There was a time when simply building a soccer specific stadium was setting the bar. Then came the era of enclosed-seaters around 20,000 following the same mold, like Sporting KC, Houston and Dallas. In today’s MLS world, a statement is needed in order to make an impact. Welcome to the "Purple Wall," MLS’s great new attraction.
The MLS recently announced the pricing for the next round of teams to enter the league. With plans to add four more teams in order to reach 28, cities across the US are racing for selection. Long considered a candidate for expansion, St. Louis fans will be frustrated to see comments from the new governor-elect that could push their city down the bid list.
Soccer stadiums have become the cathedrals of the 21st century. They are sacred places where the initiate go to bear witness to that one thing we all understand: a soccer match.
However, watching a game at one of these particular venues would be unlike the vast majority of your stadium experiences. Some are planted in extreme conditions, and others have peculiarities that are more commonly associated with ground rules in baseball.
These are the 10 strangest fields in the world of soccer.
St. Louis and Sacramento are both making moves to secure an MLS expansion team, but the future for each city is still unclear.
Back in April 2016, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber had said that he wanted to decide on Sacramento’s bid for an expansion team before Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson left office. That is only a few weeks away, and nothing has happened.
Towards the end of West Ham’s win over London rival Chelsea, fans began hurling bottles and even seats at one another. The situation escalated when fans attempted to burst through the segregation line, requiring riot police to separate the parties.
Watch as fans of both sides forget that they are there to watch a match:
Building off a record breaking 2015 season that saw an average attendance of 21,558, the 2016 MLS season managed to set another landmark by edging that total with an average attendance of 21,692 fans per game.
The growth of MLS is exemplified by this being the third consecutive season that the record has been broken. Leading the way for MLS is the Seattle Sounders (42,636 fans per game), Orlando City (31,324) and New York City FC (27,196).
Playing college soccer is a dream for every young player growing up. Whether it's the ecstatic crowds at UCSB and Wake Forest or the terrific sceneries at Cal Poly and UNC, here are the top 5 college soccer stadiums in the country.