Guide To Attending A Philadelphia Union Game

Not everyone who loves sports just loves the big 4 (football, baseball, basketball and hockey) though, those are the most commonly thought of sports. Soccer fans have a major league team to enjoy right here in Philly with the Philadelphia Union which is part of Major League Soccer or (MLS). The Union is based out of Chester, Pennsylvania, and they typically play in Chester at the Talen Energy Stadium. Professional MLS Soccer is new to Philly as the inaugural season was in 2010. Here is some information about the Philadelphia Union.

Talen Energy Stadium
One Stadium Drive
Chester, PA. 19013
(610) 859-3100
www.philadelphiaunion.com

Talen Energy Stadium can seat over 18,000 people so it can pull in a decent crowd for a game. The Stadium is located near the Commodore Barry Bridge on the Delaware River.  More than half of the seats provide views of the river which maybe a bonus for your friends who may not be as enthusiastic about soccer. The Union also occasionally plays select games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly.

Tips For Getting To The Stadium

You can get to the stadium by either taking routes 95 or 495 and the main exit is off of 322. If you prefer to take public transit you have the option to take the Wilmington/Newark Rail of Septa to the Chester Transportation center (6th & Welsh St). From there, free shuttle transportation is provided beginning 4 hours before the game.

Food At The Stadium

Part of the fun is enjoying some tasty treats and food at the game. Talen Energy Stadium has a pretty extensive food court with so many options you will want to bring your appetite. The food at the stadium is primarily provided by Spectra Concessions. Some of the wide variety of food court options include Scoops (ice cream); and The Black Agnus Grill which features the Surf & Turf burger and a Chickie and Pete's with their famous crab fries. But that isn't all, there is also a Hot dog stand that serves huge hot dogs and nachos;  a Barbecue section full of fantastic barbecue items such as pulled pork, and no food court would be complete without cheese steaks, pizza, mozzarella sticks, and bistro items. You won't have any reason to go hungry if you have money. Talen Energy Stadium also has a full service club and restaurant for your catering needs.

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Beer And Spirits At The Stadium

Dogfish Head Brewery is the team's official beer sponsor, and as such there is a beer garden featuring this brand of beer at Talen Energy Stadium. When the full service club is open, you can also get beer, wine and spirits from the bar. For non-alcoholic drinkers, there is a soda float section of the food court, where you can drink fantastic ice cream sodas.

Team Tidbits

The team has done fairly well recently in the eastern conference and placed 2nd, and finished 4th overall out of all the 2016 soccer teams. The team colors are navy blue and gold which represent the Continental Army from the Revolutionary War. Ben Franklin's cartoon "Join or Die" is the inspiration behind the teams "brand". The Union is named after the original 13 colonies of which Philadelphia was originally the capital. Ticket prices range from $27-$165, and season pass options are available, including "partial season passes". Full season passes begin at $300 and go up from there depending on the seats.

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Christina Dagnelli is a freelance writer in Philadelphia and the author of Little Squares with Colors: A Different way to look at autism. Her work on examiner can be found here Examiner.com.