MLS: Ranking all 24 Major League Soccer stadiums

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 08: A wide view of the pitch from the stands of Mercedes Benz Stadium just prior to the start of the 2018 Audi MLS Cup Championship match between Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers at the Mercedes Benz Stadium on December 08, 2018 in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) /

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COMMERCE CITY, CO – MARCH 02: A general view of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park during a match between the Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers on March 2, 2019 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

17. Colorado Rapids – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, CO

Capacity: 18,061

Opened: 2007

Pros: Unique, Soccer-specific, natural surface, sightlines

Cons: Location, weather

If ever a team needed a stadium with a retractable roof, it’s the Colorado Rapids. Why? This and this. Even the most ardent practitioner of purism might concede that both of these instances were a little much. Simply put, the weather in central Colorado is too wild for a completely exposed stadium like DICK’S (let’s be mature). The mountain-esque roof over the stands on the touchline does protect some of the spectators from the elements and is a nice touch architecturally, but a nice-looking roof isn’t enough when you’re dealing with blizzard-like conditions. The location hurts DICK’S too, as Commerce City is a good 20-30 minutes from downtown Denver.

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