Both the US Men’s National Team and US Women’s National Team have completed their last games of the 2016 calendar year. And while their performances on the pitch have been a mix of good and poor, the attendance figures for home games paint a worrying picture for both the men and women’s teams.
In 2016, every single friendly for the US Men’s National Team was attended by less than 10,000 people. In fact, this trend stretches back to October 2015, making it six consecutive friendlies with an attendance of under 10,000. Attendances at Copa America did provide a significant boost, but many of those tickets were purchased as part of a stadium pack where fans bought tickets for a select number of games at each local stadium.
In comparison to 2015, home attendances for USMNT games dropped 23%. The average in 2015 was 38,763 compared to 29,707 in 2016. Without the large Copa America Centenario attendances for USA games, the drop in average attendance from 2016 is more devastating — 64%, so much so that the 2016 USMNT average minus Copa America games (13,820) is less than the USWNT average attendance in 2016.
While the women had a much better year on the pitch despite being knocked out of the Olympics at the quarter-final stage (marking their worst performance in any major tournament ever), attendances are also a concern for USWNT. Attendance was down 42% this year compared to last year. The year 2015 averaged 27,766 per game compared to 15,973 per game in 2016.
The drop in attendance for the USWNT is more pronounced because the year 2015 featured the 10-match US Victory Tour across the United States after the women’s team won the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.
Here are the home attendances for both the USMNT and USWNT for 2016:
2016 USMNT Attendances
January 31: USA vs Iceland (friendly), Stubhub Center, Carson, CA; 8,803
February 5: USA vs. Canada (friendly), Stubhub Center, Carson, CA; 9,274
March 29: USA vs. Guatemala (World Cup qualifier), Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, OH; 20,624
May 25: USA vs. Ecuador (friendly), Toyota Stadium, Frisco TX: 9,893
May 28: USA vs. Bolivia (friendly), Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS: 8,894
June 3: USA vs. Colombia (Copa America), Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA: 67,439
June 7: USA vs. Costa Rica (Copa America), Soldier Field, Chicago, IL: 39,642
June 11: USA vs. Paraguay (Copa America), Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA: 51,041
June 16: USA vs. Ecuador (Copa America), Century Link Field, Seattle, WA: 47,322
June 21: USA vs. Argentina (Copa America), NRG Stadium, Houston, TX: 70,858
June 25: USA vs. Colombia (Copa America), University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: 29,041
September 6: USA vs. Trinidad-Tobago (World Cup qualifier), Everbank Field, Jacksonville, FL: 19,410
October 11: USA vs. New Zealand (friendly), RFK Stadium, Washington DC: 9,012
November 11: USA vs. Mexico (World Cup qualifier), Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, OH: 24,650
Total attendance: 415,903
Average attendance: 29,707
2016 USWNT Attendances
January 23: USA vs. Ireland (friendly), Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA: 23,309
February 10: USA vs. Costa Rica (Olympic qualifier), Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX: 8,143
February 13: USA vs. Mexico (Olympic qualifier), Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX: 15,032
February 15: USA vs. Puerto Rico (Olympic qualifier), Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX: 7,658
February 19: USA vs. Trinidad-Tobago (Olympic qualifier), BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX: 5,561
February 21: USA vs. Canada (Olympic qualifier), BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, TX: 10,119
March 3: USA vs. England (She Believes Cup), Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: 13,027
March 6: USA vs. France (She Believes Cup), Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN: 25,363
March 9: USA vs. Germany (She Believes Cup), FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL: 13,501
April 6: USA vs. Colombia (friendly), Pratt & Whitney Stadium, Hartford, CT: 21,792
April 10: USA vs. Colombia (friendly), Talen Energy Stadium, Chester, PA: 17,275
June 2: USA vs. Japan (friendly), Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, CO: 18,572
June 5: USA vs. Japan (friendly), First Energy Stadium, Cleveland, OH: 23,535
July 9: USA vs. South Africa (friendly), Soldier Field, Chicago, IL: 19,272
July 22: USA vs. Costa Rica (friendly), Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS: 12,635
September 15: USA vs. Thailand (friendly), Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, OH: 10,490
September 18: USA vs. Netherlands (friendly), Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA: 15,652
October 19: USA vs. Switzerland (friendly), Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT: 14,336
October 23: USA vs. Switzerland (friendly), US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN: 23,400
November 10: USA vs. Romania (friendly), Avaya Stadium, San Jose, CA: 16,425
November 13: USA vs. Romania (friendly), Stubhub Center, Carson, CA: 20,336
Total attendance: 335,433
Average attendance: 15,973
To improve attendance numbers in 2017, the US Soccer Federation needs to price tickets so they’re more affordable. Trying to fleece soccer fans for $90 a ticket to see a friendly on a Tuesday night isn’t working especially when the morale among supporters is low given the poor performances by the men’s team. For the women, the USWNT doesn’t have a major tournament for another three years, so numbers are unlikely to do much better in 2017.
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