On February 28, 2008, Major League Soccer announced that Philadelphia had been awarded the league’s 16th team, and that professional soccer would return to the Philadelphia area in 2010.
By the time the club kicks off its inaugural season it will have been 30 years since a top-flight professional soccer team had played a game in Philadelphia. Given the fact that three decades have passed since that team’s last match, it is understandable that Philadelphia’s rich and successful soccer history may be unfamiliar to many fans. Make no mistake, however; while the City of Brotherly Love may be a newcomer to MLS, the region’s professional soccer history is second to none.
Contributions from Philadelphia Union supporters and Steve Holroyd