When the time came to plan the 6th Annual Stadium Tour, we once again faced a timing challenge. Memorial Day Weekend was no longer feasible because Sis was pregnant and due the first week of June! We knew that we would have limited availability because Sis and BIL were saving their vacation for family leave after baby, and we didn’t want to pressure them to have to get on an airplane after the baby was born. We had a limited time between the start of the MLB season (because we also see a baseball game on the trip), and when Sis would be grounded from flying which meant we were once again planning a trip in April. Unfortunately, we were out of warm places to go, so Philadelphia won!
We planned to do this trip kid-less because it was so short and we had no idea what the weather would be like. The last thing we wanted was to trap my parents in a hotel room with our very active 18 month old. Turns out, that was a good choice! It was beautiful when we arrived – upper 60s and sunny – but when the sun went down the temperature plummeted and the rain came!
We stayed near all of the touristy stuff in downtown Philly, so the first thing we noticed is that Talen Energy Stadium is nowhere near downtown – it’s not near anything! We were fairly comfortable with public transportation and felt confident that we could get to the game without a problem until we ran into two issues. First, it was an early afternoon game so we scrambled to do some sightseeing in the morning before the game, and we had passes to see Independence Hall at 10:15am. That seemed like plenty of time to do sightseeing and still get to the game until we realized it was going to take an hour to get to the game on the train, and the train only ran once per hour from our location! Whoops. Second, it was pouring, and the walk from the train station to the stadium rapidly lost its appeal. So, one very expensive Uber ride later, we arrived at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania.
BIL likes to arrive early to the games, if we can, so he can walk around and get a feel for the stadium, shop in the team store (he always gets a scarf), and watch warm ups. It was eerily quiet when we arrived, and I suspected that the rain played a significant part in the lack of pregame festivities. The ticket takers looked surprised to see people when we went into the stadium, as though they were fully expecting nobody to show up for the game in the rain this early, if at all.
We took advantage of being the only people at the stadium to get food before the game, and scoped out all of the options. While at the Phillies game the previous night, we had tried to get the famous crab fries from Chickie’s & Pete’s but the line at stadium was ridiculously long, so we felt triumphant when we saw that Talen Energy Stadium had them! They were yummy, but I’m glad we didn’t wait in line for them.
Eating bbq has also become an unofficial part of the stadium tour, so Hubby and I both got bbq sandwiches, and we also got cheese curds to share. The pulled pork sandwich was good, and as a one-time North Carolinian, I appreciated that it was served with cole slaw on the sandwich. The cheese curds were fine, but nothing special for this Cheesehead.
Hubby wore a Philadelphia Union sweatshirt, and the Union had not won a game yet, so everyone from the park rangers at Independence Hall to our Uber driver shared their frustration and disgust with us. I don’t know if it’s my Midwestern roots or my natural personality, but my plucky attitude of “It’s still early in the season, they could turn it around” stood in stark contrast to Philly fans’ flat out declarations that “They suck.” I appreciated that the stereotype of disgruntled Philly sports fans extended beyond football to include soccer as well.
So, the combination of the rain, the cold, and the team’s underachievement led to a very small crowd size at game time. The supporters section (The Sons of Ben, though there are a few other groups) was pretty small, though it filled up more after I took the pictures below. Even though the group was small, we heard them singing and cheering throughout the game, especially because the Union led 3-0 at one point… and also because there weren’t many people at the game otherwise.
The game itself captured the feeling of being a Philadelphia Union fan at that point in time. The Union started off strong, and led 3-1 at half, but Montreal hung in and scored the game tying goal in the last few minutes of the game, denying the Union of their first victory of the season. I could feel the fans deflate when the Impact scored their third goal, but they tried to will the Union to break the tie while also voicing their outrage and displeasure that the Union, with all of their talent, were still win-less.
Hubby, who coached for a US Soccer Development Academy-affiliated team, loves the unique structure and curriculum of the Union’s Youth
Academy. After the game, we walked around the stadium and found the training ground for the team, and I think Hubby wanted to play on the fields. We couldn’t see all of it, but he loved the fact that the training grounds for the academy and the senior teams were together and so close to the stadium.
Despite the cold and rain and the distance from downtown, I really enjoyed our stadium tour stop at Talen Energy Stadium. The food selection was good, and the view of the bridge with the river behind it was unique and picturesque. The game was exciting as a neutral fan, and even the Philadelphia fan disgust was endearing. I’d love to see a game there again – though perhaps in the summer and when the team improves a bit.
Want to know more about the Stadium Tour? Read more!
