Ok, ok, I know what you’re thinking. The Phillies are about ready to open the World Series. The Eagles are smack in the middle of their season. The Flyers and Sixers just opened their seasons.
What the hell am I doing writing about the Philly Union?
Well, to be honest, even though the Union is months away from opening up their inaugural season, a lot has been happening in recent months.
Major League Soccer finalized their schedule for the 2010 season a little over a month ago. This might have slipped under all the MLB and NFL news, but the Union will play their inaugural game at Qwest Field in Seattle against the Seattle Sounders, a very successful team in their debut season. This game will also be shown on national television on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The MLS obviously wants to showcase their newest franchise in prime time.
In somewhat disappointing news, it was announced in late September that the Union’s new stadium in Chester wasn’t going to be ready for the home opener. That forced the team to strike a deal in which they will play their inaugural home game at Lincoln Financial Field. Not a bad spot for a debut, huh? The match will take place April 10th against DC United, a likely candidate for a rival.
Even though the team’s stadium is a bit behind schedule, you can keep track if the building’s progress by watching the Construction Cam on the team’s website. There has been a lot of vertical progress recently and it’s interesting to see the future home of the Union come together.
In the first step towards player development, the Union have announced open tryouts for the team, which will take place in a few weeks, on November 14th. I myself won’t be going out for the team, as I’ve never played organized soccer, but I’m sure there are a few of you out there who will be taking part.
In another bit of news towards actually adding players to the roster, Bryan James, the Sons Of Ben President and Co-Founder, points out the Expansion Draft will take place in late November. That will most likely be the first time a player is added to the Union roster.
As you can tell, there has been a lot happening under the radar with the Philadelphia Union. Much more will be happening in the upcoming months. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all the latest news, as well as following the Union on Twitter. News breaks on Twitter these days, so be sure to stay up to date by following those two accounts.
The Union is coming. Slowly but surely, the Union will get to Philadelphia. I can’t wait.
