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MLS team to begin building momentum

They'll turn over the first clumps of dirt in Chester on Monday, moivng into a new phase of activity that includes naming the team and picking the colors.

What has been for a while a flight under the radar is about to end. Philly's Major League Soccer team has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for 2:30 p.m. Monday at the site of the 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium in Chester.

One thing about already having a fan club, in this case the Sons of Ben, is that the bleachers set up for the event likely will be full. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis to see franchise officials and MLS commissioner Don Garber turn the first chunks of dirt for the future pitch.

The team is scheduled to start play in 2010, but the Sons of Ben figure it's never too soon to begin doing work in the community. To that end, the club is asking attendees to bring canned food for its second annual "Help Kick Hunger" drive, benefitting Chester's Bernardine Center. MLS Philadelphia will match donations up to $500.

Reached on Wednesday, the CEO and Operating Partner of Keystone Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the ownership group for the MLS 2010 Philadelphia, said the franchise has managed to push ahead despite the sour economy. Nick Sakiewicz wrote in an e-mail that "we are over 6,000 season-ticket deposits and are about to announce our second major stadium sponsor next Monday. Been in the ground for about 8 weeks and very excited about the future. Looks like we'll sell out the stadium the first year and we are very focused on building the best stadium we can and servicing our great fans."

At some point over the next two months, they expect to build momentum by kicking off a naming campaign and releasing info on season-ticket prices, leading up to announcing the team's name, logo and color scheme. Word about the coach, players and Daughters of Ben — there will be cheerleaders, won't there? — come much later.