I was in middle school when the Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. I grew up playing football. I went to the Phillies World Series parade and both Eagles Super Bowl parades — those were magical days, the kind that stay with you for the rest of your life. I understand completely what it feels like when your sport, your team, your moment arrives and the whole region catches fire around it.
I am trying to feel that way about the World Cup. I am genuinely trying.
I am not there yet.
Christopher Sánchez |AP Photo/Chris Szagola
Christopher Sánchez |AP Photo/Chris Szagola
Last night I was at Citizens Bank Park with my buddies Dave, TC and Bruce watching the Phillies take on the Padres. Kyle Forcini was there too, with his girlfriend. We talked about the game plenty on air today — Christopher Sanchez had gone more than 50 consecutive innings without allowing a run, one of the most remarkable streaks any of us had seen, and last night the Padres ended it. The stadium gave Sanchez two standing ovations. Both were moving. Both were completely deserved. A packed ballpark honoring a pitcher for what he accomplished even in the moment it ended — that is Philadelphia sports. That is what it feels like when a region loves its team.
I assume that is exactly what soccer fans are feeling right now about the World Cup. I just cannot access it myself.
Soccer Was Gym Class and I Never Got Past That
I played soccer in gym class. That is the entirety of my soccer background. And what I remember most is the running. Continuous, relentless, purposeless-seeming running. Up and down a field. I was a kid who liked football and baseball — sports where you get a moment to breathe, to think, to reset between plays. I liked the pause. Soccer does not have a pause. It is just running.
I did eventually become a runner. But in middle school, running for its own sake was not the point. The point was the game. And soccer felt like the running was the game.
I know that is not a sophisticated sports analysis. I know what the game means to billions of people around the world and I respect it completely. This is just an honest account of how a kid from South Jersey who grew up on the Flyers and the Phillies and the Eagles ended up here in 2026, genuinely trying to feel the excitement and coming up a little short.
SEE ALSO: Coming to NJ for the World Cup? Here’s what Tony Soprano would show you
The Linc? World Cup Pitch? Both? | Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
The Linc? World Cup Pitch? Both? | Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
That Lincoln Financial Field Sign Though
Something did get my attention this week. I saw the Lincoln Financial Field logo covered over with the World Cup branding. That is our house. That is where the Eagles play. And seeing it dressed up for something else — even something this big, even something this global — felt strange in a way I did not entirely expect.
I am sure Giants fans and Jets fans are feeling the same thing about MetLife Stadium up in East Rutherford. That is their house too. The World Cup is borrowing it for the summer and everyone is supposed to be thrilled about it. And I understand why it is a big deal — the economic impact, the global attention, the chance for New Jersey and Philadelphia to host the world. I get it intellectually.
It just feels like someone rearranged the furniture in your living room without asking.
What I Am Actually Excited About
The Phillies now have a winning record. Kyle and I were both at the park last night when Christopher Sanchez got those two standing ovations and I will not forget either one of them.
And Eagles training camp starts soon.
To the billions of soccer fans around the world descending on North Jersey and Philadelphia this summer — welcome. Truly. New Jersey and Philadelphia are great places and I hope you love every minute of it. Eat a cheesesteak. Go down the Shore. Take the train and see what this part of the country looks like when it is fully alive in the summer.
I will be watching the Phillies.
Go Birds.
55 pro baseball players from NJ
Gallery Credit: Joe Votruba, Erin Vogt
