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* The attendance increase from 2010 to 2011 coincides with the addition of expansion franchises in Portland and Vancouver, and with Kansas City moving into a new stadium.
* The attendance increase from 2010 to 2011 coincides with the addition of expansion franchises in Portland and Vancouver, and with Kansas City moving into a new stadium.


==MLS attendance vs. other US major sports==
==MLS attendance (regular season) vs. other US major sports==


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
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| [[Major League Baseball]] || [[Baseball]] || 30 || {{mlby|2012}} || {{nts|30895}} || +533 || {{nts|74859268}} || <ref name="MLB 2012">{{cite web|title=MLB's 2012 regular season attendance ranks as fifth highest ever|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121004&content_id=39483214&vkey=pr_mlb&c_id=mlb|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=7 November 2012|date=4 October 2012}}</ref>
| [[Major League Baseball]] || [[Baseball]] || 30 || {{mlby|2012}} || {{nts|30895}} || +533 || {{nts|74859268}} || <ref name="MLB 2012">{{cite web|title=MLB's 2012 regular season attendance ranks as fifth highest ever|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121004&content_id=39483214&vkey=pr_mlb&c_id=mlb|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=7 November 2012|date=4 October 2012}}</ref>
|-
|-
|'''[[Major League Soccer]]''' || '''[[Soccer]]''' || '''19''' || '''[[2012 Major League Soccer season|2012]]''' || '''{{nts|18807}}''' || '''+935''' || {{nts|6074729}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/10/24/2511576/mls-attendance-up-2011-major-league-soccer |title=MLS Attendance Was Up Almost Across The Board In 2011 | author=Jeremiah Oshan |date=2011-10-24 |accessdate=2011-10-25}}</ref>
|'''[[Major League Soccer]]''' || '''[[Soccer]]''' || '''19''' || '''[[2014 Major League Soccer season|2014]]''' || '''{{nts|19148}}''' || '''+554''' || '''{{nts|6184804}}''' || <ref>[http://mlsattendance.blogspot.it/ MLS Attendance]</ref>
|-
|-
| [[National Hockey League]] || [[Ice hockey]] ||30 || [[2011–12 NHL season|2011-12]] || 17,455 || +323 || {{nts|21470155}} ||
| [[National Hockey League]] || [[Ice hockey]] ||30 || [[2011–12 NHL season|2011-12]] || 17,455 || +323 || {{nts|21470155}} ||

Revision as of 12:23, 15 March 2015

Major League Soccer is the premier professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1996, the 2014 season saw an average 19,151 spectators between the 19 teams, the highest average attendance in league history. MLS has the third-highest average attendance among U.S. based major professional sports leagues — higher than professional basketball (NBA) or ice hockey (NHL), and behind only football (NFL) and baseball (MLB).

MLS attendance has grown since the early 2000s. The average attendance of 19,151 in 2014 was a 39% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 6,185,773 in 2014 is almost triple the 2,215,019 total of 2002.

Fans waving flags and unfurling a large green and blue tifo behind a goal.
The Seattle Sounders' average attendance consistently exceeds 40,000 fans.

2014 Season

The following is a list of the average attendance for each of the nineteen MLS teams at their regular-season games. It includes the team, the average attendance for the 2014 regular season and the 2013 regular season, the percentage change in attendance from season-to-season, the home venue, the home venue's capacity, and the percent of capacity.[1]

Team 2014
Attendance		 2013
Attendance		 Change Stadium Capacity
(Unrestricted)		 Percent
(2014)
Seattle Sounders FC 43,734 44,038 –1% CenturyLink Field† 38,500
(67,000)		 114%
Toronto FC 22,086 18,131 +22% BMO Field 23,000 96%
Los Angeles Galaxy 21,258 22,152 –4% StubHub Center 27,000 82%
Portland Timbers 20,806 20,674 +1% Jeld-Wen Field 20,438 104%
Vancouver Whitecaps 20,408 20,038 +2% BC Place† 21,000
(54,320)		 97%
Real Salt Lake 20,351 19,218 +6% Rio Tinto Stadium 20,008 102%
Houston Dynamo 20,117 19,923 +1% BBVA Compass Stadium 22,000 93%
Sporting Kansas City 20,003 19,709 +2% Sporting Park 18,467 109%
New York Red Bulls 19,421 19,461 –0% Red Bull Arena 25,189 79%
Philadelphia Union 17,631 17,867 –1% PPL Park 18,500 95%
Montreal Impact 17,421 20,603 –15% Saputo Stadium 20,341 87%
D.C. United 17,030 13,646 +25% RFK Stadium† 19,467
(45,423)		 87%
Columbus Crew 16,881 16,080 +5% Columbus Crew Stadium 20,145 84%
FC Dallas 16,816 15,373 +9% Toyota Stadium 21,193 80%
New England Revolution 16,681 14,844 +12% Gillette Stadium† 22,385
(68,756)		 75%
Chicago Fire 16,076 15,228 +6% Toyota Park 20,000 80%
Colorado Rapids 15,082 15,440 –2% Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,086 89%
San Jose Earthquakes 14,947 12,765 +17% Buck Shaw Stadium† 10,300 146%
Chivas USA 7,063 8,366 –16% StubHub Center 18,800
(27,000)		 38%

Note: Seattle's capacity is over 100% as they open up sections for select games above the regular limited capacity. San Jose's capacity is significantly over 100% as they play select matches at larger stadiums.

† Not a soccer-specific stadium
* Stadium capacity artificially reduced for soccer matches

Season averages

Season Total Gate Games Average Change High avg. Team Low avg. Team Ref
1996 2,785,001 160 17,406 -- 28,916 Los Angeles Galaxy 10,213 Colorado Rapids [2]
1997 2,339,019 160 14,619 –16.0% 21,423 New England Revolution 9,058 Kansas City Wizards [3]
1998 2,747,897 192 14,312 –2.1% 21,784 Los Angeles Galaxy 8,072 Kansas City Wizards [4]
1999 2,742,102 192 14,282 –0.2% 17,696 Columbus Crew 8,183 Kansas City Wizards [5]
2000 2,641,085 192 13,756 –3.7% 20,400 Los Angeles Galaxy 7,460 Miami Fusion [6]
2001 2,363,859 158 14,961 +8.8% 21,518 D.C. United 9,112 Kansas City Wizards [7]
2002 2,215,019 140 15,822 +5.8% 20,690 Colorado Rapids 11,150 San Jose Earthquakes [8]
2003 2,234,747 150 14,898 –5.8% 21,983 Los Angeles Galaxy 7,906 Dallas Burn [9]
2004 2,333,797 150 15,559 +4.4% 23,809 Los Angeles Galaxy 9,088 Dallas Burn [10]
2005 2,900,716 192 15,108 –2.9% 24,204 Los Angeles Galaxy 9,691 Kansas City Wizards [11]
2006 2,976,787 192 15,504 +2.6% 20,814 Los Angeles Galaxy 11,083 Kansas City Wizards [12]
2007 3,270,210 195 16,770 +8.2% 24,252 Los Angeles Galaxy 11,586 Kansas City Wizards [13]
2008 3,456,600 210 16,460 –1.8% 26,008 Los Angeles Galaxy 10,685 Kansas City Wizards
2009 3,608,325 225 16,037 –2.6% 30,942 Seattle Sounders FC 9,883 FC Dallas
2010 4,002,000 240 16,675 +4.0% 36,173 Seattle Sounders FC 9,659 San Jose Earthquakes
2011 5,468,951 306 17,872 +7.2% 38,496 Seattle Sounders FC 11,858 San Jose Earthquakes
2012 6,074,729 323 18,807 +5.2% 43,144 Seattle Sounders FC 13,056 Chivas USA
2013 6,010,384 323 18,608 –1.1% 44,038 Seattle Sounders FC 8,366 Chivas USA
2014 6,185,773 323 19,151 +2.9% 43,734 Seattle Sounders FC 7,063 Chivas USA

Notes:

  • Green shading indicates record highs; red shading indicates record lows.
  • The drop in number of games and total gate from 2000 to 2002, and the corresponding increase in average attendance, is attributable to league contraction, when MLS folded the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny.
  • The attendance increase from 2006 to 2007 coincides with the arrival of David Beckham,[14] and the addition of an expansion franchise in Toronto.
  • The attendance increase from 2010 to 2011 coincides with the addition of expansion franchises in Portland and Vancouver, and with Kansas City moving into a new stadium.

MLS attendance (regular season) vs. other US major sports

League Sport # Teams Season Average
attendance		 Average vs.
prior season		 Total Attendance Source
National Football League American football 32 2011 64,698 –280 17,124,389 [15]
Major League Baseball Baseball 30 2012 30,895 +533 74,859,268 [16]
Major League Soccer Soccer 19 2014 19,148 +554 6,184,804 [17]
National Hockey League Ice hockey 30 2011-12 17,455 +323 21,470,155
National Basketball Association Basketball 30 2013-14 17,407 +59 21,411,543 [18]

MLS attendance vs. other soccer leagues worldwide

League Country Season Teams Games Total
attendance		 Average
attendance		 Ref
Bundesliga Germany 2013–14 18 306 13,311,612 43,502 [19]
Premier League United Kingdom 2013–14 20 380 13,942,459 [B] 36,691 [20]
La Liga Spain 2013–14 20 380 10,146,760 26,702 [21]
Serie A Italy 2013–14 20 380 8,886,213 23,385 [22]
Liga MX Mexico 2013–14 20 380 7,121,882 21,323 [23]
Ligue 1 France 2013–14 20 377 7,975,444 21,155 [24]
Eredivisie Netherlands 2013–14 18 306 5,984,484 19,557 [25]
Major League Soccer USA / Canada 2014 19 323 6,128,404 19,149 [26]
Primera División Argentina Argentina 2013–14 20 380 7,275,788 19,147 [27][28]
Chinese Super League China 2014 16 240 4,556,520 18,986 [29] 1
Bundesliga 2 Germany 2013–14 18 306 5,473,728 17,888 [19]
J. League 1 Japan 2014 18 306 5,275,387 17,240 [30]
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Brazil 2014 20 378 6,400,106 16,931 [31]
Football League Championship England 2013–14 24 552 9,138,360 16,555 [32]

Historic average attendances

Season CHI CHV COL CLB DAL DCU HOU LA MIA MON NE NY PHI POR RSL SJ SEA KC TB TOR VAN
1996 10,213 18,950 16,011 15,262 28,916 19,205 23,898 17,232 12,878 11,679
1997 11,835 15,043 9,678 16,698 20,626 21,423 16,899 13,597 9,058 11,333
1998 17,886 14,812 12,274 10,947 16,007 21,784 10,284 19,187 16,519 13,653 8,072 10,312
1999 16,016 14,029 17,696 12,211 17,419 17,632 8,689 16,795 14,706 14,959 8,183 13,106
2000 13,387 12,580 15,451 13,102 18,580 20,400 7,460 15,463 17,621 12,460 9,112 9,452
2001 16,388 16,481 17,511 12,574 21,518 17,387 11,177 15,654 20,806 9,635 9,112 10,479
2002 12,922 20,690 17,429 13,122 16,519 19,047 16,927 18,155 11,150 12,255
2003 14,005 16,772 16,250 7,906 15,565 21,983 14,641 15,822 10,466 15,573
2004 17,153 14,195 16,872 9,008 17,232 23,809 12,226 17,195 13,001 14,816
2005 17,238 17,080 16,638 12,916 11,189 16,664 24,204 12,525 15,077 18,037 13,037 9,691
2006 14,111 19,840 12,056 13,294 14,982 18,251 18,935 20,814 11,786 14,570 16,366 11,083
2007 16,490 14,305 14,749 15,230 15,154 20,967 15,883 24,252 16,787 16,530 15,960 11,586 20,130
2008 17,034 15,114 13,659 14,662 13,024 19,835 16,939 26,009 17,580 15,928 16,179 13,856 10,686 20,120
2009 15,487 15,725 13,018 14,175 12,440 15,585 17,624 20,827 12,427 12,744 17,831 10,329 31,203 10,053 20,344
2010 15,814 14,576 14,329 14,642 10,815 14,532 17,310 21,437 12,987 18,441 19,254 17,095 9,659 36,173 10,287 20,453
2011 14,274 14,830 14,838 12,185 12,861 15,181 17,694 23,335 13,222 19,691 18,259 18,827 17,594 11,858 38,496 17,810 20,267 20,412
2012 16,409 13,056 15,175 14,397 14,199 13,846 21,015 23,136 22,772 14,001 18,281 18,053 20,438 19,087 13,293 43,144 19,404 18,155 19,475
2013 15,228 8,366 15,440 16,080 15,373 13,646 19,923 22,152 20,602 14,844 19,461 17,867 20,674 19,218 12,765 44,038 19,708 18,131 20,038
2014 16,076 7,063 16,881 15,082 16,816 17,030 20,117 21,258 17,421 16,681 19,421 17,631 20,806 20,351 14,947 43,734 20,003 22,086 20,408
Total Average 15,642 13,995 14,652 15,270 12,706 16,860 18,382 22,053 9,403 20,65 15,492 17,461 18,213 20,186 17,772 12,669 39,465 12,598 11,060 19,961 20,083

Notes:

  • Bold indicates franchise record high for season average attendance.

Individual game highest attendance

See also: Record attendances in United States club soccer

Regular season

Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Date Source
1 Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – 1 NY/NJ MetroStars 69,255 13 April 1996 (1996-04-13) [33]
2 Seattle Sounders FC 1 – 0 Portland Timbers 67,385 25 August 2013 (2013-08-25) [34]
3 Seattle Sounders FC 3 – 0 Portland Timbers 66,452 7 October 2012 (2012-10-07) [35]
4 New York Red Bulls 5 – 4 Los Angeles Galaxy 66,237 18 August 2007 (2007-08-18) [33]
5 Seattle Sounders FC 1 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 66,216 27 October 2013 (2013-10-27) [36]
6 Seattle Sounders FC 2 – 0 Portland Timbers 64,207 13 July 2014 (2014-07-13) [33]
7 Seattle Sounders FC 2 – 1 San Jose Earthquakes 64,140 15 October 2011 (2011-10-15) [33]
8 Los Angeles Galaxy 0 – 1 New England Revolution 62,703 4 July 1996 (1996-07-04) [33]
9 Orlando City 1 – 1 New York City 62,510 8 March 2015 (2015-03-08)
10 Colorado Rapids 3 – 2 Chicago Fire 61,202 4 July 2002 (2002-07-04) [33]
11 Seattle Sounders FC 4 – 0 Los Angeles Galaxy 60,908 5 August 2012 (2012-08-05) [33]
12 Montreal Impact 1 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 60,860 12 May 2012 (2012-05-12) [37]
13 Colorado Rapids 3 – 1 D.C. United 60,500 4 July 2001 (2001-07-04) [33]
14 Los Angeles Galaxy 1 – 2 Miami Fusion 60,433 4 July 1999 (1999-07-04) [33]
15 Colorado Rapids 3 – 2 Kansas City 60,142 4 July 2003 (2003-07-04) [33]
16 Montreal Impact 1 – 1 Chicago Fire 58,912 10 March 2012 (2012-03-10) [38]
17 Seattle Sounders FC 2 – 0 Los Angeles Galaxy 57,673 25 October 2014 (2014-10-25) [33]
18 MetroStars 4 – 2 Miami Fusion 56,404 23 May 1998 (1998-05-23) [33]
19 Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – 1 San Jose Earthquakes 55,234 7 April 2002 (2002-04-07) [33]
20 Seattle Sounders FC 2 – 0 Real Salt Lake 55,107 14 September 2013 (2013-09-14) [39]

Doubleheader games highest attendance

Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Date Source Doubleheader with
1 Chivas USA 1 – 1 New England Revolution 92,650 6 August 2006 (2006-08-06) [33] FC Barcelona vs. C.D. Guadalajara.[40]
2 Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – 2 Tampa Bay Mutiny 92,216 16 June 1996 (1996-06-16) [33] United States vs. Mexico
3 Chivas USA 0 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 88,816 10 August 2005 (2005-08-10) [33] C.D. Guadalajara vs. Club América.[41]
4 San Jose Clash 1 – 1 D.C. United 73,123 4 July 1999 (1999-07-04) [33] USA women vs. Brazil women.[42]
5 Houston Dynamo 0 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy 70,550 9 August 2006 (2006-08-09) [33] FC Barcelona vs. Club América.[43]
6 San Jose Earthquakes 0 – 3 Columbus Crew 61,572 8 August 2009 (2009-08-08) [33] FC Barcelona vs. C.D. Guadalajara.
7 New England Revolution 2 – 1 Tampa Bay Mutiny 57,407 20 April 1997 (1997-04-20) [33] United States vs. Mexico.

MLS Attendance Rank By Metro Area

The table is sorted by MLS attendance rank, and then by MLS attendance.

Metro Area MLS
Attend
Rank		 Higher Attendance MLS Attendance Lower Attendance
Portland, OR 1st --- 20,806 Timbers 19,829 Trailblazers (NBA)
Salt Lake, UT 1st --- 20,351 Real Salt Lake 18,680 Jazz (NBA)
Columbus, OH 1st --- 16,881 Crew 14,564 Blue Jackets (NHL)
Seattle, WA 2nd 68,174 Seahawks (NFL) 43,734 Sounders 21,747 Mariners (MLB)
Los Angeles, CA 3rd 46,216 Dodgers (MLB)
37,277 Angels (MLB)		 21,258 Galaxy 19,226 Clippers; 18,997 Lakers (NBA)
18,178 Kings; 15,887 Ducks (NHL)
Houston, TX 3rd 71,644 Texans (NFL)
20,393 Astros (MLB)		 20,117 Dynamo 16,672 Rockets (NBA)
Kansas City, MO/KS 3rd 75,354 Chiefs (NFL)
21,614 Royals (MLB)		 20,003 Sporting ---
Philadelphia, PA 4th 69,144 Eagles (NFL)
37,190 Phillies (MLB)
19,786 Flyers (NHL)		 17,631 Union 16,717 76ers (NBA)
Washington DC 4th 77,220 Redskins (NFL)
32,745 Nationals (MLB)
18,054 Capitals (NHL)		 17,030 D.C. United 16,343 Wizards (NBA)
Dallas, TX 4th 88,043 Cowboys (NFL)
38,759 Rangers (MLB)
19,950 Mavericks (NBA)		 16,816 FC Dallas 14,658 Stars (NHL)

See also

References

  1. ^ "2013 Final Attendance Update". MLS Attendance. Blogger. Retrieved Nov 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "1996 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  3. ^ "1997 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  4. ^ "1998 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  5. ^ "1999 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  6. ^ "2000 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  7. ^ "2001 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  8. ^ "2002 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  9. ^ "2003 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  10. ^ "2004 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  11. ^ "2005 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  12. ^ "2006 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  13. ^ "2007 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  14. ^ MLS attendance second best in history, Soccer America, October 30, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  15. ^ NBC Sports, After peaking in 2007, NFL attendance steadily has declined, July 8, 2012, http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/08/after-peaking-in-2007-nfl-attendance-steadily-has-declined/
  16. ^ "MLB's 2012 regular season attendance ranks as fifth highest ever". MLB.com. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  17. ^ MLS Attendance
  18. ^ "2013-2014 NBA Attendance". ESPN. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  19. ^ a b "German Bundesliga Stats - 2011–12". ESPNsoccernet. Deutsche Fußball Liga. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  20. ^ "Premier League Attendances, Season 2012/13" (PDF). Premier League Handbook Season 2013/14. The Football Association Premier League Limited. p. 504. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  21. ^ "Spanish La Liga Stats - 2011–12". ESPN FC. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  22. ^ "Italian Serie A Stats: Team Attendance - 2011–12". ESPN FC. Retrieved 2012-07-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "Primera División 2011/2012 Clausura".
  24. ^ "Ligue 1 Attendances, 2012/2013". Ligue1.com. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  25. ^ "Eredivisie 2011/2012 .:. Attendance .:. Home matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  26. ^ Jeremiah Oshan (2012-10-30). "MLS attendance crosses the 6 million mark". Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  27. ^ "Apertura 2011/2012 Home Attendance Average". Worldfootball. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  28. ^ "Clausura 2011/2012 Home Attendance Average". Worldfootball. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  29. ^ 2012中超上座数:场均创新高 粤京苏前3垫底队意外. 新浪体育 (in Chinese). 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  30. ^ J. League. "Attendance: 2013 J.League Division 1". Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  31. ^ "Estatísticas Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2011" (in Portuguese). Brazilian Football Confederation. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "English League Championship Stats – 2011–12". ESPN FC. ESPN. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "MLS Factbook 2012" (pdf). MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  34. ^ "SEA vs POR".
  35. ^ "SEA vs POR". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  36. ^ "SEA vs LA". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  37. ^ "Match Center". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  38. ^ "Impact ties 1-1 with Chicago Fire in front of record crowd at Olympic Stadium". montrealimpact.com. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  39. ^ "Sounders move atop West". http://espnfc.com. Retrieved 14 September 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ "Chivas USA 1-1 New England". ESPN, Inc. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  41. ^ "Count down to SuperClassico". Chivas. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  42. ^ "over-35000-tickets-sold-june-30-match-vs-la". San Jose Earthquakes. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  43. ^ "Los Angeles Galaxy 2006". San Jose Earthquakes. Retrieved 16 October 2012.

Notes


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