Posted: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 3:21 PM | 3 comments |

Independence announce schedule

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Updated with a quote from the Independence front office. See below.

The Independence have released their schedule. Most of the home games are 6 p.m. Sunday kickoffs.

All home games will be played at West Chester's John A. Farrell Stadium; directions are here.

The home opener is Sunday, April 11 vs. fellow expansion team Atlanta at 6 p.m. Another notable game is a July 4 date with Boston at 4 p.m.

Brazilian superstar Marta and FC Gold Pride will visit once, on June 13.

Interestingly - and disappointingly, it has to be said - the Union and Independence are never home on the same day. So there aren't going to be any opportunities to even consider having a doubleheader at PPL Park.

But on the flip side, fans won't have to choose between one team or the other on a given day.

"Soccer enthusiasts will get the best of both worlds, and we are glad they have the opportunity to get behind Philadelphia professional soccer on every level," Independence general manager Terry Foley said in a statement this evening.

Perhaps next year, when PPL Park will be available for a full season, doubleheaders will be a possibility. I've been to a few in Washington and they've regularly drawn big crowds. Attendance won't be an issue for the Union, but it would be a nice way to bring a bit of extra buzz to the sport.

Here's the full schedule, with home games in italics.

Sunday, April 11 vs. Atlanta Beat, 6:00 pm
Sunday, April 18 at Boston Breakers, 6:00 pm
Sunday, April 25 vs. Washington Freedom, 6:00 pm

Saturday, May 1 vs. Atlanta Beat, 6:00 pm
Saturday, May 8 at Saint Louis Athletica, 8:10 pm
Saturday, May 15 at Chicago Red Stars, 7:00 pm
Sunday, May 30 at Washington Freedom, 6:00 pm

Sunday, June 6 vs. Sky Blue FC, 6:00 pm
Sunday, June 13 vs. FC Gold Pride, 6:00 pm
Saturday, June 19 at Sky Blue FC, 7:00 pm
Wednesday, June 23 at Atlanta Beat, 7:30 pm
Saturday, June 26 vs. Washington Freedom, 6:00 pm

Sunday, July 4 vs. Boston Breakers, 4:00 pm
Saturday, July 10 at Chicago Red Stars, TBD
Saturday, July 17 at FC Gold Pride, 10:00 pm
Saturday, July 24 vs. Sky Blue FC, 6:00 pm
Saturday, July 31 at Boston Breakers, 6:00 pm

Wednesday, August 4 at Washington Freedom, 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 8 vs. Saint Louis Athletica, 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 15 vs. Chicago Red Stars, 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 22 at Sky Blue FC, TBD
Sunday, August 29 vs. Boston Breakers, 6:00 pm ET

Sunday, September 5 vs. Saint Louis Athletica, 6:00 pm (Fan Appreciation Day)
Saturday, September 11 at FC Gold Pride, TBD

Playoffs

Sunday, September 19 WPS First Round Playoff, 2:00 pm
Wednesday, September 22 or Thursday, September 23 WPS Semifinal Match, 6:00 pm
Sunday, September 26 WPS Championship, venue and time TBD

Posted by Jonathan Tannenwald @ 3:21 PM Permalink | File Under: Philadelphia Independence | | Women's Professional Soccer | 3 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:54 AM, 02/19/2010

I thought the whole purpose of building the new stadium and starting both franchises in 2010 was that they would both play at the new soccer stadium (PPL) Why isn't the Independence playing in Chester, especially with no scheduling conflicts with the Union? Who's going to go all the way to West Chester?

— drbob1

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:26 PM, 02/19/2010

Remember that PPL Park won't be ready until June. The Independence wanted a facility they could play at all year, so they went for West Chester.

— Jonathan Tannenwald

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:34 PM, 02/19/2010

Fair enough Jonathan; I assume that means they will be moving to PPL next year.It might have been in their interests to do what the Union did and request a 'road game loaded' schedule early on, so that they could play most of their home games at the new place(Union will still have 13 home games left out of 15 when it opens).According to the sked you posted above, the Independence would have been only able to play 6 games at PPL ( assuming June 27 ready date). I just don't see them drawing fans at West Chester.

— drbob1

3 comments

About Jonathan Tannenwald

The Goalkeeper is your home for the latest news about the Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia Independence, U.S. national teams and the rest of the world's most popular sport. It's also a place for fans to gather and celebrate the culture of soccer and its unique place on the sports landscape.

Jonathan Tannenwald is a sports producer for Philly.com. He became a soccer fan while watching the 1998 World Cup at a bar in Avignon, France, and he's been writing about the sport ever since.

He also writes Philly.com's college sports blog, Soft Pretzel Logic.

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