Didier Drogba Leads Ivory Coast’s Open Training at Subaru Park

didier drogba and Ivory Coast took the field at Subaru Park on Friday evening for an open training session before Sunday night’s World Cup opener against Ecuador at Philadelphia Stadium. The stop gave the squad another public look in the Delaware Valley after arriving in the region last Saturday. It also put the team back in front of the Philadelphia crowd it will see again during the group stage.

Subaru Park Crowd

About 5,000 people watched the session, which was the second free event Ivory Coast staged for the Philadelphia community. The team had already beaten Union II 2-0 on Monday in a public tuneup friendly, then returned Friday for a lighter workout that included official squad photos and 11-on-11 work.

Emerse Faé addressed the crowd briefly in French after the session and said the team had received a warm welcome in the region since arriving. Through a translator, he said, “We were well-received by the delegation here,” and added, “We want to see you on Sunday for the win.”

Ivory Coast’s Delaware Valley Base

The setup gives Ivory Coast a rare home base for a World Cup team: it is the only nation scheduled to play at Lincoln Financial Field twice during the group stage, and the only team staying and training in the Delaware Valley throughout the tournament. The squad has based itself at Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington and planned to keep training at Subaru Park in Chester.

That makes the next stretch unusually local for fans who bought in early. Sam Shovers and Joe Santillo already have tickets for Ivory Coast’s final group-stage match against Curaçao at the Linc on June 25, adding one more Philadelphia-area date to a schedule that will keep the team around for at least three weeks.