Hey Philly! We know you love your soccer and you’ve got to be excited for the Philadelphia Union entering the MLS in 2010 . We’re new to the area so this page is a little sparse but check back soon as we add more great content to help you find the best places to watch soccer in Philly.
Where to Watch Soccer in Philadelphia
Dark Horse Pub (was Dickens Inn)
421 South Second Street
(215) 928-9307
Fado Irish Pub
1500 Locust Street
(215) 893-9700
La Esmeralda
4505 Torresdale Avenue
(215) 743-6355
O’Neal’s Pub
Third and South Streets
(215) 574-9495
Tir Na Nog
1600 Arch Street
(267) 514-1700
Watching Soccer in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is an historic city located on the eastern seaboard of the United States, midway between New York City and Washington, DC. Philadelphia is the 4th largest city in the US. It is home to nearly 6 million people, and is the hub of the tri-state area of southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.
Philadelphia is known by many names – the “City of Brotherly Love”, “Birthplace of America”, and the place that booed Santa Claus. Residents tend to be hard working, loyal to their city, and enthusiastic about all things Philadelphia. Earliest Philadelphia was founded by William Penn, who designed the streets in an orderly grid, starting at the Delaware River and working west.
From the start, Philadelphia played an integral part in the foundation of America. Philadelphia was host to the first Continental Congress, and the nation’s first official capital. Philadelphia was also the home of Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, the Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty Bell.
Philadelphia is also at the forefront of academic and cultural life. The world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra has a brand new home at the Kimmel Center for the Arts. The Kimmel Center is located downtown on the Academy of the Arts. Nearby is its former home, the Academy of Music. The Academy still houses many events and groups such as the Opera Company of Philadelphia. World famous art exhibits are housed at the Philadelphia Art Museum (for those that remember the movie “Rocky”, it is those steps that the Rocky character runs up and raises his arms in triumph). Philadelphia hosts many other museums, including the Franklin Institute (science and technology), Mutter Museum (medicine), Mummers Museum (an experience unique to Philadelphia), Rodin Museum (art and sculpture), and the “Please Touch” Museum (hands on for the kids). Academically speaking, Philadelphia hosts over 30 colleges and universities.
Located across much of western and northwestern Philadelphia lies Fairmount Park, the largest city park in the country. Fairmount Park is home of much of Philadelphia’s recreational sporting life and cultural activities. Within Fairmount Park are many of the buildings which were erected for America’s Centennial celebration in 1876, as well as the Philadelphia Zoo, the Mann Music Center, and hundreds of picnic areas and ball fields. For those that wish to escape the city proper and investigate the surrounding region, across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey are the New Jersey State Aquarium and the Tweeter Center, a semi-enclosed concert stage. Within 2 hours travel time are mountains (Poconos), ocean (New Jersey shore), history (Valley Forge) and gambling and entertainment (Atlantic City).
Among the many regional treats are Philadelphia’s unique approaches to food. Philadelphia’s most famous food is the cheesesteak, a collection of thinly sliced meat, fried and served on a fresh long roll. It comes with cheese, fried onions, and sauce. When you go into a deli, you’ll want to ask for a hoagie, rather than a sub or grinder. In this area, a grinder is a hoagie that’s served warm.
Whenever Philadelphians travel – or when mayors bet other mayors on the outcome of events like playoff games, they often include bakery items from Tastycake. Krimpets (butterscotch or jelly), cupcakes and so on are considered dietary staples. When Philadelphians are looking for a snack food, they’ll often grab a large pretzel. Don’t even think about eating one without first liberally applying mustard onto it. A famous breakfast food is scrapple – a unique combination of pork products, fried and served with eggs. [Personally, I'll pass, but that just proves I wasn't born and raised here].
Sporting Heritage
Philadelphia has a long, rich sporting heritage of youth, high school, college, and professional franchises. South Philadelphia is home to the WachoviaStadium complex. Within the complex are:
Wachovia Center, the home arena of the NBA’s 76ers and the NHL’s Flyers; Lincoln Financial Field is the new home (August 2003) of the NFL’s Eagles; Citizens Bank Park, opened in April 2004, is MLB’s Phillies home turf; and the Wachovia Spectrum, the former home of the 76ers and Flyers, and currently the home of the MISL Kixx and AHL Phantoms (Flyers’ top minor league franchise). Lincoln Financial Field (the “Linc”) and Citizens Bank Park have replaced Veterans Stadium (and not a moment too soon). The inaugural event at Lincoln Financial Field was a sold-out international soccer match – England’s Manchester United vs. Barcelona (Spain), the last leg of 2003’s Champions World Series.
The Wachovia Center sits on the former site of JFK Stadium – a 100,000 seat bowl stadium that over the years hosted events such as Live Aid and Army-Navy football games. It was in the running to be a site for the 1994 World Cup ‘94 finals, until an inspection revealed structural decay and unsafe conditions, bringing instead the demolition crew. The demise of this classic facility was bemoaned by many, but its replacement has been key to the modernization and updating of Philadelphia’s professional sporting facilities.
Philadelphia has long been known as a tremendous sports town. Philadelphians love a winner, but mostly they appreciate a “blue collar” approach, where a team works hard every day of the season. Philadelphians are among the most knowledgeable and passionate fans in the country. It is taken as a source of pride that visiting teams find Philadelphia a difficult place to visit.
Soccer History
Philadelphia boasts a rich tradition of soccer, growing out of the local ethnic clubs and neighborhoods. Many of the early US Open Cup champions were from the greater Philadelphia area (Bethlehem Steelers). Two members of 1950 US World Cup team were from Philadelphia. The Soccer Hall of Fame, currently located in Oneonta, NY, was organized in 1950 by the Philadelphia Old-Timers Association. In 1953, the USSFA took over the administration of the Hall of Fame from the POTA. Philadelphia Textile (now Philadelphia University) was the NCAA Division I champion in the 1970s.
Philadelphia has hosted several professional soccer teams over the years. In recent history, the NASL’s Philadelphia Atoms existed from 1973 – 1976, replaced by the Philadelphia Fury, whose lifespan ran 1978 – 1980. The A-League’s headquarters were located for a number of years in suburban Horsham, PA. As part of an effort to gauge interest in local professional soccer, the A-League staged a regular season game in suburban Doylestown, PA in August, 1995. The match drew nearly 5,000 people to see the Colorado Foxes “host” the New York Fever. Many of the US National teams have visited the greater Philadelphia area. The Men’s National Team has been a regular visitor, last appearing at Veterans Stadium in August, 1991. In that match, the US defeated John Harkes and Sheffield Wednesday, 2-0.
The US Women visited the area twice in the run up to the 1999 Women’s World Cup, defeating both Japan, 4-0 and Australia, 9-1. The US U-23s Men hosted the Olympics CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Hershey, PA.
Lincoln Financial Field has quickly become the crown jewel in the Philadelphia soccer scene. In addition to the visits from Manchester United, Philadelphia was one of only six venues chosen to host the 2003 Womens World Cup. Fans came from far and wide to absorb true international soccer as the city was the site of two doubleheader dates. France, featuring home-town Charge favorite Marinette Pichon, battled Denmark, while Nigeria and North Korea were featured opponents on both dates. The marquee event was the return of Mia Hamm and the US Women’s National team, who delighted the crowd with a dominant 5-0 victory over Nigeria.
Manchester United and Champions World returned to Philadelphia for a second engagement in 2004. The Reds thrilled the crowd with an exciting match against Scotland’s famed Celtic. The “Linc” also played host several days later to an entertaining match between Chelsea of England and Italy’s star-studded AC Milan. Philadelphia looks forward to hosting meaningful soccer for years to come. It is widely anticipated that US Soccer will soon look to Philadelphia when big matches like World Cup Qualifiers are to be scheduled.
Philadelphia has a long tradition of top quality college soccer. Created in 1979 and inspired by the “Big 5″ college basketball round robin, the Philadelphia “Soccer Seven” consists of Penn, Villanova, LaSalle, Temple, St Joseph’s, Philadelphia University, and Drexel University. Unfortunately, not all the teams play one another each season, but a League champion is crowned and team and player awards are issued. A recent player of the year is Chicago Fire defender Jim Curtin of Villanova. Several of the schools have nice facilities. Penn refurbished its field in Fall 2002, opening permanent stands with seating for approximately 1,000 spectators. Philadelphia University’s Ravenhill field is kept in tip-top shape and sits in a picturesque part of its campus where fall colors are usually noticeable and spectators can watch from stands or a hillside.
