Ivory Coast faces Philadelphia Union II in sold-out Chester friendly ahead of World Cup
Ivory Coast face Union II in final World Cup tune-up match
The Ivory Coast will call Chester home during the FIFA World Cup and faced their hosts in a final friendly Monday night.
CHESTER, Pa. - Fans packed the home of the Philadelphia Union for a friendly match between the Union’s minor leaguers and Ivory Coast, with free tickets selling out fast on the team’s website, according to organizers.
The event served as Ivory Coast’s final warm-up before World Cup matches kick off in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The backstory:
Ivory Coast, a World Cup team from West Africa, faced off against the Union’s minor league squad in front of a sold-out crowd. Many fans in the stands wore orange, showing support for Ivory Coast, and several were natives now living in the Delaware Valley.
"You start to get the World Cup vibes so international sitting in the crowd people speaking French Spanish English, and German they’re all here just to watch pretty cool," said Mike Kelly, a Union fan. "I love it. I came right from work today to soak it all in," said Will Saie, an Ivory Coast native.
The atmosphere in Chester was electric, with cheers and excitement filling the air as fans from different backgrounds came together to celebrate the sport.
Fans celebrate international soccer and community
Local perspective:
Many Ivory Coast fans in attendance have made the Philadelphia area their home. "Is the beauty of the World Cup. I’ve lived in Philadelphia for over 26 years and just all the people from watching the beautiful game together. It’s amazing," said Saie. "There’s orange all over the place we’re not here to play. We’re here to win," said Ayouva Fayne, another Ivory Coast native.
The match was a unique opportunity for Union II players, including goalie Pierce Holbrook.
"Hopefully not a once in lifetime opportunity. something but for us right now this is an amazing opportunity to go up against the World Cup team and see where we stand and just like have fun and take the experience," said Holbrook.
The Union’s decision to offer free tickets made the event accessible to more families. "The World Cup being in the US is an awesome event. It’s expensive so it’s really cool the Union put this together with the Ivory Coast a free game can bring your kids and watch world class players," said Kelly.
The Source: Interviews with fans and players at the Philadelphia Union stadium.