflected in next year’s report.

    Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that $1.2 billion is the estimated total spend by Reading Terminal Market visitors in Philadelphia, not in the market alone. It also reflects how much market partners spent on capital improvements.

  • SEPTA had ‘better-than-expected financial performance’ this year

    SEPTA had ‘better-than-expected financial performance’ this year

    Moody’s Ratings has upgraded SEPTA’s outlook to stable from negative, one year after the transit authority was cutting service to help close a budget deficit and paying for emergency safety inspections and repairs for 223 decades-old Regional Rail cars.

    The revised outlook “reflects SEPTA’s better-than-expected financial performance” in fiscal 2026 that leaves it with enough liquidity to pay the bills while continuing to try to solve a structural budget gap, Moody’s said in an Aug. 28 statement.

    “Our hope is that this external validation supports the message we want to send to our stakeholders in Harrisburg that SEPTA is a sound investment and that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” assistant treasurer Michael Kendall said in an interview.

    At this time last year, Harrisburg lawmakers and the Shapiro administration had failed for the third straight year to agree on a steady source of new state funding for SEPTA and other transit agencies. Moody’s also downgraded the authority’s fiscal outlook to negative.

    In early September 2025, PennDot redirected $394 million in state capital assistance funds to help cover two years of operating expenses. Later, Gov. Josh Shapiro sent an additional $219.9 million for safety and urgent repairs on both the Regional Rail cars and the trolley tunnel in Center City.

    SEPTA managers pivoted to an increased focus on controlling costs, finding new revenue from advertising, parking, and real estate, and service improvements, Kendall said.

    The transit agency says it has found about $30 million in annual savings, as well as increased income from advertising, parking, and real estate. Ridership remained steady and spiked during the summer’s World Cup games, celebrations of America’s 250th birthday, and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

    Overall, SEPTA says its structural budget deficit dropped from $213 million a year to $192 million.

    The credit rating for authority bonds remains good, as they are backed by reliable federal and state income streams, not passenger revenue, which can fluctuate.

    SEPTA has a $501 million bond for asset improvement and a $42 million bond in the Public Transportation Assistance Fund. Moody’s gave both one of its highest ratings, Aa3. Moody’s also affirmed the A3 ratings on the authority’s $138 million in bonds issued against federal capital grants it has been awarded.

    Still, Moody’s warned, “over the long-term, SEPTA’s sizable structural budget gap will be difficult to resolve without further financial support from the commonwealth or significant adjustments to operations.”

  • What Philly got out of the World Cup, the nation’s 250th, and the MLB All-Star Game

    What Philly got out of the World Cup, the nation’s 250th, and the MLB All-Star Game

    As the afterglow of the world’s largest sports tournament and the country’s formal 250th birthday party in Philadelphia fades, the city is returning to its regularly scheduled programming.

    But those months of celebrations came with significant investments into the city: building up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, hosting Grammy Award-winning stars, renovating Lemon Hill to welcome half a million people, and, of course, the cleaning and maintenance work that made Philadelphia look fresher than it has in years.

    SEPTA and the city partnered to landscape and beautify major traffic intersections, sometimes with a new mural provided by Mural Arts Philadelphia. SEPTA stations also received a much-needed deep clean and graffiti removal, all before and during the summer celebrations.

    PHLASH buses got an extra stop to get to Lemon Hill; fans got free rides on the Broad Street Line after World Cup games. And, just as the international fans packed up their bags to head home, it’s time for many of those features to go, too.

    But Philadelphia has taken steps to keep things looking pretty for the long term, beginning with the city’s $11.5 million landscaping and anti-graffiti project focused on transportation “gateways” that it has pledged to continue and expand beyond the summer. The city also added 250 cherry blossom trees throughout Fairmount Park and elsewhere, in a project led by the Japan Society of Greater Philadelphia that honored the original 1,600 cherry blossoms Japan gifted Philly for the Sesquicentennial in 1926.

    But what about all the things staying in Philly? The city is not getting just generational memories and a summer party out of the deal. Here are some of the major legacy projects remaining in Philadelphia for years to come, perhaps even until the tercentennial celebration in 2076.

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    New mini soccer pitches across Pennsylvania

    Location: Throughout Pennsylvania.

    The project: How does the United States grow the next crop of elite soccer players? By making it easier to play soccer starting at a young age. At least 13 mini soccer pitches are being installed at schools, recreation centers, and parks across Pennsylvania.

    The U.S. Soccer Foundation has committed $2 million to install mini-soccer fields like this one in Northeast Philadelphia ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Kerith Gabriel

    Who is behind it: The city and several nonprofits and private companies are backing this initiative, mostly through a $2 million investment from Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the city’s host committee for the 2026 men’s World Cup. Additional backers include the Philadelphia School District, Independence Blue Cross, and Comcast, among others. The U.S. Soccer Foundation is administering the funds and overseeing the installation of the pitches.

    Bank of America Visa Street Soccer Park

    Location: 1036 N. Front St.

    The project: The transformation of Fishtown’s TipTop Playground into two mini, enclosed turf soccer pitches, with additional event space and field lighting for night play. The pitches are now open for kids and adults.

    • Fishtown’s street soccer park will host leagues, free training clinics, and youth soccer programs. Casual pickup soccer is available outside of scheduled programming, led by Street Soccer USA, the organization that helps run such soccer parks across the country.
    • Keep up to date on programming at instagram.com/streetsoccerphila.

    Who is behind it: You guessed it: Bank of America and Visa. Street Soccer USA will run programming at the park in collaboration with local groups.

    Lemon Hill Park

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino, center, will visit Lemon Hill Park on Thursday, April 10 for an operational planning tour of Philadelphia Soccer 2026’s FIFA Fan Festival siteJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Location: Sedgley Drive and North Lemon Hill Drive.

    The project: Lemon Hill Park received some updates ahead of hosting the official FIFA Fan Festival, and is now getting a much-needed makeover after 39 days of World Cup festivities. The restoration of the grass is underway, with more permanent amenities soon to be constructed.

    • Some upgrades are complete:
    • Other upgrades are coming soon:

    Who is behind it: Philadelphia Soccer 2026 is committing $4 million to park upgrades, with help from the city, to repair the grass fields, bring new modern amenities to parts of the park, and outfit the space with new electrical service, provided by Peco, to prepare for future large events.

    FDR Park’s Ashburn Field

    The MLB is renovating Ashburn Field in FDR Park, a city field managed and maintained by the Phillies that hosts a variety of youth baseball programs.Colin Evans / For The Inquirer

    Location: 1500 Pattison Ave.

    The project: Ashburn Field at FDR Park has been resurfaced with a new turf field, meant to better handle wet weather conditions. The 135,000-square-foot field was built in 1998, using funds generated from the 1996 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

    Who is behind it: Major League Baseball and the Phillies, as part of a combined investment of more than $5 million in various projects tied to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, including revitalizing the Negro Leagues Memorial Park and mural at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue in West Philly.

    Independence National Historical Park

    The rotunda inside the First Bank of the United States is pictured on Monday, June 29, 2026 in Philadelphia.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer

    Location: 599 Market St.

    The project: Several improvements have already come to Independence National Historical Park and Independence Mall to commemorate the nation’s Semiquincentennial, and more are on the way. They include:

    • A $3.9 million “Join or Die” sculpture on Independence Mall, inspired by the truncated snake in Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon of the same name. The 46-foot-long granite work is expected to be unveiled this fall.
    • Beautification and horticultural work. This includes work at the Benjamin Rush Garden at Third and Walnut Streets, which showcases the 1976 Bicentennial Bell, a 10-ton Liberty Bell replica gifted by Queen Elizabeth II.
    • The reopening of the First Bank of the United States, on Third Street between Walnut and Chestnut Streets. The bank had been closed for 50 years but is now open for visitors thanks to a $43 million renovation.

    Who is behind it: Independence Historical Trust, the city, the state, private foundations, philanthropists, and legacy groups.

    Germantown Historical Society Visitor Center

    Location: 5501 Germantown Ave.

    Tuomi Forrest, executive director at the Germantown Historical Society, and Kaila Temple, curator of collections at GHS, at the Germantown Historical Society building located at 5501 Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia, July 21, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    The project: The Germantown Historical Society has its first visitors center, thanks to a $100,000 renovation of a section of its headquarters. It is modest but will host rotating exhibits, maps and pamphlets, and a gift shop.

    Historic Germantown consists of various landmarks and attractions in Northwest Philly, including the Aces Veterans Museum, Awbury Arboretum, and the Germantown White House, where George Washington once lived.

    Who is behind it: The Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, a philanthropic group organized by the Connelly Foundation that donated to many initiatives and projects related to the 250th anniversary celebration.

  • Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium will host the 2027 women’s World Cup final

    Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium will host the 2027 women’s World Cup final

    RIO DE JANEIRO — Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will host the opening match and the final of the women’s World Cup next year, FIFA announced Thursday.

    Brazil is the first South American nation to host the tournament and will play in the opener on June 24 against a to-be-determined opponent in the 73,000 seat Maracanã, which also hosted the 2014 men’s World Cup final.

    The hosts also will play in São Paulo and Brasília during the group phase of the 32-team competition spread across eight Brazilian cities.

    The final is July 25.

    The USWNT will play reigning World Cup champion Spain at Subaru Park in October

    The Maracanã is one of soccer’s most iconic venues, having hosted the decisive match of the 1950 men’s World Cup, with Uruguay crowned champions after beating the hosts, 2-1. In the final of the 2014 edition, Germany lifted its fourth title after a 1-0 extra-time win against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

    So far, only Sweden’s Rasunda Stadium and California’s Rose Bowl have hosted both the men’s and women’s World Cup finals.

    Spain is the defending champion. Brazil has never won the title.

  • As Lemon Hill Park restoration begins after FIFA Fan Festival, park caretakers doubt long-term city support

    As Lemon Hill Park restoration begins after FIFA Fan Festival, park caretakers doubt long-term city support

    The marred fields of Lemon Hill Park are the remaining signs of the longest summer party the city has ever seen. Half a million people gathered in the park for 39 days straight, dancing to the All-American Rejects, cheering on World Cup matches, and sharing meals on blankets across more than a million square feet of the Fairmount park.

    The FIFA Fan Festival, by most accounts from the city, tourists, and residents, was a resounding success, offering a premium World Cup experience at a sliver of the cost of attending a game. Philly’s fan experience was considered one of the most affordable and popular in the country.

    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 June 11.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Now that the party is wrapped, the caretakers of Lemon Hill and nearby residents are hoping the city makes good on a promise to restore the park to its former glory, if not better.

    Philadelphia Soccer 2026, organizer of the FIFA Fan Festival, committed $4 million to park upgrades, from new picnic pavilions and a playground to safer sidewalks and traffic-calming measures at intersections. Additional funding will come from the city, but when asked, a city spokesperson declined to reveal the total budget and said more details will come during a groundbreaking celebration in September.

    The city gathered input from the community across nine public engagement sessions beginning in 2024 that netted 350 comments from 200 participants that helped shape which improvements would be prioritized.

    While residents and caretakers welcome park improvements, it is not lost on them that financial backing comes only after large companies use the space, though locals have been requesting help for years, said Shaun Cerborino, a co-organizer of Lemon Hill’s volunteer parks group. What’s more, without long-term maintenance funding, the upkeep of the park and its new upgrades will fall to caretakers once again.

    Large grass-less sections remain following FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on July 28. Fan Fest wrapped up on July 19.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Deferred maintenance billed as ‘legacy projects’

    A month after the World Cup ended, the largest Lemon Hill field that staged the festival is still mostly filled with dirt, patches of wilting grass, and the occasional leftover screw and other small construction waste. The city began aerating and preparing the soil for regrowth in July.

    The grass will grow back, said Cerborino and Nissa Eisenberg, Fairmount residents and co-organizers of the Lemon Hill Neighbors Association, which provides regular volunteer maintenance to the park. But what caretakers truly are concerned about is long-term support after the city finishes its upgrades months from now.

    Additionally, many of the improvements considered legacy projects are really “deferred maintenance” that had been requested for years, and came about only when corporations needed to use the park, Cerborino said.

    Large grass-less sections remain following FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on July 28. Fan Fest wrapped up on July 19.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    “Instead of properly funding Parks and Recreation, the city looks toward private ventures to help keep the lights on and generate enough money to maintain — which we’re barely doing anyway,” Cerborino said.

    In Philadelphia, there is no dedicated budget for parks and open space; instead, the city and volunteers rely on the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation budget to maintain parks. They also look to grants, private nonprofits, and thousands of volunteers who weed, fix, and maintain trails and park space as part of “Friends” groups. Philadelphia relies on volunteers at more than twice the national average.

    Since taking office, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has raised the parks and recreation department’s budget each year, doubling its spending from $53 per resident on parks in 2024 to $110 per resident in 2026. And while 97% of Philadelphians can walk 10 minutes and find a park, far exceeding the national average, Philadelphia still spends about half as much on its parks as the national average, according to the Trust for Public Land.

    Improvements like upgraded sidewalks, lighting, signage, and recreation areas are standards that should already be met by the city, which is home to some of the highest-ranked parks in the country, Cerborino said.

    Small holes line sections of the park, possibly following aeration, after FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on July 28. Fan Fest wrapped up on July 19.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Residents may have their park back, but restoration is far from over

    Fairmount residents are all but back to their usual park routines after the festival equipment was removed, but they say it is still a long way before Lemon Hill is back to normal.

    Last month, Samantha Tartaglino was walking her German shepherd, Marley, through the flattened fields. Marley sprinted through swaths of dead, brown grass, unfazed by the patches. Tartaglino said Marley was just happy to be back in wide-open spaces, as the dog had to make do with a smaller park nearby for weeks.

    Lemon Hill’s open fields are a key reason for why many move to this part of Fairmount, Tartaglino said, but even before the fan festival, residents felt the park was not being supported to its fullest potential.

    “I feel like FIFA and World Cup put the city under pressure and kicked them into gear,” Tartaglino said.

    The city has already put into place many of its legacy commitments, like new ADA-compliant sidewalks and ramps along Sedgley Drive, traffic-calming measures at the intersection of Sedgley and Poplar Drives, and additional lighting fixtures.

    But the community’s request for permanent bathrooms, water fountains, and portable water stations has gone unanswered, Eisenberg said. The city says those things can happen only if there is an on-site park staffer due to concerns about maintenance and vandalism.

    A project with a longer timeline will be a new 43,500-square-foot playground, with construction expected to stretch into April 2027, according to Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and the city. And while construction is underway, the playground and basketball courts will be closed.

    Eisenberg lamented that. What was once presented as a plan for residents to give up park space for two months during the World Cup will now last much longer, she said, as grass fields will need to grow back and other amenities are closed for renovation.

    “The basketball court is one of the most heavily used assets of the park, but they’re planning to use the court as a staging area for the construction,” Eisenberg said. “Which I get because it’s conveniently located, but you just put on this multimillion-dollar event; I’m sure you can find another area to stage construction materials so that at least the basketball court isn’t offline all winter.”

    City officials say the plan is worth the wait.

    “We expect the legacy improvements to be completed next spring and are excited for neighbors and future visitors to enjoy a renewed Lemon Hill … that builds on the excitement of this summer while serving Philadelphians for years to come,” a city spokesperson said.

    The playground and basketball courts at Lemon Hill Park in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia. Since the 2026 World Cup has ended and the FIFA Fan Festival staged at the park has left, restoration efforts are underway with funding from various private and public stakeholders.Henry Savage / Staff

    Lack of long-term maintenance funding

    While projects such as renovating the playgrounds, basketball courts, and baseball fields are welcome, the Lemon Hill Neighbors Association fears that once city crews finish the work, the caretakers will be right back where they started — working off “love and duct tape” with little financial support.

    This means park improvements come only after long periods of push and pull between Philadelphia Parks and Recreation staffers and volunteer park caretakers, leaving long-term maintenance to fall to volunteer groups that dedicate their time and money to keeping parks usable.

    “We understand that a lot of times Parks and Recreation is understaffed or underfunded, but then that means we’re going to have to pick up that role,” Eisenberg said. “We need help, and the Parks and Recreation budget needs to reflect it.”

    Earlier this week, Temple graduate student Kyle McCurly was lounging in the undamaged grass surrounding the large field that just housed the festival. Having grown up in rural Georgia and recently back from a trip to Austin, Texas, McCurly said Philly’s parks could be so much more with long-term maintenance, and not just at Lemon Hill. He noted that Austin invests twice as much money as Philadelphia does in its parks per resident, according to the Trust for Public Land.

    “Everyone’s going to have different opinions on how the funding itself is created,” McCurly said. “But I think that it’s worth consistent investment to make green spaces more accessible and enjoyable in the city.”

  • Nanny arrested by ICE at Philly airport released

    Nanny arrested by ICE at Philly airport released

    A South Philadelphia babysitter, originally from Argentina, was released from ICE detention Monday after being arrested at Philadelphia International Airport last month.

    Iliana Lick’s arrest made national headlines as the Trump administration steps up efforts to increase immigration enforcement at American airports.

    ICE arrests surge at Philly airport, including those of a babysitter and a senior citizen

    Lick, 30, had been in Philadelphia since September 2024. She had a valid work authorization and a pending asylum application, but had overstayed her visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. She was arrested as she headed to Kansas City to watch Argentina play in the World Cup, transported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico instead.

    “After nearly a month in custody, countless phone calls, legal proceedings, and several transfers across different states, this is a moment we have been praying and hoping for,” her boyfriend, Steven Melchiorre, 35, wrote in an update to supporters on Facebook and a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $18,000 for legal fees.

    Though Lick’s release is a victory, the fight to stay in the country is far from over.

    As a condition of her release on $10,000 bond, Lick had to surrender her passport and has to wear an ankle monitor.

    Immigration advocates keeping track of those being arrested at the Philadelphia airport have said at least 10 people have been detained since mid-July. Of those, Lick is only the second to be released from custody.

    Immigration advocate Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United, said the release of people arrested by ICE, whether at airports or during immigration check-ins, can be a crapshoot.

    “You need like a CNN story and so many news articles, so much fundraising, all of that,” Chang said. “The vast majority of people can’t access that. They don’t get coverage, and that’s what the Trump administration is counting on.”

    The Inquirer wrote about Lick’s case, and her story was most recently featured on CNN.

    For its part, the Department of Homeland Security has said it is making sure undocumented immigrants are flying only to self-deport, offering them a $2,600 payment and a free flight home as an alternative to detention.

    A New York Times report found instances of immigration arrests in at least 15 airports, with many of the cases getting follow-ups in local media markets.

    Britni Zahodnick, who with her husband, Zane Schultz, has employed Lick as a babysitter for their two young children, ages 4 and 1, for more than a year, said she is grateful for the media attention.

    When Zahodnick first learned of the arrest, she said, she was not seeing people talking about the issue on social media platforms. That changed in recent weeks.

    In Philadelphia, people have rallied behind Lick, she said.

    Donations have helped her to retain counsel, post bond, and pay for transportation back to her South Philly home.

    Zahodnick hopes attention to cases like Lick’s highlights how immigration enforcement is affecting people who have deep roots within their communities.

    “A lot of the campaigning on this increased enforcement of immigration was really around criminals, and it just hasn’t panned out that way,” she said.

  • U.S. Soccer finally puts its foot down on the Gianni Infantino FIFA scandal, demands ‘meaningful change’

    U.S. Soccer finally puts its foot down on the Gianni Infantino FIFA scandal, demands ‘meaningful change’

    As the scandal around FIFA president Gianni Infantino continues to upend the soccer world, the U.S. Soccer Federation has finally offered the kind of strong words that fans have been waiting for.

    In a joint statement Monday with Canada Soccer and regional entities in Central America and the Caribbean, U.S. Soccer said they all “stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability.”

    It wasn’t a direct call for Infantino’s head, but it was as close as one could come politely. And it came on the heels of another fiery statement from Concacaf early Monday morning, this time offered jointly with the Asian and European confederations.

    “When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,” the statement said.

    Concacaf president Victor Montagliani (second from left) with Asian soccer leader Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa (center) and FIFA president Gianni Infantino (right) at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver in April.Verity Griffin

    While Infantino again was not named directly, the words were clearly aimed at him. One source with knowledge of the matter framed the statement in the political terms of an invitation to resign peacefully before things get any hotter.

    The statement was notably signed not just by the confederations, but with the names of all three bodies’ presidents and general secretaries. That will sting Infantino’s pride, as the three regional presidents are also FIFA vice presidents: Concacaf’s Victor Montagliani of Canada, Asia’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa of Bahrain, and Europe’s Aleksander Čeferin of Slovenia.

    Concacaf and UEFA step up attacks on Gianni Infantino, call for a ‘comprehensive reckoning’ with FIFA president

    They took further aim at Infantino’s desire to privatize the World Cup by creating a company within FIFA — a non-profit — and selling shares to investors including Josh Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared.

    FIFA has said it is no longer considering the plan, but critics aren’t satisfied yet.

    UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin (left) with Gianni Infantino at a game in 2024.Matthias Schrader

    “It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong,” Monday’s statement said. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.”

    The statement also pointed at Infantino’s crisis meeting at FIFA’s satellite office in Rabat, Morocco, last Wednesday — instead of the real headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland — and how no members of FIFA’s official governing council were invited to attend.

    Europe maintains World Cup boycott threat after Gianni Infantino’s FIFA crisis meeting

    Instead, there were just a few members of FIFA’s “Management Committee,” an entity few people even knew existed before now. Some of those members who did not attend included chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who a few days before then slammed Infantino in a statement by saying the president “deceived” FIFA staff, “and if that means I lose my job, then so be it.”

    FIFA’s chief football officer, former U.S. women’s national team coach Jill Ellis, also was not at that meeting. Nor was another coaching legend who’s now a FIFA executive, Arsène Wenger, who had said it was “absolutely necessary” to ditch the privatization idea.

    Jill Ellis (top row, center) in Gianni Infantino’s suite at the U.S.-Belgium World Cup game with other big names including longtime U.S. star Alex Morgan (top left) and U.S. Soccer president Cindy Cone (bottom left).Nick Didlick

    But while much of the world has turned against Infantino, it’s far from unanimous. The South American and African confederations have given him strong backing.

    There also is not unanimity within Concacaf. Mexico’s federation publicly backed Infantino on Friday, which raised a lot of eyebrows.

    For Cherry Hill native Larry Berg, a life in soccer became ‘a calling’ in quest to be MLS commissioner

    Still, the signers of Monday’s statement cover the entire rest of Concacaf: the U.S., Canada, the 31 members of the Caribbean Football Union, and the seven in the Central American Football Union.

    A source with knowledge of the matter said Mexico is allowed to have its own opinion, but currently stands alone within the region.

    There are still lots of questions about the whole situation, and a long way to go for everything to play out. For now, though, it’s safe to say two issues stand above the rest.

    The first is whether, if Infantino doesn’t resign, someone will run against him for the presidency next year. Montagliani has been floated as a candidate, but he hasn’t yet said if he’s going to do it. A candidate must have five nominations from FIFA member nations, and the deadline is Nov. 18.

    Mauricio Pochettino stays on as USMNT manager, and promises things won’t stay the same

    Coincidentally, that’s five days before the long-planned FIFA Congress to confirm the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica as hosts of the 2031 women’s World Cup. It will be interesting to see how that goes, especially if Montagliani is in the race.

    The second question could require an answer soonest. UEFA is still threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions. It said last Thursday that “assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” and those haven’t come.

    Mexican soccer federation president Mikel Arriola (left) with his counterparts from Jamaica, Costa Rica, and the U.S. at last year’s announcement of their joint bid to host the 2031 women’s World Cup.Ron Blum

    That puts next month’s under-20 World Cup in Poland in the spotlight. Right now, Concacaf is not threatening to join the boycott threat. But since the tournament will take place in Europe, fans will naturally wonder if Poland will refuse not only to play in it, but to host it.

    None of the sources The Inquirer has spoken with have wished that on the players, but there’s a widespread understanding that it might have to happen in order to keep hitting Infantino hard.

    There have also been questions behind the scenes about whether Concacaf, UEFA, and the AFC could organize something among themselves, but the discussions have been very preliminary.

    Here’s how Mauricio Pochettino will start his second term with the USMNT
  • ICE arrests surge at Philly airport, including those of a babysitter and a senior citizen

    ICE arrests surge at Philly airport, including those of a babysitter and a senior citizen

    Immigration advocates say at least 10 people have been arrested by ICE at Philadelphia International Airport since July 12, including a 68-year-old grandmother and the young babysitter of three children.

    That comes amid a nationwide push by the Trump administration to increase arrests at American airports, spurring immigration attorneys to warn noncitizens with limited documentation that travel has become risky, including for those with valid work permits or pending applications for relief.

    “People might not think Philly is being targeted, but we are,” said Vivian Chang, executive director of Asian Americans United, an advocacy group. “They’re trying to threaten people, trying to intimidate them — you can’t work freely, you can’t travel freely, you can’t fly.”

    She said the arrests in Philadelphia include three people originally from Indonesia and others from India, Ukraine, China, Chile, and Argentina. Another person, a religious leader, was briefly taken into custody and released, she said.

    Chang described the arrests in Philadelphia as especially troubling because the airport is owned and operated by the city.

    She questioned why that property would not be subject to Philadelphia’s recent “ICE Out” legislation, which bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting operations on city-owned lands and bans access to city-owned spaces, absent a judicial warrant.

    Steve Papelian, 73, drove more than an hour from Nazareth, Pa. to the Philadelphia International Airport to protest the deployment of ICE agents to international airports across the U.S. on March 24. The former school teacher believes that ICE should target criminal activity, not “moms and pops with kids,” he said.Henry Savage / Staff

    Sam Scavuzzo, chief of staff for the city law department, said in a statement that “federal law enforcement access to particular areas of the airport is governed by federal law.”

    A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said airport arrests are occurring because the Trump administration “reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country.”

    “Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this. This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport.”

    The department said “being in detention is a choice,” and the federal government is offering people who are here without permission a $2,600 payment and a free flight home.

    Self-deportation can preserve the right to later come back to the U.S., absent the penalties that accompany a government deportation.

    DHS said people who do not leave voluntarily “will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

    On July 11, what started out as a fun soccer trip for a South Philadelphia babysitter ended with her being arrested and ultimately moved across the country to an ICE detention center in New Mexico.

    Steven Melchiorre, 35, a health worker, said that at 7 a.m. that day he dropped off his girlfriend, Iliana Lick, 30, to fly to Kansas City. Originally from Buenos Aires, she planned to see the Argentina national team play in the World Cup.

    On July 11, what started out as a fun soccer trip for a Philadelphia babysitter ended with her being arrested and ultimately moved across the country to an ICE detention center in New Mexico. Iliana Lick legally entered the U.S. in 2023, though her visa later expired. She cares for the children of two South Philadelphia families.Courtesy of Steven Melchiorre

    She texted Melchiorre from inside the airport to say the line was short, then did not answer his reply.

    After a while, he said, Lick phoned, crying, to say she had been arrested by ICE. She was moved from Philadelphia to the Cambria County prison, which holds prisoners for the agency in south-central Pennsylvania, and in the following days was transferred to ICE facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico.

    Late Friday afternoon, an immigration judge in New Mexico set bond for Lick at $10,000, according to her boyfriend. He immediately began working to post that bond and bring her home. It was not clear how quickly Lick might be released.

    DHS said Lick was arrested during a targeted operation, having overstayed her visa.

    The department noted that work authorization or a pending application for immigration relief, both of which Lick has, do not confer legal status to be in the United States.

    ICE began to deploy agents at U.S. airports in March, and the move was announced as a way to assist at checkpoint lines during a partial government shutdown.

    The deployment quickly proved controversial, as travelers and labor unions objected, saying the agents were intimidating and lacked aviation training.

    A group of federal immigration officers walk through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on March 23, 2026. From large cities like Chicago and Las Vegas to small suburbs outside Milwaukee and San Antonio, immigrants have been picked up and detained at courthouses, ICE check-ins and traffic stops, with daily arrests doubling in the last week of June and continuing to climb.JAMIE KELTER DAVIS

    Airports rank among the most sensitive public spaces in the country, traversed by millions of people, including U.S. citizens, noncitizens, and mixed-status families, California immigration lawyer Andrew Neitor wrote for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a legal group.

    The introduction of ICE agents, he said, blurs critical lines between airport security and immigration enforcement, around what authority is being exercised and by whom, and over the legal protections due to people who may be arrested.

    “ICE was not intended to be omnipresent in daily civic life,” Neitor said. “Yet its footprint has expanded from courthouses to neighborhoods, workplaces, and even parking lots, shifting from targeted enforcement to visible, normalized presence.”

    Last year, the Transportation Security Administration and ICE signed a memorandum of agreement that outlined how ICE would share information with TSA to identify people in whom ICE was interested, according to the memo, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the watchdog group American Oversight. The agreement said sharing the data would enhance national security, transportation safety, and immigration management.

    On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan introduced a bill, the No TSA Data for ICE Act, that would bar the agencies from coordinating to conduct what her office called “a dramatic violation of privacy rights.”

    The bill would ban TSA from sharing passenger names, birth dates, and other data that enable ICE to target immigrants who are in the process of changing status, including those awaiting visa extensions or who recently married U.S. citizens.

    “TSA is readily offering up our immigrant residents to suffer at the hands of ICE agents so they can fulfill their daily arrest quota,” Tlaib said in a statement. “Immigrants should be able to safely fly in this country without the fear of arrest or deportation.”

    Today ICE is making record numbers of arrests across the country, not only at airports but also at places that were once considered off-limits, including routine immigration check-ins.

    A hat belonging to Iliana Lick sits on a table in the home she shares with her partner, Steven Melchiorre, in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Lick has remained in ICE custody since her detention at Philadelphia International Airport on July 11, 2026.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer

    In June in Philadelphia, a 36-year-old survivor of slavery who had fled Mauritania, a mostly desert land in West Africa, filed suit in federal court over the issue. He accused ICE of having unlawfully rescinded a policy that generally allowed immigrants to pursue their cases without fear of arrest.

    Nationally, the rate of ICE arrests topped 1,300 a day in June, and grew again to a record 1,474 a day during the first 11 days of July, Syracuse University professor and immigration-data analyst Austin Kocher reported.

    Some of those being arrested at airports had legally entered the United States, then stayed after their visas expired. That includes some, like Lick, who were seeking to legally change their immigration status while in the U.S.

    Lick, now of Point Breeze, legally entered the country in 2023. She held and extended a visa, and holds work authorization and a REAL ID driver’s license, her boyfriend said. She was trying to adjust her status before her visa expired and continued to do so afterward, Melchiorre said.

    Lick works taking care of three children for two South Philadelphia families.

    Britni Zahodnick and her husband, Zane Schultz, have employed Lick as a babysitter for their two young children, ages 4 and 1, for more than a year. They described her as soft-spoken, kind, attentive, funny, thoughtful, and a good listener.

    “She was very quickly thought of as family,” Schultz said.

    Trust does not come easily for any parent preparing to place their children in another’s hands, but Lick won theirs, the couple said.

    “All the things you would look for in a caretaker for your kids,” Zahodnick said.

    Illiana Lick with partner Steven Melchiorre in New York City. On July 11, what started out as a fun soccer trip for a Philadelphia babysitter ended with her being arrested and ultimately moved across the country to an ICE detention center in New Mexico. Iliana Lick legally entered the U.S. in 2023, though her visa later expired. She cares for the children of two South Philadelphia families.Courtesy of Steven Melchiorre

    Melchiorre acknowledged that ICE had legal authority to detain Lick. He said people should follow immigration laws — but the couple thought Lick was doing so. They did not know domestic flights were in question, having flown in the past without incident.

    Melchiorre has started a support group on Facebook and a GoFundMe page that has so far raised nearly $17,000. All funds will be used for Lick’s immigration case.

    Melchiorre said he was surprised and frustrated by her arrest, “because Iliana has not committed any crime, hasn’t missed any fees, hasn’t missed any court dates. She wasn’t trying to dodge immigration. Being detained, it’s similar to how criminals are treated.”