Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Philadelphia Union unveil new third jersey, inspired by Bethlehem Steel



(by Jonathan Tannenwald philly.com 2-26-13)

Now it's official. After lots of rumor and speculation - and some leaked photos on the internet Tuesday afternoon - the Philadelphia Union finally unveiled their new third jersey during their Meet the Team event at Xfinity Live.

The black, white and red color scheme is a tribute to Bethlehem Steel, the famed club from the 1910's and 1920's that won five U.S. Open Cups.

Led by Archie Stark, Bethlehem Steel rose to local and national prominence in an era when soccer was a huge deal in America.

At that point in the country's history, the east coast's vast population of European immigrants hadn't truly assimilated yet. Baseball was only starting to gain mass appeal, and professional football was far inferior to college football in terms of popularity.

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