Palace fans bring famous Red and Blue to Chicago fan festival

Club

26 Sept 2024

Crystal Palace's match against Manchester United was the star attraction at the latest Premier League Mornings Live fan festival, which took place in Chicago last weekend – and the Eagles were certainly backed by a sizeable crowd Stateside.

The two-day event, which brings together US-based football fans to watch Premier League fixtures, was the 10th of its kind, following previous events in Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Austin, Miami Beach, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Orlando and Nashville.

And with Palace's clash with United kicking off at 11:30 CDT local time, it was the primetime clash of the opening day, drawing in a crowd of thousands as Oliver Glasner's side battled to a valuable point against the Red Devils.

In collaboration with our Official Destination Partner, Enjoy Illinois, Palace brought with them plenty of club merch, fun and games and a club legend, helping to ramp up the fantastic atmosphere surrounding the match even more.

Enjoy the best of the photos – and activities – below!

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Of course, it wouldn't be a Palace trip to the United States without a Premier League legend being involved – and with 50 goals in 143 Premier League appearances to his name, Mark Bright certainly sits within that category.

The former forward caught up with the event's host, NBC Sports presenter Rebecca Lowe – herself a massive Palace supporter – to talk all things SE25.

"You were on my pencil case at school!" Lowe laughed.

"We just knew there was a real market for it," she said of Premier League Mornings Live.

"It's just got bigger and bigger and bigger and it's now become a bit of a bucket list thing. People come here to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays... it's grown to tens of thousands of people."

Watch Bright's full interview with Lowe below.

NBC's Rebecca Lowe speaks to Brighty in Chicago

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Before the event, Brighty even enjoyed an exclusive lookaround the exciting venue, situated in Chicago's Lincoln Park.

Take a look around with him below.

Brighty tours Chicago PL Mornings Live venue

Afterwards, Bright even attended a local pub for a meet and greet and Q&A with Eagles supporters.

The club were also represented in Chicago by the Palace for Life Foundation, where Female Engagement Officer, Gemma Staple, took local children through a variety of sessions alongside a number of local clubs – as you can learn more about below.

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Palace have a special relationship with their American fanbase, having last visited the country in 2023 – a trip which included a stint in Chicago – and 2024 on pre-season tour.

US Men’s National Team player Chris Richards recently scored his first goal for the club, after signing in the summer of 2022. Gregg Berhalter, meanwhile, became the first Crystal Palace player to feature at a World Cup finals when he represented the USA in South Korea and Japan in 2002.

Plus, hit American TV show Ted Lasso was filmed at Selhurst Park, the home of the fictional side AFC Richmond.

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