Michigan Stadium has already hosted one notable soccer attendance record, and could top that mark with a match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United this summer.
It was back in 2014 that a match at Michigan Stadium entered the record books. In that year, the home of University of Michigan football hosted a contest between Manchester United and Real Madrid that drew a reported 109,318 fans. That still stands as the highest recorded attendance for a soccer game in the United States.
That record could be put to the test on July 28, when Michigan Stadium plays host to a contest between Liverpool and Manchester United. It remains to be seen whether that match will be enough to top the previous record set at Michigan Stadium, but the notoriety of the two clubs and the facility’s ability to handle large crowds make it a possibility. More from The Detroit Free Press:
[Michigan athletic director Warde] Manuel said they could have something “very special” if the fans of the two soccer clubs surpass the 2014 crowd.
“From the feedback I have already received, this will be well-attended,” Manuel said. “I think that record of 109,000 is in jeopardy.”
The stadium’s all-time attendance record of 115,109, when Michigan beat Notre Dame, 41-30, on Sept, 7, 2013, is likely safe.
So, too, is the attendance record for a Michigan-Ohio State football game, 114,132, on Nov. 26, 2011.
Time will tell whether the attendance record falls, but the game will certainly add to the list of high-profile events that have been held at the venerable Ann Arbor venue. The July 28 match is scheduled as part of the International Champions Cup, which is organized by Relevent Sports. Relevent Sports is owned by billionare Stephen Ross, a prominent donor to Michigan over the years and the current owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Image courtesy University of Michigan.