Philadelphia shone in the soccer world like never before during the Club World Cup

A few hours before the first Club World Cup game in town, I took a bus up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with a friend who was visiting from Belgium to cover the tournament. We had heard that fans of Brazil’s Flamengo were gathering atop the Art Museum steps, and wanted to check out the scene.

What we arrived at turned out to not be a destination. Instead, it was the start of a journey that might have forever changed how Philadelphia sees soccer, not just as a sport but as something cultural.

If that seems like a crazy thing to say, think about how much the city has seen over the last three weeks. From June 16 to July 4, Lincoln Financial Field hosted eight games involving 10 teams from seven countries spanning three continents. A total of 346,454 fans passed through the stadium’s gates in that span, for an average of 43,307.

Two games drew more than 60,000, Real Madrid — the world’s most popular club team — against Red Bull Salzburg, and Palmeiras-Chelsea in the quarterfinal that closed the tournament’s run here. And even the smallest crowd, 25,797 for Flamengo-Espérance in the Linc’s opener, had a more vibrant atmosphere than almost all 31 soccer games the Eagles’ home had hosted in its previous 22 years.

Flamengo’s second game here, against Chelsea, lived up to all the hype. The Brazilian giant’s backers formed a deafening wall of black-and-red shirts, and they were rewarded with a thrilling 3-1 win that’s been one of the tournament’s signature results.

» READ MORE: The Club World Cup in Philly served as a reminder that soccer is more than the English Premier League

There were just as many memorable moments beyond the field. In fact, there might have been even more. Flamengo’s fans had that Art Museum pep rally, then a huge tailgate party before the Chelsea game a few days later. Espérance brought a reported 3,000 fans from Tunisia to join fans who live here, and they made great scenes from Reading Terminal Market to the stadium stands.

Morocco’s Wydad also had two games here, and brought crowds from their country and across the North American diaspora. They announced themselves with a party at LOVE Park where they sent Mayor Cherelle L. Parker a customized jersey, with City Representative Jazelle Jones happily stopping by to receive it.

Though the team lost to Manchester City and Juventus here, the fans’ show might be what many Philadelphians remember most: smoke bombs and flares that sent huge red-and-black clouds billowing across the field.

Those moments produced opinions on both sides. Some locals enjoyed the display, with a few even asking why fans can’t have pyrotechnics at Eagles games. Others were aghast, such as the fan who emailed this reporter: “Why does the Soccer Media provide cover for this egregious fan behavior??”

» READ MORE: A photo essay of soccer fans lighting up Lincoln Financial Field during the Club World Cup

The answer might not satisfy everyone, but it’s at least fact-based. It wasn’t just a bunch of individuals that brought the pyrotechnics in. Soccer teams have organized fan groups, and they handle the planning and controlling of displays. Such groups don’t exist for NFL teams, so coordination isn’t possible in the same way.

They do exist in American soccer, including at Union games. The Sons of Ben have had smoke displays at Subaru Park for years, though flares are usually not allowed across the board in MLS.

There’s no doubt that the Wydad fans’ execution wasn’t perfect. It was a problem that a few flares landed on the field during Wydad’s games. But stadium security handled everything quickly, helped by the referee in the Wydad-Juventus game calling a regular hydration break after Wydad scored.

In fact, it’s worth taking a moment here to praise the stadium staff. There were only a tiny number of incidents across all eight games: one with Wydad fans; one where a fan of Palmeiras’ rival Corinthians got too chesty; and forcing fans to throw out water bottles when they were supposed to be allowed. The last of those had the biggest impact.

» READ MORE: Are soccer fans more unhinged than Philly sports fans? A conversation between Inquirer journalists

As hot as it got, Philly was lucky that it didn’t have any kickoff times in the worst of the heat wave that hit the city during the group stage.

No one should envy Chelsea and Espérance, who faced 90-degree temperatures even at their 9 p.m. start, and FIFA needs to think seriously about adjusting kickoff times for next year’s biggest World Cup of all. But things could have been a lot worse than they were, as games in many other cities showed.

The last group stage game was also much-anticipated. Real Madrid hadn’t come to town in 13 years, and the 15-time Champions League winners brought a sea of fans in their famed white shirts. They were rewarded by superstar Vinícius Júnior, whose breakaway goal looked like a Saquon Barkley touchdown dash — and drew a roar just as loud.

Then came the knockout rounds, and the introduction of two new Brazilian teams. It felt fitting that Palmeiras came to town, so it could show Philadelphia it’s more than what Eagles fans saw in a social media scare-fest when the Birds played in São Paulo last year.

» READ MORE: Union phenom Cavan Sullivan got to see Manchester City, his future team, play in Philadelphia

They did so at their own Art Museum party, with drums, flags, and a giant banner covering two stories of steps. The next day, the team once known as “Palestra Italia” turned the Linc into a soccer-sized Big 5 game, for their all-Brazilian contest with Botafogo.

Palmeiras’ reward for the win was staying in town to face Chelsea in the quarterfinals. Manager Abel Ferreira asked Philly fans to back his side against the English, a mutual rival on Independence Day, and they showed up. The crowd of 65,872 was the biggest of the tournament, and it thundered its backing for Palmeiras — especially when teen phenom Estêvão scored an outrageous goal to tie the score against the team he’s about to join.

Sadly for the Palmeiras fans, Chelsea ended up winning the game, and moved on to North Jersey for the semifinals. But every team that played here left with memories.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia got to meet Flamengo, a Brazilian soccer giant with a giant fan base

At the start of the tournament, a headline on these pages asked a question: The Club World Cup is controversial. Could Philadelphia’s games make it a success?

Now we have the answer. Though FIFA is scarred by greed, ego, and scandal, the city delivered a resounding yes. So many people who came to town raved about their time here, whether in public remarks or chats over evening drinks.

Players and team staffs loved the stadium’s atmosphere and grass playing surface (an especially big deal for them), and the training facilities across the region. Fans enjoyed walking around Center City, frequenting the many bars and restaurants, and taking an easy subway ride down Broad Street to the Sports Complex — something you can’t do in many other big U.S. soccer cities.

The international media said lots of great things too, in words and TV broadcasts and social media videos. Even the hard-to-please English enjoyed themselves despite having to face their greatest enemy, hot weather.

» READ MORE: Fans of Morocco’s Wydad brought a party like ‘no one has ever seen’ to Lincoln Financial Field

From here, the best memories will be of those fan rallies, especially for the Brazilian teams. For all the big games the Linc has hosted, until this summer the city hadn’t seen those authentic cultural moments that make the world’s game special.

Now that everyone has, hopefully you understand more about why people devote their lives to this sport, even in the U.S. where it still battles for recognition. And with the Club World Cup in the books, Philadelphia can now prepare for the next show. Soccer’s greatest spectacle of all, the traditional men’s World Cup, comes next summer. The countdown is officially on.