Editor’s note: This post has been updated, because U.S. Soccer, the sponsor Hisense, and their marketing firm Kwittken had some legalese and logistics to fix from their end. The update: It’s one pair of free tickets, and there’s a link to the legalese below. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we hope one of you wins and has a blast at the game.
The Philly Soccer Page has one pair of free tickets to give away for the U.S.-Bolivia men’s soccer match on May 28 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester.
To enter the contest, here’s all you have to do.
- Go down to the Comments section of this post.
- Share a memorable moment from a World Cup that you watched.
- Winners will be randomly selected Friday by Hisense, a global technology company that is sponsoring the contest, and contacted via email so they can get the tickets.
- For the full rules and legalese, click here.
- Note: Make sure you’re able to easily check your email Friday, so that you can get notified and then confirm that you can take the tickets. We will announce the winner here as soon as we know who it is.
Hisense, a global technology company that specializes in 4K TVs, is an official sponsor of U.S. Soccer and the 2018 World Cup, and they produce the official TV of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Hisense TVs include a FOX app for watching the game from multiple angles, on which you can find more info here.
For more information on Hisense, click here.
Note: PSP receives no compensation as part of this. The only benefit we get is to see you get free tickets.
I couldn’t watch the USA versus Algeria since my family was on vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and we were driving around. I kept refreshing my twitter feed and was sure their time was over. We stopped at the Information Center for the Soo Locks and I refreshed one last time. I am sure all those gathered to see the boats going through the locks thought I was nuts when I began yelling “DONOVAN SCORED! USA WINS!!!!!! What a memory!
I have so many World Cup memories of actually attending in 1994 and going to Philly bars and special fan gatherings throughout the last 5 World Cups. But I always go back to the group match between USA and Colombia in ’94. It was the last day of school that day for the year for me. It was also the night before me and my dad were going to fly down to Orlando and see 3 separate World Cup matches. As my family gathered around the TV for the match, I just remember us having this special feeling of optimism that the US could pull the upset, especially on home soil. Colombia was a popular pick to, not only go far, but perhaps win it all. I still have a recording of that match on a VHS tape. And there so many memories coming from that one match. From current Union sporting director Earnie Stewart’s winning goal to the tragic own goal of Andres Escobar. There was also the amazing near goal bicycle kick from Marcelo Balboa. The key saves from Tony Meola. This was the match that truly made me a US fan and fan in general of the World Cup. It’s no accident that many say this was the statement game that the US finally belongs on the world stage. For me it was the true starting point. 24 years later, despite all the great memories and gatherings of watching the World Cup, this stands out as one amazing memorable moment.
My best memory is probably a similar one to many others, albeit in my own context. Landon’s goal to send us through against M’Bolhi.
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I worked in a small office at the time and was by far the youngest person, and 100% the only soccer fan. I got ragged on for most of the tournament, especially as the Algeria game progressed and it looked a lost cause. My memory is watching on my monitor, in my cubicle, in a dead silent office, as Donovan scores and I jumped up screaming, knocking my chair over and running out of the front door to revel.
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This year will be the first World Cup I have with a son, and while it stinks not being able to share it with him, just this time every 4 years always brings back the fond memories of past world cups.
Awesome. I so relate to that.
1986. One of my best friends in college was from Argentina. Even though it was summer break, I went to a school that allowed students to stay on campus year round. We went to the lounge in the Student Center to watch Argentina’s quarterfinal against England. Early in the second half, Maradona opened the scoring with a controversial goal. Since we were rooting for Argentina at the time, we were willing to take it.
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And then there was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk-kXwjASEE
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That’s why we watch this game and is the type of play that gets me to root for the South American teams.
I really enjoyed watching the last World Cup with my son. He was 7 years-old, so it was his first “real” World Cup that he could remember and get into. He faithfully wore his USA “popsicle” jersey for every USA game and we hung little flags around the house for some of the countries playing. It was also his first Panini World Cup sticker book experience and we got it mostly full. “Wondolowski” is still considered a bad word in our household and there may have been a few tears after the Belgium game. Disappointed no USA this summer but still looking forward to sharing the World Cup experience.
Saw Argentina play Holland in the 1978 final in the Tower Theater in Upper Darby. They somehow had a satellite feed and the Theater was packed. Was the only place to see the final in Philly and it showed how much passion and appetite there was for this sport in the US. We brought flags, sang and shouted. Friends from my High School soccer team who I brought to this game are still talking about it today.
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Went to Germany in 2006 with my family. My sons were 12 and 9 at the time. The Fan Fests in the towns and villages and the live games made them soccer fans for life and gave them experiences they are still talking about full of passion today. During the Germany – Italy semi-match in Dusseldorf I ended up sitting next to a guy who had flown in from Philly and had bought the ticket on eBay. He was also an LM alum: what a coincidence!
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The Fado block party during the final in S-Africa between Spain and Holland was also awesome! Locust street between 15 & 16th Str was totally packed,as were the parking garages with people looking onto the screen from the parking garages. Was a great atmosphere on a street in Philly.
I was 20 years old, soon to be 21. It was the summer before my senior year of college. World Cup 2002 – South Korea/Japan. It was like 2 or 3 in the morning and of course me, my dad, and brother, stayed up for the US v Portugal match. I clearly remember losing my mind, silently as to not wake my mom, when the US scored like 5 minutes in. By the 3rd goal, the McBride diving header, we were no longer able to keep it down. 3-0 in 36 minutes!?! Versus Portugal… and Figo!!?!? Just such joy and cheering. I played soccer till I was like 14-15 but gave it up to play hockey. I watched the 1998 World Cup but that didn’t go so well for the US. This game really got me back into the sport… and while I didn’t play on teams anymore, I watched and followed as much as I could. And now I can’t get enough. It was just such an unbelievable game and something that I will really never forget.
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Here’s that goal: https://youtu.be/TmNVZdnSvOo?t=20
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PS – What a cross from Sanneh!!
What?! I already got tickets! Shucks.
I’ll share a memory anyways. I wasn’t much a sports person growing up (geeky/nerdy), so it wasn’t until after highschool that I started getting into sports. I had little access as a poor college student and ESPN3 was free with Comcast/Verizon at the time so that was all I got to watch. ESPN put all the games of the 2006 World Cup live on ESPN3 (boy I miss those days). I followed the US, but I knew it wasn’t likely they would make it so I chose France (family is from there if you go back far enough) as the team to root for. Throughout that tournament I watched and delighted in the play of Zidane/France. I fell in love with Zidane and by extension soccer. Then in the final, he and it… broke my heart. His red card and the following penalties are forever etched in my memory. To this day I loathe the national team of Italy (not actual Italians, love them) with a surprising amount of vehemence. I may have been crying tears of joy when Germany knocked them out of Euro 2016. So that and yeah Donovan’s stoppage time goal to advance in 2010. That’s why I love the sport. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in an instant. Nothing really quite comes close to the exhilaration of soccer.
PS. Don’t give me the tickets. I just like sharing about soccer.
My favorite memory was the 1994 World Cup watching USA vs. Brazil. It was the first World Cup that I had ever watched, and it was so thrilling for me as a 12-year-old who was full of hope and didn’t know any better to truly believe that the USA was going to beat Brazil. After Tab Ramos took an elbow to the head and Brazil went down a man, I was so certain that the USA team of scrappers and fighters was going to find a way to find a way to do the impossible and beat Brazil. Unfortunately it was not meant to be that day, but I have loved watching the World Cup every time since then.
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Memory number two was waking up in the middle of the night to watch the 2002 World Cup, and then going to work with fellow bleary-eyes soccer fans…
That Brazil-US game was the hardest one for me to decide who to root for. Clearly if it was the finals or a one off I would root for the US. But given that Brazil is one of my favorite non US teams, I knew they had a better chance to win the whole thing that the US did. If the US had won that game we probably would have seen either the Netherlands or Sweden take on Italy in the finals.
Going to east Rutherford with Rob and our friends to see Suadia v Morocco 94 WC with a broken toe
Roberto Baggio skying his kick in the 1994 WC final against Brazil. He was, and still is, completely crushed by it. Brazil instantly won the WC on his miss. It was such a huge juxtaposition of agony and elation… it’s the essence of the final.
I remember being a teenager transitioning from 8th grade to high school and loving the sport of soccer. The World Cup was on its way to America. As a young American obsessed with Soccer watching pbs for highlights and the Sports channel for Dutch league Soccer nothing could be more exciting for me then the World Cup coming to America. I would be told by friends and adults that no one would be excited as me that the World Cup was coming here. Then something happened, I was in a VFW post for my sister’s friens’s high school graduation party and there were all these people including myself surrounding a small tv at the bar watching Italy vs
Ireland. Their people wearing Micks vs the Mob t shirts and for the first time in my life I knew there was other people like me, that were excited for Soccer, were excited to see the sport succeed here. I will never forget that moment Blackthorn music playing in the background, friends and family cheering the sport I love.
One of my favorite World Cup memory involves not the game itsself but a replay.
A couple years ago I am in South Philly. I’m in the mood for Pho and hit up a place that I know that is pretty good and has Soccer on the TV’s all the time.
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So I head in and order food. I settle down and see what game is on TV. As luck would have it it was the 2006 final between France and Italy.
Great game.
Seeing I’m alone I settle in and watch the game already into the second half.
I know what’s gonna happen of course but like I said it is a good game and I watch.
Soon after I get my food start to eat and watch. Then eventually I slow down and watch more than I eat.
I know whats gonna happen.
Then I start to drag it out a bit hoping no one notices that I’m basically loitering at this point. Surly South Philly Asian food employees are nothing to fuck with.
No one does of course, mostly because the employees are half watching the game too. They all know whats gonna happen.
Then it happens.
Zidane headbutts Materazzi.
This collective “Oh Shit!” muttered under 6 or 7 people breath when it happened.
We all knew it was gonna happen.
We all waited for it.
And yet when it happened everyone who saw it was still taken aback and relived that moment.
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I love the World Cup.
I would have to go with the 2014 World Cup, US vs Ghana. Was at the bar with my mom and about 75 of my closest USMNT friends. The place was extremely tense at 1-1 and then when John Brooks scored to go ahead, the place went absolutely nuts. Never been happier to see a goal scored in a group stage game.
So many great memories, but the one that sticks out the most to me was the 2010 World Cup match against Algeria.
I was working as a lifeguard outside at the Hotel Hershey that summer. The game was going on and there was one open empty cabana with the game turned on so all off duty waiters, lifeguards, and pool attendants could watch the game.
There must have been 20 or so of us crammed in that little tent to watch the final minutes. Patrons must have thought we were nuts when we all went crazy when Donovan scored. I had barely 5 minutes after that to scarf down my meal but I was on cloud nine. Nothing could get me down the rest of the day.
As an Italia fan, for me its the 2006 final. I had to drop off my kid at their mom’s in dallas with no alternative options. So I ended up planning my flights around the game. I find an airport bar near my gate and take a seat. Of course the game goes to extra time! So I decide that I’m gonna stick it out, flight be damned! My decision pays off when Zidane headbutts Materazzi. It goes to pks and the rest is history. I look up to see my flight was delayed but it had been moved, so I take off running and barely make it in time, thus forgoing the possibility that I traded in watching Italy win in exchange for extra time in the worst city of the worst state.
During the last World Cup I had an opponent scouting report to do for a game that started right after the US vs Portugal group stage game. The scout took place 2 hours from Philadelphia so I looked ahead to find a place I could watch the US game near where I had to scout.
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I found an Apple Bees 5 minutes from the field so I called them ahead to make sure they would have it on and they said “sure we can put it on.” So when I arrived there on game day the bartender had no idea the game was on but she put it on when I asked. The restaurant was pretty full of people who didn’t seem to care at all that their country was playing in a World Cup match!
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At halftime I asked if they could put the sound on to add to the experience and they obliged. The wait staff were starting to get into the game now and some of the people started to watch. Then Jermaine Jones did this:
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The place then erupted. People at every table were now into the game. I overheard several people asking for the game on the TV they were watching. This place was now electric. When Clint Dempsey scored late in the game I felt like I was in a sports bar full of US Soccer Fans. It was amazing. We all know how the game ended in an unfortunate 2 -2 draw but I will never forget this moment when I had a hand in bringing World Cup fever to an Apple Bee’s at the Jersey Shore.
one of my best memories was the 3-2 win over Portugal 2002, since I was brutally verbally mocked and abused by a construction site of fellow workers(of Portuguese descent) who couldn’t believe for one second that the USA had a chance, & that the match was going to be an easy win for the ‘favorite’ Portugal over the hapless USA. Then 3-0 early on, the DAGGER being McBrides diving header(what a BEAUTIFUL goal), & Portugal & the world gets SHOCKED… What wonderful bragging rights I had when I made my rounds collecting the multiple wagers I had made with many of my workers that afternoon. USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA !!!
Uhh Tim Howard’s 16 saves duh… Nough said
I am a soccer fanatic, and a rabid US Soccer fan, but to me, the most magical part of the World Cup has always been the spirit of the game as brought to life by the fans of nations from around the world. That’s why my favorite memory is going to my one and only live World Cup game — a 1994 game between Mexico and Norway in DC. My girlfriend and I had no idea what to expect, and when our subway train pulled in, we were shocked that we could hardly even get OUT of the train, because the underground tunnel near RFK was completely jammed with Mexico fans. It was packed from there to the stadium, and we had so much fun watching multi-generational families of Mexico fans — often taking pictures with the heavily outnumbered, Viking-horn-hat wearing Norway fans dressed in red. The game itself was a bit sad — a 1-0 Norway win that deprived the stadium of the chance to cheer a Mexico goal — but I’ll never forget it. Long live the World Cup and the global community that it helps bring together!