| Yana Pashaeva
Philadelphia sports fans have a reputation — and they seem proud of it. Ferocious, intense, sometimes even aggressive. But while working on a documentary for the Great Game Lab about how Philadelphia became a World Cup city, I asked people on the streets what they wanted visitors to know about their city, and I heard a different message: “Maybe we’re a little tough and a little gritty, but there is a lot more to us…We are good people, and we stick together, and we’re not as unfriendly as they say we are.” That contrast stuck with me.
Despite everything I’d heard, I was genuinely well received when I arrived for the Philadelphia Union’s final home game of the MLS regular season, on October 4. One representative of the Sons of Ben — the Union’s official supporters’ group — told me proudly, “We’ve done a really good job of making other teams feel unwelcome here.”
Indeed they have. As the NYCFC players were announced before kickoff, Union fans — including little kids — shouted “SUCKS” after each name. Their parents didn’t seem to mind the language. It was all part of the experience.
You could feel the passion in the air. The stadium was sold out. The Sons of Ben were loud. There was smoke, drums, and a whole range of emotions across the crowd. Things hit a fever pitch when Union scored in the 40th minute. The whole stadium erupted, singing the team’s signature goal song and spinning their blue scarves. From then on, it felt like everyone was holding their breath, hoping NYCFC wouldn’t equalize.
When the final whistle blew — Union victorious — the celebration exploded onto the field. The Supporters’ Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, was officially theirs! The Sons of Ben presented it to the players (fun fact: unlike the one given to the MLS Cup title winner, this trophy is awarded to, and kept by, the fan groups, not the league or teams), who took turns lifting it in front of a sea of cameras.
Union head coach Bradley Carnell started to give a speech but was interrupted when his players drenched him with water and ice. The mic shorted out and the speech ended there. Not that anyone seemed to mind: Union players already seemed to be ready to start partying. Union’s social media later showed the team laying in confetti, smoking cigars, and popping champagne.
Some fans I tried to interview were... a bit too drunk to give comments. Surprisingly, some said that they expected even a better performance from the Union, but overall supporters were obviously ecstatic.
I’ve got to admit — it was quite the night, not just for Union fans, but also for a documentarian chasing good visuals for a film about soccer in Philadelphia.