Valley supporter groups gather to watch favorite soccer teams

PHOENIX – Arizona got a sneak peek of the popularity of soccer in the United States when CONMEBOL staged several Copa America games in Glendale in 2024. With most of the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place in the United States, more new eyes will land on the world’s most popular sport. 

If they need a place to learn about the game, local supporter groups in the Valley offer a good place to start. They include Man City Phoenix, which meets every match day at The Kettle Black Kitchen and Pub in downtown Phoenix, and Penya Blaugrana PHX, the FC Barcelona fan club in Arizona.  

When Stephen Gugliociello took over as president of Man City Phoenix in 2021, the supporters group had 34 members, one of whom owns The Kettle Black. 

The supporters group now totals 94 members. 

“It is super exciting to see the growth of soccer, not just for my own sake watching the club grow but for the sports sake,” Gugliociello said. “Big credit to NBC, not even just ESPN since they ushered the sport in, but when NBC took it over it really grew. Two years ago, Manchester City was the biggest club in the United States.” 

European Soccer is the most popular brand of the game, and regarded among fans as the pinnacle of sport. The most popular league in the United States and among the world is the English Premier League. In 2025 Manchester United hosted Arsenal in a 1-0 Arsenal Premier League win that drew two million live viewers, breaking the record for an opening weekend match in the United States. 

Manchester City has been the most dominant team in the Premier League ever since the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover in 2008. The club has won eight league titles, with an historic four in a row from 2021-2024. The club has also won three FA cups, six EFL cups, and captured its first UEFA Champions League in 2023 by winning a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, becoming the second English club to achieve this feat.

With all these achievements in recent years, Man City has gained a large following across the globe, and that includes Phoenix.

“We started here in 2016,” Gugliociello said. “I didn’t move to Phoenix until 2018 but when we started here it was relatively small. We’d have matches where it was eight people. Other times it would just be the bartender and me.” 

Gugliociello became a fan through his grandmother, who was from the Greater Manchester area. As a child his memories of the club were faint until the late 2000s and early 2010s when he became a fan of Mario Balotelli, a striker on the team. Despite Gugliociello’s Italian heritage, he stuck with the club after Balotelli’s departure.

Andre Fitzmaurice runs the social media for Man City Phoenix. He has been a fan of the team since 2010 and became a member of the club after moving from California to Phoenix. He enjoys the gathering option that Man City Phoenix provides.

“We know that it is hard to be a fan of a team that is international and find people who support the club,” Fitzmaurice said. “You just have to look it up and find them. In every major city there is a supporter group, even in San Diego where I am from, I have watched games with the San Diego Cityzens.”

Supporter groups are not exclusive to Premier League fans. Barcelona is arguably the biggest club in the world with legends such as Lionel Messi and Neymar dotting their history. Penya Blaugrana PHX offers local fans an opportunity to watch their favorite La Liga team.

The club originally started in 2015 at a bar called Tim Finnegan that was the original Kettle Black. Rali Amrai is an original member of the group. Current vice president Hector Freeman was a part of Penya Blaugrana PHX but moved to Los Angeles, putting the group on hold. Last season, they brought the group back and have watched it grow. 

“After a hiatus, we have noticed that our games are really busy, especially when we played against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid,” said Amrai, who is now Penya Blaugrana’s president. “Sometimes we get over 150 people packed in one place, and we keep pushing for our new members to come and have fun with us.” 

Less than 100 days remain until the kickoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While no games will be played in Arizona, there is still a passionate fanbase who will be glued to televisions for the world’s most-watched sporting event. 

If your fandom blossoms from, or extends beyond the World Cup, there are local supporter groups for more teams than Manchester City and Barcelona that a quick online search can reveal.

Related