Brotherly Game Archive
Union to announce USL team
A USL team is coming to the Lehigh Valley.
The Philadelphia Union will make a “Major Announcement” on Wednesday, the team announced in a minor announcement today. Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz, Lehigh University President John Simon, and USL CEO Alec Papadakis will all be in attendance at Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium, where the Union are expected to announce a USL franchise.
With the creation of what we are tentatively calling "Union 2," the Union become the 10th MLS club to field a team in the USL. While the Union have had an affiliation–which will likely end after this season–with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL for years, they never possessed the autonomy that they desired. With Union 2, they'll be responsible for every aspect of the club, from filling a roster to finding a venue.
Speaking of venues, it seems likely that Union 2 will be playing its games at Goodman Stadium, where the announcement will be made on Wednesday. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 16,000-capacity Goodman Stadium is only home to one tenant at the moment: Lehigh University Football.
Back in July, Sakiewicz said that the Union were exploring the Lehigh Valley as a potential site for a USL team. In that same interview, Sakiewicz revealed that the team is looking to start play in 2016.
