Ben, from Villanova, is described as a committed young player with Radnor Soccer Club and a deep family connection to the game. The account says he required surgery and several weeks in a cast after breaking his elbow just before summer break.
His brothers, Will and Charlie, also play. Their garden reportedly features goals at both ends, giving the family a year-round setting for football. During Ben’s recovery, though, the report says his world narrowed to the sofa and a bracket board tracking the tournament.
That makes Saturday’s outing more than a trip to a stadium. It is a return to the football community he had been forced to watch from a distance.
Ben’s enthusiasm appears to stretch well beyond simply following results. The report says he has dressed as footballers for Halloween, can name every World Cup winner since 1930 and correctly identifies Uruguay as the first champions.
He is also backing the United States. “The US is playing really well right now,” Ben said. “They did good in the group stage, and I'm proud of how they've played so far.”
His favourite player is reportedly Gio Reyna, but the biggest star in Philadelphia on Saturday may be Ben himself - a young supporter whose passion has carried him through an unsettling recovery.
The tickets were arranged after Carrie contacted the local World Cup organisers, with the family due to watch France meet Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday at 17:00 local time.
The result will matter to the teams. For Ben, the lasting storyline is likely to be the moment football moved from his television screen back into his life.