It's Official: We're a Union Town

After word leaked late last Thursday night that the Philadelphia MLS franchise would be called the Union, this morning's "official" announcement was nothing if not anticlimactic. But those who attended the official announcement did get the first crack at buying official Union merchandise—which the rest of us can now get at the team's official website.

Our knee-jerk reaction to the name and logo? We've got to say we're quite pleased. When potential team names surfaced a few months ago, we were a little concerned that the "Union" name might carry some controversial, if somewhat justified, undertones of support for labor unions—an issue that many Philadelphians have strong feelings about, whether for or against. But the name works on a number of levels, as Philadelphia being the birthplace of the American "union." Plus, as with the use of "United" in a number of European team names (as well as Washington, D.C.'s MLS franchise), "Union" pays respect to the fact the Philadelphia community extends far beyond the city proper, as people from Center City to the Northeast to the Main Line to South Jersey to Chester—where the team will play its matches—considering themselves part of Philly's "union." And just from an aesthetic point of view, we couldn't have asked more from the logo: the navy blue and gold of the Continental Army uniforms, the hint of lighter blue from Philadelphia's city flag, the thirteen stars of the original colonies, and the Gadsden flag rattlesnake. All in all, we've got to say it's pretty bad-ass.

With the name and logo being no surprise, perhaps the biggest piece of news to come out of this morning's ceremony was the announcement of season ticket prices. Prices run from $275 for the endline "supporters section" to $1100 for the club seats. Over the course of 15 games, even the club seats work out to less than $75 a pop, which isn't too bad (if, of course, you're a soccer fan). Most of the seats in the team's Chester stadium are at the $575 price point, roughly $38 per game. Not bad at all. If you want to reserve tickets, you can do so with a $250/seat deposit for club seats, or $100/seat for all other seats.

With the hoopla out of the way, it's time for the serious business of finishing stadium construction, picking a coach (or "manager," if you will), assembling the team, and finding a jersey sponsor. Oh, and getting the city excited about soccer. So far, the team has initial deposits on 1/3 of its 18,500-seat stadium, so we'd say they're off too a pretty good start. We know we're excited, but maybe we're the tiny minority. What do you think, Philadelphia? Are you excited for the Union to take the field next spring, or can you just not bring yourself to be a "Union supporter"?