Who are they?
Philadelphia Union, or the U, are in their sixth season in MLS.
Sons Of Ben
The club owes its very existence in no small part to the formation of the Son of Ben, an independent supporters group formed in 2007, attracting thousands of members years before a ball was kicked. Their constant lobbying and push for an MLS franchise was instrumental to the formation of the Union, and is a great example of the power of strong grass roots movement.
It’s not the first team in Philadelphia though…
Who can forget Bethlehem Steel FC, one of the most successful clubs in US history. The club, formed from workers of the steel factory of the same name, won the US Open Cup a record five times between 1911 and 1930 (a record that stands to this day). The Union paid tribute to the Steele with this retro jersey in 2013, even convincing the club’s sponsor Bimbo to use a retro logo on the front.
What have they won?
Nothing, really. They finished as runners up in last years US Open Cup competition, but have yet to put their name on any major silverware, making the playoffs only once, in 2011.
What about the Disney Pro Soccer Classic?
Appeared in both the 2013 and 14 editions of everyone’s favorite cult pre-season tournament, posting draws against Orlando City on both occasions. No trophy though.
Last year...
They finished sixth, with head coach John Hackworth dismissed halfway through the season with assistant coach Jim Curtin stepping in with the dreaded “interim” tag. He couldn’t quite rally the Union to the playoff spots, finishing in 6th, five points behind Sporting KC, but he did lead them to the Open Cup final, and impressed enough to be given the job full time
This year...
There was a relatively quiet offseason for the Union, Curtin believing that the squad he had would be enough to push on. That hasn’t really been the case, taking only one win from their first 11 games, and arriving in Florida on the back of a three game losing streak.
Star player
Sebastien Le Toux has been the rock for the Union for years, proving their most potent goalscoring threat and finishing as top scorer from a wide position in three of the Union’s first five season. Fernando Aristeguieta and CJ Sapong were both new additions this year in an attempt to ease some of the pressure on Le Toux. Sapong in particular has done well, finally coming out of the shadow of Dom Dwyer at Sporting to find the net 7 times so far this season.
Played for Both
CJ Sapong has made several starts for Orlando City when on loan from Kansas City in the USL PRO days, going the other way both Pedro Ribeiro and the recently departed Amobi Okugo both made their starts at the Union.
Supporters?
The Union regularly fill PPL Park, which hold about 18,500 fans. SoB has over 5,000 registered members, and one of the largest philanthropic programs of any supporters group in the country.
Hugh Jackman
Wolverine himself is a fan. Who would have thought it.
Doop?
Indeed. Philadelphia’s goal celebration consists of them jumping up and down yelling doop like crazed eastern European technopop junkies. But whatever floats your boat.
