Soccer is growing at an astonishing rate in this country.  Yet there are some people who refuse to believe it.  Soccer haters continuous go to line is, “Nobody cares about soccer.”  This could not be farther from the truth. Not only were there TV viewership records set during this past World Cup, but attendance at the games played in this country has skyrocketed as well.  When pressed for what they think a good crowd at a soccer game is, they usually answer “around 40,000.” So here is every game played in the US during 2014, where 40,000 or more people attended.  Please bear in mind that, allegedly, “nobody cares.”

 8/2/14 – Manchester United vs. Real Madrid – Michigan Stadium – 109,318

 7/23/14 –Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Manchester United – Rose Bowl – 86,432

 5/31/14 – Mexico vs. Ecuador – AT&T Stadium – 84,878

 9/5/14 – Brazil vs. Colombia – Sun Life Stadium – 73,429

 8/2/14 – Liverpool vs. AC Milan – Bank of America Stadium – 69,364

 3/5/14 – Mexico vs. Nigeria – Georgia Dome – 68,212

 9/6/14 – Mexico vs. Chile – Levi’s Stadium – 67,175

 7/13/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers – Century Link Field – 64,207

 7/26/14 – Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan – California Memorial Stadium – 62,583

 7/29/14 – Manchester United vs. Inter Milan – FedEx Field – 61,238

 6/3/14 – Mexico vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina – Soldier Field – 60,707

 4/2/14 – USA vs. Mexico – University of Phoenix Stadium – 59,066

 10/25/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy – Century Link Field – 57,673

 7/29/14 – Real Madrid vs. AS Roma – Cotton Bowl – 57,512

 6/6/14 – Mexico vs. Portugal – Gillette Stadium – 56,292

 10/10/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Vancouver Whitecaps – Century Link Field – 55,765

 7/19/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Tottenham Hotspur – Century Link Field – 55,349

 1/29/14 – Mexico vs. South Korea – Alamodome – 54,313

 7/26/14 – Manchester United vs. AS Roma – Sports Authority Field – 54,116

 6/7/14 – DC United vs. Columbus Crew – FedEx Field – 53,267

 6/7/14 – Spain vs. El Salvador – FedEx Field – 53,267

 7/26/14 – DC United vs. Fulham – Ever Bank Field – 52,961

 6/7/14 – USA vs. Nigeria – Ever Bank Field – 52,033

 8/4/14 – Manchester United vs. Liverpool – Sun Life Stadium – 51,014

 8/10/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Houston Dynamo – Century Link Field – 50,276

 6/28/14 – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Galaxy – Stanford Stadium – 50,006

 5/17/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. San Jose Earthquakes – Century Link Field – 49,746

 7/30/14 – Manchester City vs. Liverpool – Yankee Stadium – 49,653

 8/2/14 – San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders – Levi’s Stadium – 48,765

 11/30/14 – Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy – Century Link Field – 46,758

 6/10/14 – Republic of Ireland vs. Portugal – Met Life Stadium – 46,063

 6/7/14 – England vs. Honduras – Sun Life Stadium – 45,379

 9/13/14 – Honduras vs. Nicaragua – LA Coliseum – 41,969

 9/13/14 – El Salvador vs. Panama – LA Coliseum – 41,969

 9/13/14 – Guatemala vs. Costa Rica – LA Coliseum – 41,969

That’s 35 games of 40,000 or more people.  The myth that nobody cares is just that.  The soccer haters can continue to hate all they, want but soccer is here to stay.