Off the Pitch presented by Marie Henderson Team, the preferred real estate partner of the Philadelphia Union, is a new content series that takes a deeper dive into players' lives at home and off the field.
Each morning, Philadelphia Union forward Mikael Uhre wakes up and makes a cup of coffee for himself and his wife Amalie in their King of Prussia apartment before dropping their 19-month-old daughter Ingrid off at daycare on his way to training.
Though a mundane daily routine for some, the couple is fondly reminded of Denmark as Uhre brews each beverage with beans imported from his favorite coffee shop located in the city that he and Amalie first met.
“I like coffee so I make it every morning,” Uhre said, showing off his barista abilities.
“I get the beans mailed from back home. They are from La Cabra which is a coffee shop in Aarhus, where we recently bought an apartment. We actually met each other in that city.”
The pair were first introduced in 2015 when Uhre was playing for Skive, which happened to be the same second division club that Amalie’s brother was part of at the time. Two years later, they crossed paths again in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, when he was back with his boyhood club SønderjyskE – the rest was history.
“I actually got sold to another club [Brøndby IF] before I got here. So I moved to Copenhagen, and she joined me half a year later. Then, we obviously had the little one and got married. I actually proposed five years from the date of the first day we met,” he explained.
Philadelphia Union signed Uhre in January 2022 after he earned Danish Superliga Player of the Year and Golden Boot honors while playing for Brøndby. When the deal became official, he and Amalie packed their belongings and moved 4,000 miles across the ocean to Philadelphia with their beloved baby born just two months earlier in tow.
An international move isn’t easy, especially as new parents. But when the Philadelphia Union connected the couple with the Marie Henderson Team, the club’s preferred real estate partner, the stress of finding a place to live quickly subsided.
They spent their first year stateside in an apartment right off Broad Street, which offered a host of amenities that met their every need. But after Uhre’s first MLS season, one in which Uhre impressed with 13 goals and six assists, the trio opted for a quieter lifestyle, further from the bustling city center. They again sought out the guidance of the Marie Henderson Team, who helped them find a sanctuary in the suburbs.
“It's great. Like, we really love it. The pointers we gave the Marie Henderson Team about what we wanted was exactly what she found. Even in the first place, it was a beautiful apartment and all the amenities we needed were spot on,” Uhre said.
“When we moved out here it was perfect. She found something that hit all the points, had all the things we wanted. She was on the case right away.”
Though far away from the small towns they grew up in, Mikael and Amalie agree their new apartment, located near countless restaurants, shops, and playgrounds is the perfect fit for their young family.
Upon entering, floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate a living room and kitchen furnished with a curated collection of Danish-made pieces. Their dining table, lamps, and chairs were all shipped here from Denmark.
“This is called the egg” Mikael said, getting comfortable in a modern Danish brown leather chair.
On the wall, among various artworks, hangs a one-of-a-kind framed masterpiece created by none other than Ingrid. Below it stands a stack of ‘Euroman’ – a monthly men's lifestyle and fashion magazine headquartered in Copenhagen.
“Everytime friends and family come, they ask ‘What do you need?’ We just say, ‘Magazines!’” Amalie said.
Mikael calls his family multiple times a week making good use of his drive back from training in Chester, which typically falls around the same time as dinner in Denmark due to the six hour time difference. Both he and Amalie spent a month and a half overseas this year, and since returning, they’ve welcomed a frequent stream of visitors to their new spot.
“We’re pretty occupied with the little one being all over the place, so sometimes you don't really get to talk with people as much as you want to. But we're lucky that we have some good friends who have been over here,” Mikael said.
It’s been a busy two years for the Uhres, featuring a multitude of milestones not limited to an international move, a new team, marriage, and an MLS Cup berth. Amalie, who was formerly employed as a neonatal nurse in Denmark, has even begun to pursue a hobby sewing clothes for Ingrid. Among all the newness, parenthood stands out as their most cherished change.
“Ingrid was a tough baby. But now she's funny,” Amalie laughed while Ingrid devoured a plate full of chocolate chip cookies.
“Just watching her grow and seeing some things from both of us in her…”
“You’ve got the looks and the behavior,” Uhre interjected. “So I'm looking forward to seeing what I actually contributed!”
Mikael admits, Ingrid is a momma’s girl through and through. But at bedtime – each night around 7 p.m., like clockwork, she grabs his hand and he puts her to bed.
“It's harder to explain in English – but the way we've really found love, not another level of love, but a different kind of love. Just spending time with her, watching her grow,” Mikael said.
Less than two years into their tenure in the United States, with the help of the Marie Henderson Team, the Uhre’s have found a place to call home during this momentous chapter of their lives, and it has made all the difference.
