© 2026

For assistance accessing the Online Public File for KAXE or KBXE, please contact: Steve Neu, IT Engineer, at 800-662-5799.
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The Brainerd translator at 89.9 FM is currently operating at reduced power. We are working toward a solution. Thank you for your patience. Listen at kaxe.org!

How Ukraine's immigrant community turned Philadelphia into a soccer town

NPR | By Brian Mann
Published June 24, 2026 at 2:59 PM CDT

Long before most Americans paid attention to soccer, Philadelphia had a thriving culture of athletes and fans shaped in large part by Ukrainian immigrants. The sport offers a rallying place for Ukrainians at a time when their home country is fighting for survival.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Brian Mann
Brian Mann is NPR's first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.
See stories by Brian Mann
Creative Commons License
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.