Soccer has finally found its place in the US, and that place is the Pacific Northwest.
The MLS regular season came to an end this weekend (you can read about the playoffs here) and more than 55,000 fans turned up to watch the Seattle Sounders’ final game against Real Salt Lake, enough for the team to set a new average attendance record of 44,245.
That’s a figure the Sounders, and the MLS, are rightfully proud of, as it’s a number that puts them right up there with the biggest matchday crowds in the world.
According to the club, it makes them the 28th-best attended club in the world, with more fans coming through the turnstiles each week than European giants Liverpool, Porto or Chelsea.
In fact, the Sounders would be the fifth-best attended club in England, while only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid draw better in Spain, and Juventus and Roma heading them in Serie A.
The Sounders significantly outperform their MLS rivals thanks to playing their home games in CenturyLink Field, the 67,000-capacity stadium of the NFL’s Seahawks.
Better get a shift on with that new stand at Anfield, lads.
