Seattle Sounders FC set a new CenturyLink Field attendance record for a sporting event Sunday, clinching the MLS Cup before a crowd of over 69,000 fans.
The Sounders hosted Toronto FC in the MLS Cup Final on Sunday, and it ultimately turned out to be a memorable day in more ways than one. Not only did the club defeat Toronto 3-1 to win the MLS Cup–its second in four years–but it did so in front of 69,274 fans, a new record for a sporting event at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle has long had a strong following, evidenced by the fact that the club is annually among the top draws in MLS. Still, Sunday’s milestone was no small feat given that CenturyLink Field is also home to the NFL’s Seattle Seawhawks–a franchise that has been successful in its own right–and made for a memorable atmosphere as the Sounders clinched the title. More from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
It was a raucous crowd that took in the championship game at CenturyLink Field Sunday. The 69,274 in the stadium marked the highest-ever attendance for a sporting event at CenturyLink — more than any game for the NFL’s high-profile tenants that share the space with the Sounders, the Seattle Seahawks.
“We talked to the league guys who’ve been doing this for 20 years and have seen all the different forms of this,” Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey said. “Seattle, they said, was the most authentic, most vibrant, loudest place they had been. And that’s a third party. That says something.”
As noted, the Sounders have posted strong attendance numbers over the years, a trend that continued in 2019 with a per-game average of 40,247 fans that ranked second in the 24-team MLS, according to our attendance figures. CenturyLink Field first opened in 2002.
Image courtesy Seattle Sounders FC.