Mexico’s attendances in US were 48% greater than USMNT

For the year 2017, Mexico’s matches that were played on US soil had an average attendance that was 48% greater than the average attendance for matches played by the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) in their own country, according to our research.

The USMNT scored an average attendance of 29,400, which was the first time in a decade that the national team had back-to-back years of average attendances under 30,000. In comparison, El Tri, the Mexico national team, had an average attendance of 43,586.

The US played 14 games on US soil in 2017. Mexico played ten.

Here are Mexico’s attendances for the matches played in the US during 2017:

2/8/17 – Friendly – Mexico vs. Iceland – Sam Boyd Stadium – 30,617
5/27/17 – Friendly – Mexico vs. Croatia – LA Coliseum – 62,317
6/1/17 – Friendly – Mexico vs. Republic of Ireland – Met Life Stadium – 42,017
6/28/17 – Friendly – Mexico vs. Ghana – NRG Stadium – 37,617
7/1/17 – Friendly – Mexico vs. Paraguay – CenturyLink Field – 37,011
7/9/17 – Gold Cup – Mexico vs. El Salvador – Qualcomm Stadium – 53,133
7/13/17 – Gold Cup – Mexico vs. Jamaica – Sports Authority Field – 49,121
7/16/17 – Gold Cup – Mexico vs. Curacao – Alamodome – 44,232
7/20/17 – Gold Cup – Mexico vs. Honduras – University of Phoenix Stadium – 37,404
7/23/17 – Gold Cup – Mexico vs. Jamaica – Rose Bowl – 42,393

Total Attendance: 435,862
Average Attendance: 43,586

Even though Mexico’s average attendance was 48% greater than the US Men’s National Team, Mexico’s attendance was their lowest since 2005. The 43,586 average in 2017 was less than 51,200 (2016), 64,141 (2015) and 58,597 (2014).

It’s unclear why the numbers have dropped this year for Mexico. All of Mexico’s games were played in large stadiums. The smallest stadium they played in was the 35,000 seater Sam Boyd Stadium on the outskirts of Las Vegas (whereas in 2016 they played three games in stadiums with a capacity lower than that).

A big part of it could be that Mexico fielded their “B” squad for the Gold Cup as their “A” squad had duties in World Cup Qualifying and the Confederations Cup. It also hurt that they didn’t make it to the Gold Cup Final, which even without Mexico drew over 60,000 fans.

In any case, next year is a World Cup year and Mexico always plays several of their warm-up friendlies stateside before heading off to the World Cup. And with the USMNT missing out on the World Cup, some fans may jump on the Mexico train to have a team to root for in Russia.