Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls
Subaru Park
2501 Seaport Dr.
Chester, PA
July 12, 2025
It was a sticky Saturday night in Chester County, Pennsylvania as thousands of fans gathered at Subaru Park, the home of the Philadelphia Union soccer league. The Union sit at #1 in the Eastern Conference of the MLS (Major League Soccer). The July 12th game was billed as "Rivalry Night" as the New York Red Bulls tried to end the Union's home win streak, which currently sits at 10 home wins in a row. Alas, the Red Bulls couldn't bust this Union, instead spending the entire 90 minutes trying to defend their goal and chasing around the Union players. The Union continued their campaign towards another MLS Cup Finals appearance with a 2-0 win over New York. Below are some highlights from the game — as told through photos.
Philadelphia Union supporters lived up to the reputation Philly fans have become known for: getting loud and letting the referees know exactly how they feel about an errant call.
The "Sons of Ben," as the ultra fans are known, show up every game to make sure their team is cheered on. Ladders, drums, and luchador masks are must haves for this special section of seating. You can only sit in this section if you're ready to stand, chant, and cheer for all 90 minutes of play.
I thought there would be more fans coming out for the Red Bulls since NYC is so close by, but as you can see it was a sea of blue, white, and gold to support the home team — except for that tiny pocket in the top corner of red holding down a steady drum beat throughout the game.
The New York Red Bulls team doesn't have a cool nickname for their ultra fans like we do, but some call themselves the "The Protectors of the Passaic," which is a river in New Jersey, not New York. They travel with their team and drum leader to let the Red Bulls know they're behind them, even if seated in the top-most corner of the stadium.
While most fans were hyper-focused on the players on the field, some seemed entirely concentrated on cheering — and making the best of the warm night in Chester County, just outside of Philadelphia.
I was expecting European-level fandom and antics at this MLS game, but the fans were, for the most part, content with the night's gameplay. This was probably because the Union had control of the game from the first blow of the whistle, easily holding onto their 2-0 lead for the whole game.
Even mid trip, Union defender Nathan Harriel, let the referees know who the ball should return to.
Union player Indiana Vassilev interrupted Red Bulls Noah Eile, effectively forcing him to take the ball out of bounds and turning the ball over to the Union.
Sal Olivas boxed out a Red Bulls player for control of the incoming head butt, a theme for the night as the Union shut out the Red Bulls.
Union player Kai Wagner set up a corner kick on the Red Bulls goal as the Union fans cheered and the Red Bulls fans bit their nails hoping this kick wouldn't bring the score to 3-0.
Outside the stadium, BR the cat came out to show her pride for the Union, a casual gimmick that NYC could never hope to match.
