Philadelphia Union II pays tribute to teammate’s late father in win over Chicago Fire II

Two staples from the Philadelphia Union II team were missing on Saturday at Subaru Park: captain Kyle Tucker and his father, Roger Tucker, who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

Roger Tucker was a regular in the stands and on the sidelines of local team West Chester United. He helped coach his son and Union II teammate Mike Sheridan to the Hank Steinbrecher Cup last summer as an assistant under West Chester United head coach Blaise Santangelo and was also part of the run to a Werner Fricker Cup in Tennessee the previous year.

Kyle Tucker signed with Union II after winning the Steinbrecher Cup and Sheridan signed with the team ahead of this season. Sheridan started for Union II on Saturday and the Ridley native made a career high 7 saves in helping secure the come-from-behind 3-2 win. Sheridan and his teammates held Kyle’s No. 88 jersey up in the starting XI photo and wore black RT armbands to pay tribute to Roger, a 64-year-old England native who moved to the U.S. with his wife Patricia, whom he met while traveling to see the World Cup in Spain in 1982.

The father of four coached locally at Phoenixville Area Soccer Club, Spirit United, Lionville and Continental FC before joining the staff at West Chester United. Even when he wasn’t on the sidelines with the local amateur club he was a fixture at games and was an important part of the program that has been among the best locally at developing adult amateur players.

You can read more about Roger “Snicky” Tucker’s incredible life and legacy in his obituary. A celebration of life service is being held on Saturday.

Union II head equipment manager Andrew Vaccaro puts the RT armband on vice captain Frankie Westfield. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Union

Roger Tucker coaching for West Chester United