Sounders to Open up full capacity three times this year; all-time record attainable?

I can see a sell-out for the Portland simply because there seems to be more interest in the Portland/Seattle rivalry among Sounders fans and, I'm guessing, a very large number of Timbers fans making the trip up. However, I'm guessing the Galaxy won't break 50k and the Whitecaps won't break 60k. Part of this is because I'm not expecting the 4-game packs to sell that well. Chelsea was here in the inaugural season and sold out, but this year's version isn't as good as the team three seasons ago and there is a growing apathy to friendlies in general among Sounders fans.

I do, however, think the Sounders will continue to maintain the 38k+ average for the rest of the games, particularly as they move further into the season and the team continues to do well. That isn't to say every game will be above 38k (I'm expecting sub 38k for Saturday's game against San Jose), but I wouldn't be surprised to see 39k+ games starting in June if the Sounders continue their winning ways.

 

It will be interesting to see how it pans out. You would hope that at least the Portland game is sold out. Other than that, 50k+ for Van and LA would be a very good outcome.

Will there come a time when the Sounders add more economic value to the stadium than the Seahawks? Even with 38k, they have an aggregate over 100,000 more than the Seahawks. A 700,000 aggregate season would put them almost 170,000 over the Seahawks. A typical Sounders fan doesn't add as much value as the average Seahawks fans, but this club is only 4 years old in its current form.

I want the NFL stadium ventures to fail, and for SSS's to prosper, but as long as Sounders are doing what they're doing, there will always be a nagging feeling that pro soccer will go full circle and end up in NFL-sized stadiums in some distant future. Then again there are always the Revs, and it could all be too good to be true.

 

The Sounders also are getting closer to beating the Cosmos' streak of 70 consecutive 30,000-plus crowds in league games. Going into this season, they had 42, so they could pass 70 sometime next season.

That streak counts both regular-season games and playoff games, but not non-league games.

 

Even if the Sounders bring in more fans, their stadium operating cost per fan is higher because they have twice as many games as the Seahawks. Ticket prices for Seahawks games is also three to four times higher than the same seats at a Sounders match. Not to mention the higher sponsorship fees te Seahawks bring in, etc, etc. Until the Sounders start regularly selling out the entire stadium or start selling tickets for Seahawks prices, the out drawing the Seahawks across an entire season dossn't mean anything.

 

That was my line for addressing everything you've just alluded to.

 

Really? I would think that $110 for 4 matches is a great deal. Especially when 2 are Portland and Vancouver.

 

It's not a bad deal, but it assumes an enthusiasm for certain matches that most fans with such enthusiasm have already acted on. In my case, it would be a great opportunity to see a few games, because I live in Spokane.

There is very little evidence, even in the case of marketing games against Mexican teams whose fans might include many among Washington's migrant population, that the front office is aware that any market exists outside of the area that would be largely destroyed in the event of eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunami.

 

Why buy a $50 ticket to see Chelsea for the third time in eight years when I can, most likely, get a ticket to see Portland and Vancouver for $20 each?

I will also agree with Mateo that the Sounders are incredibly myopic to Western Washington. Not just Western Washington, but Seattle specifically. I don't think there is even a tv station in eastern washington that broadcasts Sounders games live outside of a random few where there isn't a competing Mariners or Timbers game on Root. It's not like it would be hard. All they need to do is get on one of the Spokane stations and they'd get most of Eastern Washington. The irony is that the Timbers very well could take over Eastern Washington simply because it is easier to watch their games on live tv than it is to watch Sounders games

 

Actually I think this is a great package for the casual fan, remember just by being on this forum you are not a casual fan, they see a EPL powerhouse with at least a few big names by July, Beckham, Donovan (LA), and two of our biggest rivalries for only $110. I think these are going to sell like crazy, perfect for all the soccer families that don't have time for a full season of tickets. Heck I think this package would even appeal to a non sounder fan.

 

For casual fans, committing to four games seems like a little bit too much to ask. For a family of four, you're talking about $440 for those tickets.

 

Yes and no. As a STH of two tickets that splits it with a friend (we each take 1/2 the season), I am paying out about 520 with my seats. I have 4 kids, three old enough to go. It would cost me less in tickets, my kids would see more games, my wife wouldn't have extra scarves to store, and travel costs would go down significantly (come from the Olympia area). Sure I'd see less games, no pride in being a STH, seats not as good, but a case could be made for it. All that said, people like me are not going to fill the stadium. They need to sell this as a chance to get in on an amazing atmosphere, and great games.

 

Points taken.

Thanks for the info

 

So as of now...Seattle is selling these in a 4 game package, are they going to give the option of single game tickets for those 4 respective games eventually??? Because if they only sell them in the 4-game package...then..???

 

Frankly, this whole thing just points out how astonishing and impressive what happened with the New Jersey Cosmos really was.

The numbers are absolutely mind-boggling. Seattle is crushing all previous MLS records, and it's still not really got the Cosmos records in range.

The flip side, of course, is the fact that MLS, as a league, is blowing away what the NASL achieved. The medians, averages, and attendance revenue figures are much higher.

Additionally, there are nine teams (if you count SJ1-HOU as one team) that have played more seasons than any NASL franchise did, and Chicago will make it ten next year - when the league as a whole surpasses the lifespan of the NASL.

But for all the window dressing, the Cosmos' attendance marks are still superlative in the extreme.

 

I'm assuming the Cosmos were paying rent at the Meadowlands. Do you if the rent was reasonable? I ask because I read somewhere that they never turned a profit in their existence.

 

As someone that lives in Eastern Washington I disagree. No, we don't get games, but there is a lot of interest here in the Sounders.

In the School I work a lot of the kids have been to games or watched the Sounders on TV. I think that they are missing out on the market here by not having the broadcasting, but they aren't losing out to the Timbers (at least not in my area).

 

Yeah, they already said it will be some date in June... I think maybe the 2nd or the 7th? Sometime around then. There will definitely be individual game tickets available.

They just sell the packs first, since people who buy those will obviously get the nicest seats in the upper deck.

 

You're not gonna come?

 

When they remove the turf and put grass then soccer has won.

 

So with the 3 sounders games at full cap, and the Impact playing 4 more at the big O, what do we expect the average attendance per game to look like at the end of the year? For the league as a whole.