If you've been paying attention to attendance figures around MLS this season, you've probably noticed a pretty strong trend. Among the highlights have been more than 46,000 showing up to watch a midweek regular-season match between the Seattle Sounders and New York Red Bulls and more than 41,000 to see the San Jose Earthquakes host the Red Bulls on Fourth of July. Throw in the fact that two more team's joined the fold this year and it's looking like the league could set an all-time record for average attendance, as well as shatter previous total attendance records.
MLS Attendance On Strong Upward Trend
As Sports Business Journal reported on Tuesday (table below), though, it's more than just a couple big games and new teams leading the more than 6 percent rise in attendance. Of the 16 teams that played last year, average attendance is up for all but five. Eight of those teams are up by at least 5 percent, led by Sporting Kansas City's 81 percent bump that is fueled by their new stadium. Other teams seeing significant increases this year include the Los Angeles Galaxy (9.4 percent), Red Bulls (12.5), Houston Dynamo (5.6), DC United (5.0), Colorado Rapids (6.9), FC Dallasy (17.9) and Earthquakes (36.7).
Perhaps even more encouraging are that many teams seeing attendance increases aren't doing anything particularly special in terms of bringing in big names or playing well. The New England Revolution (3.0) and Chivas USA (2.0), being prime examples.
Among the five teams that have seen attendance fall, only the Columbus Crew are real cause for concern. The Crew have been near the top of the Eastern Conference standings all year, but have seen attendance plumet 22.7 percent from this point last year. They are drawing an average crowd of 10,846, which is the worst in the league by more than 1,000 fans.
Looking a little deeper, the average weekly attendance this season has exceeded last year’s overall average in 13 of the 18 weeks. Five times this year, average weekly attendance has crested 19,000 with league’s weekly averaging topping out at 21,114.8 the week of Fourth of July.
MLS ATTENDANCE THROUGH JULY 18 | |||||||
| HOME TEAM | GMS | TOTAL | AVG. | % CAP. | PREV. | % +/- | GMS ('10) |
| Sounders | 11 | 409,077 | 37,189 | 104.8% | 36,140 | 2.9% | 9 |
| Galaxy | 10 | 226,411 | 22,641 | 83.9% | 20,687 | 9.4% | 7 |
| Whitecaps | 9 | 180,068 | 20,008 | 95.3% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Toronto FC | 11 | 218,637 | 19,876 | 99.4% | 20,588 | -3.5% | 8 |
| Timbers | 10 | 186,270 | 18,627 | 100.0% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Red Bulls | 10 | 183,099 | 18,310 | 73.2% | 16,277 | 12.5% | 8 |
| Union* | 9 | 163,590 | 18,177 | 98.3% | 22,619 | -19.6% | 5 |
| Sporting KC** | 5 | 90,535 | 18,107 | 98.1% | 10,006 | 81.0% | 8 |
| Dynamo | 11 | 185,918 | 16,902 | 52.8% | 16,003 | 5.6% | 9 |
| Real Salt Lake | 10 | 162,325 | 16,233 | 80.3% | 16,277 | -0.3% | 8 |
| DC United | 9 | 141,267 | 15,696 | 33.4% | 14,949 | 5.0% | 9 |
| Chivas USA | 11 | 162,089 | 14,735 | 54.6% | 14,451 | 2.0% | 7 |
| Rapids | 10 | 145,324 | 14,532 | 80.4% | 13,589 | 6.9% | 7 |
| Fire | 9 | 128,630 | 14,292 | 71.5% | 14,778 | -3.3% | 7 |
| FC Dallas | 12 | 158,888 | 13,241 | 64.6% | 11,231 | 17.9% | 8 |
| Earthquakes*** | 10 | 130,096 | 13,010 | 90.0% | 9,515 | 36.7% | 7 |
| Revolution | 10 | 121,486 | 12,149 | 60.7% | 11,797 | 3.0% | 8 |
| Crew | 10 | 108,455 | 10,846 | 53.8% | 14,028 | -22.7% | 9 |
| MLS Totals | 177 | 3,102,165 | 17,526 | 74.0% | 16,482 | 6.3% | 124 |
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