Berks County Latino Chamber of Commerce<\/a>, which spearheaded the effort.<\/p>\n![\"Isamac](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/REG-L-222SoccerSeries-01.jpg\")
Isamac Torres-Figueroa, board president of the Berks County Latino Chamber of Commerce, says the 222 Corridor Summer Soccer Series will help Reading, Allentown and Lancaster highlight their culture, small businesses and entertainment. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
Torres-Figueroa said the events in the series will help the cities highlight their culture, small businesses and entertainment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a massive win for our community and the entire region,\u201d said Jack Gombach, Reading\u2019s managing director.<\/p>\n
Gombach said the series is part of Reading\u2019s choice to dream big and invest in the local community and experience the results that kind of effort creates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 222 Corridor Summer Soccer Series is proof of a large shift happening now,\u201d he said. \u201cReading is evolving into the next great cultural and entertainment hub in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/REG-L-222SoccerSeries-02.jpg\")
Jack Gombach, Reading’s managing director, says the 222 Corridor Summer Soccer Series is a boon for Reading, Allentown and Lancaster. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n
But the series isn\u2019t just a boon for Reading, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t about one city shinning alone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about three communities joining together to create one powerhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kristen Simon, bureau chief of tourism for Lancaster, agreed, saying Route 222 represents much more than just a roadway. It\u2019s a connection binding the culture and commerce of three cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a shared vision of regional growth,\u201d she said. \u201cThis collaboration is proof that when cities work together we all succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cepeda-Freytiz, who secured $250,000 in state funding for the series, said it\u2019s about seizing a major opportunity, with people from all over the world heading to the region because of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see the bigger picture,\u201d she said. \u201cI see packed downtowns, I see tourism dollars flowing into our small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, she added, the series is just the start. Leaders in all three cities have a vision that goes well beyond soccer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is bigger than one match or one tournament,\u201d she said. \u201cThe goal is to create momentum that lasts beyond World Cup 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me, this is just the beginning. Let\u2019s show the world what cities like Reading and Lancaster and Allentown can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Updated lists of 222 Corridor Summer Soccer Series events will be provided on the Berks County Latino Chamber of Commerce\u2019s website at berkslatinochamber.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Soccer is primed to have its moment in the United States this summer, including in Berks County. North…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[119,349,433,182,139,28,128,130,129,706,2237],"class_list":["post-210731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-allentown","tag-berks-county","tag-lehigh-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"State](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/REG-L-222SoccerSeries-03.jpg\")
State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz on Thursday announces the official launch of the 222 Corridor Summer Soccer Series, a joint effort among Reading, Lancaster and Allentown that will bring dozens of World Cup-related fun to the region. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n