Philadelphia is known as one of the most passionate sports cities in the world. However, the Philadelphia Union always finds itself in a precarious situation. Considering the constant roster rotation, lack of achievements, and lack of ambition from ownership. Consequently, it begs the question of whether it is really that hard to be a fan of the Philadelphia Union.
Constant Roster Rotation
A huge part of establishing a strong fanbase is having a strong foundation of players that fans can buy into and support for years. Look around other professional sports teams in Philadelphia, for example. The Flyers have had the likes of Claude Giroux and Bernie Parent. The Sixers had Allen Iverson and Dr. J. The Phillies had Bryce Harper and Chase Utley. Finally, the Eagles have had numerous memorable players come through, including Brandon Graham and Brian Dawkins.
Now, the Union has certainly had players with strong support, like Alejandro Bedoya and Andre Blake. However, the Union is in a fight against time. Having been established for just about 16 years, the Union has not had the time to develop its foundation. Unfortunately, despite their recent success, the Union’s constant rotation of players has made it hard for fans to grow a strong bond with any player not named Bedoya, Blake, or Le Toux.
Over the years, players have become fan favorites and have been almost immediately shipped away. Daniel Gazdag, Julian Carranza, and Jose Martinez within the last 2 years. Now, as the Union completed 2025, they are transferring away the likes of Tai Baribo and Jacob Glesnes. It is hard to sustain a fanbase, especially for a casual viewer, when the fanbase does not know who is on the field.
Now, the Union’s roster moves are not bad business. The club brings in unknown players for cheap and sells them at peak value. However, keeping the fanbase engaged is important. The saying goes, You support the crest on the shirt. However, a big part of being a fan is having players you love and support. Fans cannot buy a jersey with a player’s name because who knows if that player will be here tomorrow.
Lack of Achievements
Another difficulty facing Union fans is a lack of achievements. Now, the city of Philadelphia is unfortunately used to this. However, each Philly team has had an era of winning. For example, the Phillies from 2007 to 2011 and the past 8 years of Eagles football. While it was not always sunshine and rainbows, the Phillies and Eagles have world championships to show from these eras.
For the Union, their golden era came with 0 league championships. Now, the club does have 2 Supporters Shields and a trip to the MLS Cup. However, the seems to fall short when it matters most just about every time. The Union have lost 3 US Open Cup Finals and their 1 MLS Cup final. Being a Union fan would be a bit easier if fans could look back and see a Cup Final trophy in the case.
Lack of Ambition from Ownership
If the current Philadelphia Union were playing in an MLS Era before 2018, they would be dominant. However, the league has evolved, and the Union’s club record signing would not even crack MLS’s top 100 in terms of money spent on a single player. Other team fanbases get to see their team bring in $10+ million stars and the likes of Lionel Messi and Chucho Hernandez. Union fans get excited for the unknown player from South America who will become an All-Star and be transferred away for profit.
In all seriousness, the Union will struggle to build the fanbase outside of the city limits of Chester, Pennsylvania, if ownership does not commit to established stars.
Union Fanbase is at the Top of MLS
Despite all the troubles and heartbreak they go through, the Union fanbase is still amongst the best in MLS. Just like all other Philadelphia sports teams, the Union faithful sell out Subaru Park and show up for the Union. If anything, the difficulty of being a fan of the Union is a testament to how passionate they are.
All fans can hope for is a great player they can root for for years, ownership to finally open up the checkbook, and, of course, an MLS Cup trophy to go in the cabinet. If you or someone you know is a fan of the Philadelphia Union, give them words of encouragement; it is really not easy sometimes.
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