By L.E. Eisenmenger - BOSTON, MA (Dec 28, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- The newest MLS franchise, the Philadelphia Union, is gearing up for its inaugural 2010 season. Inevitably, the club will be measured against the unprecedented success of the Seattle Sounders. It's a contrast that will start with their opener, when the Union visits Qwest Field to see the Seattle experience first hand on March 25th.
Seattle is a tough act to follow. They have it all: top National Team veteran Kasey Keller - check. Designated player Freddie Ljungberg – check. Young international discovery Fredy Montero – check. Flamboyant media savvy owner Drew Carey – check. Downtown stadium Qwest Field – check. Full house of passionate fans – check.
The Union looks competitive. Though their new stadium isn't in Philadelphia, the waterfront location, natural grass pitch, and potential future for the Chester, PA area makes it a compelling location for Major League Soccer. Until completion this Spring, matches, including the April 10th home opener with DC United, will be held at Lincoln Financial Field. They also have built-in rivals with DC United, New England Revolution, and the New York Red Bulls. For all the talk of the Pacific Northwest, MLS has finally established the Northeast corridor.
Philadelphia has a choice technical staff led by Peter Nowak, former DC United, United States U-23 head coach, and assistant to Bob Bradley. John Hackworth, the Union’s Coach and Youth Development Coordinator is also a former National Team assistant. Rob Vartughian, the Union’s assistant/goalkeeper coordinator, worked under University of Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski.
The club picked up an interesting assortment of expansion draft picks/deals, headlined by keeper Chris Seitz and forward Alejandro Moreno. The supporters group, the Sons of Ben, was founded in 2007 and with around 6,000 members is already as large as most existing MLS supporters clubs.
Jay Sugarman is the Chairman and Nick Sakiewicz is the CEO and Operating Partner of the club. Tom Veit joined the Union in April 2009 as President of Keystone Sports and Entertainment and oversees all business matters relating to the Union and the stadium.
The waterfront stadium will be beautiful, the technical staff top notch, and the management experienced. What could go wrong?
Well, for one thing the same thing that has gone wrong for almost all other MLS clubs at one point or another - atmosphere.
The man primarily responsible for determining the Union’s atmosphere is president Tom Veit. Veit initially worked with MLS as the Director of Marketing & Operations of the ill-fated Tampa Bay Mutiny and moved on to the now-defunct XFL (Xtreme Football League) as VP and GM of the Orlando Rage. Later he produced large events for Pace Motor Sports and other sports marketing endeavors.Veit wants the Union to become a flagship franchise for the League.
“When you think of the Premier League, you think of clubs like Chelsea and Man U and Arsenal,” Veit said. “And when you think of Spain, you think of FC Barcelona and when you think of Serie A, you think of Inter Milan or AC. Worldwide brands. That’s what we want to be. When you think of Major League Soccer, when you think of the gold standard of that league, that’s what we want to be.”
But the difference between MLS and the traditions and culture of British and European soccer are miles apart. XFL and motor sports doesn’t bring them any closer. Every club in the League talks about tradition. DC United had that word embroidered on their uniforms. It's normally thought of in the grand sense, rather than the same gimmicks we see across American pro sports.
Mascots, halftime contests, cheerleaders, and entertainment to draw a bigger crowd. None of this is uncommon. Sure, it's no different with some English clubs. Then again, they're also not the ones you normally associate with tradition. They are the ones you normally associate with winning, something slightly easier for even a first-year club with the MLS version of parity.
The Union’s best shot of establishing a flagship franchise and a strong tradition would be to decline the gimmicks and keep the focus on the players on the field and the supporters. Create a simple, elegant stadium backdrop to let the game explain itself to newcomers and allow longtime fans to enjoy the match without the tawdry sideshow.
Ironically, this would be unique. With one possible exception, Veit seems to be heading in this direction.
“We’re going to present the game in a traditional fashion,” said Veit. “People say, what’s your mascot going to be at home? We don’t have a mascot. I’m not going to have some guy in a stuffed Benjamin Franklin suit flying a kite because we think that will be cool.”
Cheerleaders?
“No,” said Veit. “It’s not soccer.”
Marching bands?“We’re not going to have a marching band.”
Yet, Veit is adamant about including fans in the decisions. Their input has factored into the colors of the logo and the layout of the stadium facilities. So far, so good. However, some of the Union fans happen to be “mummers," a local New Years tradition similar to a Mardi Gras parade, and they want to perform as part of the atmosphere.
“There’s a very big tradition in Philadelphia called the Mummers,” said Veit. “They dress up in these very crazy costumes, they play music and it dovetails with our supporters group who really connect with them. They are kind of the background music for our supporters group.”
What kind of music?
“The mummers group that we work with is a Polish American string band,” said Veit. “I can’t really describe it. Go on our website and look at our groundbreaking ceremony or announcements for the team and you’ll see the band come out and play. It really dovetails with the chants and the music our supporters groups will be singing. It’s not trumpets. They will actually be in the supporters group and support them with chants and songs.”
Well, it might be easier for Veit to say yes, but it’s better to say no. The inclusion of the Mummers has already caused dissension within the supporters group. With all due respect to a Philadelphia institution, it already has an outlet.
People dressed in large sparkly costumes with feathery headgear and masks playing music and dancing are there to create a spectacle that has nothing to do with soccer. That’s what will show up television, as it does in the video of the Union’s Team Identity Press Conference, and those images will represent the Union and along with their League.
The media and public focus on the gaudy and weird, exactly what US soccer doesn’t need when it’s trying to build a legitimate soccer tradition.
L.E. Eisenmenger writes for a variety of outlets including covering Boston soccer for The Examiner. Contact her at eisenmenger@soccerlens.com.
