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MLS Attendance: How did week 1 stack up to 2016?

By Daniel Garza

Mar 5, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United goalkeeper Alec Kann (25) kicks the ball in the second half of their game against the New York Red Bulls at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. The Red Bulls won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United goalkeeper Alec Kann (25) kicks the ball in the second half of their game against the New York Red Bulls at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. The Red Bulls won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Attendance numbers were up and down across the league as the opening matches of the 2017 season were played over the weekend.

Last season, Major League Soccer saw 11 clubs increase, or stay the same, in their overall attendance during the 2016 campaign. The other nine saw either a slight decline or a rather large one, with the largest being FC Dallas at -12%. Of course, some of these MLS attendance changes were due to facility changes, but there were no new stadiums opened in 2016.

https://twitter.com/Football_BM/status/837211027192311808

This season, the new addition of stadiums and clubs to the league will obviously increase the overall attendance at the end of the season.

Here’s a look at how the league performed in week one.

Atlanta leads the way

A quick glance at the attendance numbers in week one and one club stands above the rest, Atlanta United. One of two new clubs to make their debut in the MLS this past weekend, the Georgia club had 55,297 on hand at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sunday. They could make a run for Seattle’s expansion season attendance numbers.

Elsewhere, the Portland Timbers had a sellout against Minnesota United to open their 2017 campaign. The club has held the same attendance the past two seasons at 21,144, which was the number at Friday night’s match.

Compared to last year, the Orlando City numbers will appear low, but only because their new venue only holds 25,500. In 2016, they averaged 31,324 at the Citrus Bowl.

Mar 5, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; A large flag is displayed by the crowd before the first half of an MLS soccer match between the Orlando City FC and the New York City FC at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; A large flag is displayed by the crowd before the first half of an MLS soccer match between the Orlando City FC and the New York City FC at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

D.C United and the Houston Dynamo saw higher numbers for their matches compared to last season’s average attendance. This is good news for both clubs, as the Dynamo saw a drop off in 2016 in attendance, which coincided with their poor finish in the table. D.C United had a five percent increase in 2016 and their weekend attendance was at 18,268, over 1,000 more people than last years average.

A couple of teams that didn’t bring in quite as many for the openers were the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids.

Next: Gold Cup Schedule Groups Announced

Week 1 attendance

Here’s how each home team did in week one of the MLS season (from the weekly match stat reports):

  1. Atlanta United (55,207)
  2. Orlando City (25,527)
  3. LA Galaxy (23,554)
  4. Portland Timbers (21,144)
  5. Houston Dynamo (20,758)
  6. Real Salt Lake (19,519)
  7. Vancouver Whitecaps (19,083)
  8. D.C United (18,268)
  9. San Jose Earthquakes (18,000)
  10. Colorado Rapids (16,126)
  11. Columbus Crew (15,023)

An average of nearly 23,000, well ahead of the 2016 season average.

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