Why aren’t there more Union fans? Our writers debate Philly fandom.

Philadelphia sports fans are, in their own way, as famous as the city’s namesake sandwiches, but what’s real and what’s mostly hyped is another matter altogether. The reputation that usually characterizes Philly fans is brutal honesty, loyalty, respect for the hard work behind the scenes, and most of all, enthusiasm for the success built by winning.

» READ MORE: Jack McGlynn’s highlight-reel assist was his latest big play for the Union in a breakout year

It’s a bit of a mystery, then, why the city’s sports fans have yet to fully embrace the Union, a team that this season is not only leading Major League Soccer in the standings, but also setting records in both goals scored on opponents and goals denied to opponents. Other teams in town, meanwhile — cough, Flyers — have had multiple disappointing seasons while still maintaining a solid city fan base.

Three Inquirer staff members with years of perspective on the Philadelphia sports scene offer their theories.

Matt Mullin: It’s not too late for the rest of Philadelphia to hop on the Union bandwagon, but I think what you’re seeing here is a combination of factors. For starters, the Union are still relatively new, at least compared to the other four pro teams in the city who have all been around well over a half century. And like anything else, it takes time. In this case it takes time and winning — and the Union weren’t really good until last season, so there is a large swath of the Philly fan base that has yet to fully embrace them.

Winning, like they almost did last year before COVID-19 sidetracked their playoff push, will go a long way toward curing that. Now, Matt — you might be thinking — doesn’t that just suggest that Philly fans aren’t really as loyal as people say? I’d disagree there. There are a lot of teams to follow in Philly, between pro and college, and the average Philadelphian only has the time or mental space for so much sports fandom. That’s why as much as we like to say we’re “four-for-four,” or in this case “five-for-five,” there’s always going to be a ranking to these things.

A decade ago, the Phillies were almost as hot as the Eagles, who have been and always will be kings in this town. Now, with their recent improvements, it’s the Sixers who have climbed to No. 2, with a potential playoff run from the Phillies starting to bring them back into the conversation. A deep run from the Union this season, and there’s a chance that they could certainly pass the Flyers on most fans’ list of priorities — if they haven’t already — and even the Phillies if they fall victim to another September collapse.

The other factor is that soccer is still a growing sport in the United States, and in Philly especially. And the Union often don’t have any household names on their roster, instead often building through homegrown talent and shrewd moves in the transfer market. But I think what you’ll see happen as the Union start their postseason run is an even bigger swell of support than last season — and Philly fans will indeed go all-out if they win the East, let alone if they win it all. If they do that, check in here again next season and you might be thinking it was silly we were even worried about this in the first place.

Kerith Gabriel: Let’s start with the obvious: For all of the Union’s vast success in recent seasons, soccer is still very much a niche sport in Philadelphia. Also, the fact that the team is slightly removed from the city with Subaru Park located in Chester doesn’t help with increasing visibility — or makes visibility spotty at best.

In the largest pockets in which you’ll find fandom for the Union generally arrive from fans that are already lovers of soccer, specifically of clubs in Europe. You’re more inclined to find a devout Union fan who is also a lover of Arsenal, or Manchester United or Tottenham — all clubs that have dedicated fan bars directly in the city.

But the cheesy slogan of “Philly loves a winner” is also true. It’s why people who couldn’t name three baseball players in Philadelphia are all screaming “Let’s go, Fightins” in the postseason — even though we’ve had a 10-year drought in that theory.

It’s going to take the Union in an MLS final ... Check that, I think it’s going to take people to literally see MLS-league-level marketing dollars tout Philadelphia over and over again in the buildup to an MLS Cup final for casual soccer fans and Eurosnobs who live in Philly to realize that this team is the class of MLS, to turn the experience from one that’s cutesy and picturesque to have rabid fans clinging onto every word about the team.

» READ MORE: The Union clinch a playoff spot with win over Atlanta United

Jonathan Tannenwald: Back in 2017, during the Sixers’ Sam Hinkie era, a former colleague who worked here for a long time told me he was shocked to see the team sell out every home game when it was only just starting to not be awful. But I wasn’t surprised. The Sixers’ marketing of The Process hit all the right notes, and I’ve been in the Philly hoops scene for long enough — mainly the college ranks, not the pros, but still — to understand that basketball is the sport that’s deepest in the city fabric. What did shock me was when the Flyers’ attendance plummeted last season, and you could buy a ticket for as little as $14.40 in March. Though I’m not from here, I grew up knowing that the Flyers’ fan base is one of the loudest and most loyal in town. They sold out the Spectrum and then the Wells Fargo Center for decades, no matter how good or how bad the team was. Could it be that Philadelphia sports fans have smartened up and realized they don’t *have to* spend their money to watch sports just to say they do?

Admittedly, that’s a long way of getting to the Union. There’s definitely been a bandwagon effect over the last two years. In particular, since Philadelphia was announced as a 2026 men’s World Cup host city, I’ve felt a different buzz at Subaru Park than I ever have. A lot more of the people Kerith called “casual soccer fans and Eurosnobs” are paying attention and cheering for them now.

But I still can’t help thinking that a lot of the people who go to Union games aren’t Union fans, or maybe even really soccer fans. That’s what matters more to me. Those parts of the crowd are happy to go to Union games and cheer for the team for a few hours, but once they leave, they’re back to caring more about the Eagles or Phillies or Penn State. So the team’s core fan base hasn’t actually grown that much, from what I can tell. We’ll see if that will change if the Union keep winning.

Mullin: We need to be clear here and say that we aren’t bashing Union fans. They have very loyal supporters. The problem that we’re trying to solve is why there aren’t more of them. And I think to Jon’s last question about whether the fan base will continue to grow if they keep winning — that’s obviously a yes. But that’s going to happen with any team in any city. The real key for the Union here will be retention.

Will those same people still care about the Union next season, not just when the playoffs roll around, but for the entire season? That’s a trickier one to answer and right now the answer may sadly be no, even if they win the MLS Cup. To win over true fans, not just the kind that will tune in for the postseason, the Union are going to need to become a more regular part of the conversation for several years in a row. But if they can stack a few more successful seasons like this on top of the last couple of years — and if local sports radio and TV news start rallying behind the sport — it’s going to be hard for Philly fans to ignore, especially with the World Cup coming to town.