At the east end of South Street in Philadelphia there’s a pedestrian walkway crossing over I-95. At the end of that walkway there’s a little observation deck overlooking the Delaware River.

It’s a good place to hang out while sobering up after having a few incapacitating beverages. And I admit, back in the day, I ambled down there once or twice (and perhaps a few times more) for just that purpose. It’s a nice view even if it is Camden across the way.

But I wasn’t a real Philadelphian. I was just passing through for a few years. A real Philadelphian would have been more attuned to the fine points of Pennsylvania geography than I was.

I’m not talking about the old adage that Pennsylvania is Pittsburg in the west, Philadephia in the east, and Alabama in the middle. I’m talking about the fact that Philly to a Philadelphian is a coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean.

When a real Philadelphian stands at the end of that South Street walkway and looks out over the water they see a clear shot to Europe because in their mind South Jersey isn’t really there.

(Atlantic City, by the way, is an island off the eastern seaboard. It’s like the Bermuda. But you can drive to it.)

So when I read Major League Soccer was in negotiations with Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey to build a new soccer specific stadium and play host to a new expansion team for the Philadelphia region I was, to say the least, skeptical.

On a map Glassboro isn’t that far from Philadelphia. It’s not even that far from Philadelphia’s western suburbs. But maps simply can’t account for that unique Philadelphian sense of geography.

I’m sure the franchise (assuming it really happens) will do just fine and draw plenty of fans from South Jersey. And I suspect those South Jersey folks will be doubly happy if the team is called FC Philadelphia.

The question is whether anyone actually from Philadelphia will support a team in South Jersey. I suppose there’ll be at least some Pennsylvania bred die-hards that show up. But how many?

Even if it’s nominally a Philadelphia team, even if its name reeks Philadelphia (FC 1776 Philadelphia Liberty and Brotherly Love Quaker Cheesesteaks!), it’s hard for me to imagine many Philadelphians traveling out to watch an MLS game in a place whose existence most Philadelphians barely acknowledge.