A classic college soccer rivalry is renewed as the Army-Navy Cup returns to Subaru Park

For the past 12 seasons, one of the biggest rivalries in college soccer has played out right here in the Philly region.

On Friday, the latest edition of the annual Army-Navy Cup will commence when the Black Knights (2-8-1, 0-4-0 Patriot) take on the Navy Midshipmen (3-4-4, 2-1-1), a fellow service academy and Patriot League rival, inside Subaru Park (7 p.m., ESPN+).

The stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union, has hosted every pairing of these programs since 2012, with Army leading the charge behind a 5-3-4 all-time record at Subaru.

“It is an honor every year to host the Army-Navy Cup at Subaru Park,” Union club president Tim McDermott said in a statement. “Entering their 13th edition of this annual match is a testament to the longevity of this rivalry and sportsmanship between these two esteemed academies. We look forward to another memorable and exciting match this year.”

Over the 12 seasons, the storylines have included countless ties to the greater Philadelphia region, with both rosters featuring locals. Some even hailed from the Union’s youth academy and development system before committing their service to America’s armed forces.

Here are five things to know about the clash along Chester’s waterfront.

The Midshipmen have been on the losing end of this game, last taking a win in 2021, its first since the 2014 season. Navy lost to Army in 2022, and the game last season ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the 12-year history of the rivalry at Subaru Park, this year will be the first that doesn’t feature at least two local players on Army’s roster. This year, only midfielder Justin Davidyock is from the area — Newtown, Bucks County. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound freshman attended the Pennington School in Central New Jersey.

In addition to Davidyock, the Pennington School, which was the top-ranked boys soccer program in the country in 2023, also featured Navy freshman Keane Brown, who has started every game along Navy’s backline this season. He was also an all-conference performer for Pennington.

Though he won’t be taking part in this year’s game, former Navy midfielder and Swarthmore native Mark Shiiba kick-started a new career as a singer-songwriter after completed his service last year. If the name sounds familiar, that might be because Shiiba is currently a contestant on NBC’s The Voice.

Navy sophomore midfielder and Phoenixville native Nate Stewart is a former Union academy and FC Delco product who is a third-generation military member. Stewart went the way of being a Midshipmen, but his father, Jason, was a three-time All-American track and cross country runner at Army who was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2017. His grandfather served in the Army as well.

At first glance Army’s schedule isn’t an accurate depiction of just how good this team is. The Black Knights have either won, lost, or drawn nearly every game by just one goal this season, with their highlights including a 1-1 draw against Temple on Aug. 22 and a 2-1 loss to St. Joseph’s on Sept. 9. The only game with a margin of victory by two goals or more was Army’s 2-0 home win over Rider on Oct. 1.

Thinking about attending? Yes, there are still good seats available via the Union’s website. Additionally, local tourism board Visit Delco plans to do a takeover of the Union Yards, the restaurant and beer garden outside Subaru Park.