Various sources indicate that the new MLS franchise in Philadelphia, set to play next year will be called "Philadelphia Union."
Sounders Fan Insider received an e-mail today via Facebook stating that the name of the official "Philadelphia MLS Fans" Facebook Group Page name has been changed to "Philadelphia Union Fans."
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In addition several fans on Big Soccer Message boards have posted links to sites that sell official MLS merchandise.
Pictures of the merchandise were taken down, but the team nickname remained. Now the link is down and access leads back to Philadelphia's "Big Soccer" message board. MLS Rumors has what allegedly, are pictures of the scarves and T-shirts with the clubs name and crest on their web site.
Union was one name that was brought up by fans but never made it on the ballot for the Seattle franchise. On Seattle's name the team ballot was Seattle FC, along with Alliance and Republic. All three names were overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of fans in favor of "Sounders" when a write in catagory was added to the ballot. "The Alliance" was voted on by season ticket holders and members and was then adopted as the official name of the Sounders FC membership group.
It seems that Union is much more befitting the city of Philadelphia given their rich history. In addition, it seemed to be an overwhelming favorite by the fans of Philadelphia when a fan vote took place earlier in the year. Other names on the Philly ballot were: "AC Philadelphia" or "Philadelphia AC" "City" and "Philadelphia SC". There were a lot of Philadelphia fans that liked the name Philadelphia Athletic but that was a non starter due to the fact that Major League Baseball owns the trademark on the old "Philadelphia Athletics".
The official announcement by the club will take place on Monday, May 11th at 11:30 (EDT). Here are excerpts from the press release:
"PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 30, 2009) – Major League Soccer (MLS) Philadelphia 2010 today revealed the date for an announcement ceremony to unveil the club’s name, colors, logo, and ticket pricing. The celebration will be hosted at City Hall by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on Monday, May 11 at 11:30am."
MLS Philadelphia CEO & Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz. “We’ve created an authentic brand that reflects Philadelphia’s deep-rooted history and the wealth of feedback gathered from our supporters. The arrival of top-flight soccer in Philadelphia is about to feel decidedly more tangible.”
Reach Greg Roth - Sounders Fan Insider at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
