In MLS last weekend, the teams reported pretty average attendances for gameweek 8.
There was an expected low turnout of 10,487 for New England Revolution’s midweek game (see above photo). A few days later, New England played at home in front of a reported attendance of 16,591. So far this season, the Revolution is averaging 13,344 fans per game.
Meanwhile, there were usual strong numbers in Portland, Salt Lake and Toronto. It’s hard to know if Philadelphia’s low reported attendance was due to rain or the fact that the team is the only winless club in the league.
Overall, the numbers should pick up soon as the two league leaders, Atlanta United and Seattle Sounders, have each only played twice at home.
After the first 79 matches, the average attendance in MLS is down 2.35% compared to 2016.
Here are the reported attendances for MLS gameweek 8:
| Franchsie | Attendance |
|---|---|
| Dallas | 15,411 |
| Houston | 16,918 |
| Los Angeles | 24,931 |
| Minnesota | 17,491 |
| New England | 10,487 |
| New England | 16,591 |
| NY Red Bull | 20,008 |
| NYCFC | 22,470 |
| Philadelphia | 15,107 |
| Portland | 21,144 |
| Salt Lake | 18,946 |
| Toronto | 27,097 |
Here is the 2017 MLS attendance report through gameweek 8:
| MLS Attendance – Equal # of Home Games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2017 | |||
| Att | Att | Att +/- | GP | |
| Atlanta | NA | 50,610 | NA | 2 |
| Seattle | 39,769 | 42,891 | 7.85% | 2 |
| Toronto | 28,345 | 27,273 | -3.78% | 3 |
| Montreal | 24,799 | 25,759 | 3.87% | 2 |
| Orlando | 39,088 | 25,527 | -34.69% | 4 |
| Minnesota | NA | 23,421 | NA | 3 |
| LA Galaxy | 25,717 | 22,131 | -13.84% | 4 |
| Vancouver | 23,350 | 21,681 | -7.15% | 4 |
| NYCFC | 25,317 | 21,328 | -15.76% | 4 |
| Portland | 21,144 | 21,144 | 0.00% | 5 |
| Sporting KC | 20,199 | 19,216 | -4.87% | 3 |
| Salt Lake | 19,544 | 18,971 | -2.93% | 4 |
| Red Bulls | 19,029 | 18,925 | -0.54% | 4 |
| San Jose | 18,000 | 18,000 | 0.00% | 4 |
| Houston | 20,961 | 17,640 | -15.84% | 5 |
| D.C. United | 14,965 | 16,429 | 9.78% | 4 |
| Philadelphia Union | 16,700 | 15,973 | -4.35% | 4 |
| FC Dallas | 13,975 | 15,870 | 13.56% | 3 |
| Chicago | 14,239 | 15,369 | 7.94% | 4 |
| Colorado | 12,972 | 15,075 | 16.21% | 3 |
| NE Revs | 13,758 | 13,344 | -3.01% | 4 |
| Columbus | 16,383 | 12,659 | -22.73% | 4 |
