It was recently announced that PPL Park Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union, will be serving as one of the hosts for the 2013 NCAA Division I men's championship tournament. The College Cup will be having games at PPL Park Stadium in the middle of December of 2013. This works out great for the Union as the team will not be playing during December and generally there aren't other outdoor soccer teams playing in the area that time of year. Villanova will be serving as another host of the series.
With seating for over 18,500 soccer fans and around 30 luxury suites available for use, it will be a great venue for the tournament. The venue was built just two years ago and is still in great shape. There are a series of expansions coming up in the future for PPL Park Stadium, but none have started yet and it is unlikely that the construction would begin before the 2013 NCAA tournament.
Though the team is a part of the MLS, the Union has some games coming up against teams that are not a part of the MLS. On Wednesday, May 9, the team will be hosting FC Schalke 04 in an international match. On Saturday, June 9, the Union will be traveling to play the Reading United in a friendly match. On Tuesday, June 12, the Union will be traveling to play the Harrisburg City Islanders in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
This is another great opportunity for the Philadelphia Union to gain more fans. If players, families and friends, as well as other soccer fans, travel to the matches and see how great the atmosphere and stadium are, then perhaps they will start watching the Union's games. Though the team has been struggling, there are always great moments in each game for the fans to enjoy. This will also be a good opportunity for fans to watch some more soccer. The tournament will be played during the Union's offseason so this will give the soccer fans that live in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area some games to watch. This tournament should have some great soccer action as these teams will be among the best in the NCAA.
Kristin Watt lives in central Pennsylvania and has no local major league sporting teams in the area .She has chosen to adopt Philadelphia's teams, including the Philadelphia Union, as her own home teams. Philadelphia is close enough to make a daytrip out of a game and still not have to get a hotel room.
