Saturday night is more than just Philadelphia versus New York. The match at Subaru Park serves as Military Appreciation Night presented by Primepoint and even before the game the club has been celebrating and thanking veterans and their families for their service.
After another successful Battle of the Branches, Friday morning saw 15 active and veteran military personnel and their family members were invited to Subaru Park to take part in an exclusive opportunity to watch the Boys in Blue prepare for their match against New York City FC.
Upon arrival, attendees were greeted with the newest selection of Union memorabilia, including a green military edition hat and tee, which will be available for purchase in the pro shop. Their new gear will soon be put to great use as the group was also given tickets to attend this weekend's game and take part in all the Military Night excitement.
At training, they watched Head Coach Jim Curtin run drills and got a first look at goalkeeper Andre Blake’s first moments back with the team since he returned from Concacaf Gold Cup play with the Jamaican National Team.
“In conjunction with the Community Relations team, marketing is always looking for ways to give back to our fans and our community. With Military Appreciation night on July 15th, we worked with USO Pennsylvania and New Jersey Center Director, Kristen Lowe and invited 15 active military personnel/veterans and their families to practice and provided them with tickets for tomorrow’s game and military themed gear,” said Philadelphia Union Marketing Director Sam Leybman.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to provide these types of experiences to our fans. Having military personnel at practice today was a rewarding experience for all of us. These members and their families do so much for our country and communities and having them out was the least we could do to say thank you for all they do daily.”
After practice, players ran over to the sideline to sign the crowd’s new Union attire and thank them for their service. When defender Jakob Glesnes came over, he met the Raine family, who had a very special request to which he happily obliged.
Chris Raine is an active guard in the U.S. Air Force. He is currently in Jordan, where he has been stationed since April.
Raine has been a loyal Union fan since the team’s inception, passing down the love for the club to his 10-year-old son Tristan, who was at the event alongside his father’s wife, Kristina, and sisters Jessyka and Payton.
Tristan went to his first Union game with his dad when he was just a few months old, and the two have built a shared passion for the team since, making memories in their season tickets seats in the second row of section 118.
In Jordan, Chris tunes in around 3:30am to catch the Union play on MLS season on Apple TV. Tristan and family miss him dearly, so on Friday, he made it his mission to ask Glesnes, his dad’s favorite player, to send him a message of encouragement.
Kristina and the kids will be at the game tomorrow, with their freshly signed shirts, ready to cheer on the Boys and Blue while celebrating their father and his honorable commitment to the United States.
Sage Hurley - @SageHurl
