A total of five players with local connections will be on the team, including Matt Freese of Wayne, Pa.; Auston Trusty of Media, Pa.; Christian Pulisic of Hershey, Pa.; Brenden Aaronson of Medford, N.J.; and Mark McKenzie of Bear, Del.
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Fans joined city and state politicians and local soccer leaders for the live broadcast, celebrating what organizers described as a milestone for supporters.
"This is one of the most exciting times for all the fans," said Chris Branscome, CEO of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer.
As the tournament approaches, excitement across the city continues to grow.
"This is great, it's been building for a long time now, but as we get closer, you can start to feel it," Branscome said.
At the same time, Philadelphia is intensifying preparations for a major FIFA fan festival planned at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park.
Construction began there on Monday for the event, which is expected to draw about 15,000 visitors daily.
The preparations include significant road closures in surrounding neighborhoods, a development that has prompted concern from some residents.
"I am really anxious about that," said Fairmount resident Priscilla Molina.
Molina said the extended disruption worries her as the park area faces an expected surge in visitors.
"This is a little green gem that is the reason I moved here in 1995, and to have it be an onslaught of the amount of people they expect is scary," she said.
Police began implementing closures starting at 6 a.m., blocking off Poplar Street at 30th Street. According to city officials, multiple roads will remain closed through July 26 as preparations and the fan festival continue.
Officials say the Lemon Hill site will host one of the largest fan festivals in North America, featuring food vendors and large viewing screens for World Cup matches.
Still, some neighbors question both the location choice and the impact on their daily lives.
"It strikes me as there were probably other locations that were better than Lemon Hill," said Oliver Presson, a Brewerytown resident.
Residents have also raised concerns about logistics, including parking. The city has said it will provide parking permits to those affected, but some neighbors say the rollout has been unclear.
"There's not really a ton of communication on how to get parking permits in a timely fashion. We were notified with less than a month's notice," Presson said.
With road access and parking restricted, city officials are encouraging festival attendees to walk from Center City or use public transportation to reach the site.
Officials also said the project will include permanent improvements to Fairmount Park after the fan festival concludes.