The Philadelphia Union is an innovative, forward-thinking professional soccer club competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) and one of Philadelphia’s five major league sports teams. Driven by unprecedented fan support, MLS awarded the Philadelphia expansion franchise rights to Jay Sugarman in 2008 and the Union kicked off its inaugural season in 2010. The club has reached the finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and has appeared in the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. In 2020, the Union were awarded the club’s first Supporters’ Shield after finishing with the best regular season record in MLS. In 2022, the Union reached the MLS Cup Final for the first time in club history.
The Philadelphia Union is part of parent company Union Sports and Entertainment LLC, which also operates Philadelphia Union II, the Philadelphia Union Academy, Philadelphia Union Foundation and Philadelphia Union Youth Programs. With a commitment to developing youth, the Union has signed 21 academy prospects to homegrown player contracts.
The Union play at Subaru Park in Chester, PA on the banks of the Delaware River. The custom-built stadium is part of the Union’s unique waterfront campus, featuring a historic power plant rebuilt into a 400,000 sq. ft. creative office building, a state-of-the-art Training Complex, over 7 acres of professional-grade practice pitches and multiple onsite parking fields.
Philadelphia was awarded Major League Soccer's 16th team on February 28, 2008. Led by the ownership group of Union Sports and Entertainment LLC, the club operated under the name MLS Philadelphia 2010 for most of 2008 and the early portion of 2009. The combination of extensive grassroots support spearheaded by the Sons of Ben and a public/private partnership between Philadelphia Union, the State of Pennsylvania, Delaware County and the City of Chester enabled the construction of a state-of-the-art soccer stadium and convinced MLS that the Philadelphia region deserved a soccer team.
After thorough historical and fan research, the club announced its name,crest and colors on May 11, 2009 at Philadelphia's City Hall. Philadelphia Union alludes to the Union of the Thirteen Colonies, of which Philadelphia was the first capital. The club’s name and crest incorporate Philadelphia’s rich colonial history and vital role in the creation of our nation – the Union. The team's name was chosen following a 'Fan Vote' held between January 19, 2009 and February 6, 2009.
Philadelphia Union's primary colors are navy blue and gold, representing the Continental Army's uniforms during the American Revolutionary War. The light blue in the middle of the badge is derived from the civic flag of Philadelphia and is a tribute to the Sons of Ben supporters club. The team's primary crest is circular, symbolizing unity. The thirteen gold stars displayed along the base of the crest represent the original Thirteen Colonies, while the shield's contour derives from the Philadelphia coat of arms. The rattlesnake featured in the center of the shield pays homage to a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin that was featured in multiple editions of the Pennsylvania Gazette in the 1750s. The rattlesnake became a national symbol during the American Revolution, representing the danger of disunity, and was featured on the Gadsden flag. Union's secondary logo also features the rattlesnake, along with the motto "JUNGITE aut PERITE," a Latin phrase meaning "JOIN or DIE," which was displayed by Franklin in his cartoons along with the rattlesnake.
In 2018, the Union revealed a new badge which featured a cleaner, simplified design, with a brighter, more vibrant shade of gold used throughout and one signal blue stripe down the center.