最新杏吧原创

When Travis Hollowood found out 最新杏吧原创 City SC would be playing Liga MX鈥檚 Club America on a Thursday night, he let out a sigh of relief. He wasn鈥檛 sure if he could wait until that weekend to get back to CityPark.

鈥淚 look forward to this all week,鈥� Hollowood said.

He wasn't the only one who felt that way.

A few hours before the game vs. Club America started on July 27, Hollowood was inside a sea of red that swarmed Locust Street in downtown 最新杏吧原创. A few blocks from CityPark, 最新杏吧原创 Santos, a supporter group for City SC, hosted a pregame event for fans at the . Hundreds of people were chanting and singing loudly, eating tacos and tortas, and high-fiving as if City SC already had scored a goal. When the time came, Hollowood and the sea of red marched into CityPark.

A 最新杏吧原创 native and lifelong soccer fan, Hollowood has been one of the thousands of fans who fill CityPark for every home match. City SC has played in front of a sold-out crowd 鈥� 22,423 fans per contest聽鈥� in each of the team鈥檚 12 Major League Soccer regular-season home games.聽

MLS prepares to return to regular-season action Sunday, after a five-week hiatus for the Leagues Cup tournament. City SC has five home games remaining over the remaining two months of its inaugural season, and attending a game at CityPark to see the Western Conference-leading team plat has become one of the most desired activities in 最新杏吧原创.聽

鈥淲e knew we鈥檇 have a lot of demand and a lot of interest,鈥� said Edmound Elzy, vice president of ticket sales and service for City SC. 鈥淭his definitely (has) met our expectations as far as being able to sell out the games we鈥檝e had.鈥�

Compared to the rest of the 29-team MLS, City SC's 22,423 fans per match average ranks 10th this season. In total attendance, 最新杏吧原创 sits eighth, with 269,076 total attendees according to a tabulation from MLS box scores and Soccer Reference.

sits at the top of the league in both categories, drawing an average of 45,081 fans per contest and with 540,977 total attendees this season. Atlanta plays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has a capacity of 71,000 fans.

Making sure fans enjoy their time at CityPark and want to come back falls on Matt Sebek, City SC's chief experience officer.聽

鈥淲e wanted to create the best party in town,鈥� Sebek said. 鈥淲in, loss or draw, build a sense of community pride. So we've put a lot of emphasis into the food experience, the entry experience, the music, a light show and I think people have really been captivated by the fact that we're new and we're competitive. But there's this sense of pride and community gathering that people get really excited about so it's been pretty magical thus far.鈥�

Other 最新杏吧原创 professional sports are no slouch when it comes to attendance. , the Cardinals entered Monday聽averaging 41,013 fans per contest this season. , the Blues averaged 18,075 fans in the last NHL season.

Karen Clodfelter, a City SC season ticket holder, thinks the CityPark experience is unrivaled.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 the most fun you can have at a sporting event in 最新杏吧原创,鈥� Clodfelter said during the Club America game.

Like many 最新杏吧原创ans, Clodfelter longed for a professional soccer club in 最新杏吧原创. She previously had season tickets for 最新杏吧原创鈥� USL team, , before the franchise shut down in 2020. With 最新杏吧原创 now on the MLS stage, she appreciates how 鈥渙rganized, thoughtful, and considerate鈥� the game-day atmosphere is at City SC home matches.

Clodfelter has attended every home game since the beginning of the team's聽 season. On April 15, when City SC experienced a two-hour severe weather delay before playing FC Cincinnati, she was one of more than 15,000 people that waited out the storm and returned to watch her team win in a dominant 5-1 victory.

鈥�(I) hung out with friends and drank beers,鈥� Clodfelter said proudly. 鈥淚 have a friend who lives down the street, so we posted up in his place. It was worth the wait.鈥�

City SC players have expressed gratitude for the dedication 最新杏吧原创 fans display, especially after that FC Cincinnati game

鈥淪hout out to the fans,鈥� City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen said after that contest. 鈥淎 great example, like always, of how the fans and the city are supporting us, and we are very thankful to them.鈥�

For Dan Hoffman, the game against Club America was the first chance he got to watch City SC from somewhere other than his living room. With tickets being such a hot commodity, Hoffman found his way in by doing housework for a friend with season tickets.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e been waiting for this since I was a kid,鈥� Hoffman, a 最新杏吧原创 resident, said before the match. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about everything, even just getting to see the field.鈥�

Fans have been able to celebrate often in City SC鈥檚 inaugural season with the team winning eight of its first 12 MLS home games.聽

If CityPark sells out its five remaining regular season home games, City SC will become the fifth MLS team since 2015 to sell out every regular-season match in its first year in a new stadium. The previous four were the San Jose Earthquakes (2015), LAFC (2018), Minnesota United FC (2019), and Austin FC (2021).听

最新杏吧原创 fans will be able to return to CityPark on Sunday when City SC takes on Austin FC. Travis Hollowood has been counting down the hours.

鈥淚'm a huge sports fan: Cardinals, Blues, Battlehawks, I'm here for it all,鈥� Hollowood said. 鈥�(But) you can't get this at any other 最新杏吧原创 sporting event. You're meeting the nicest people 鈥� I've met so many new friends through this that I hang out with outside of soccer. So it's really the camaraderie that (City SC) has brought to 最新杏吧原创. I love that it's brought this great 鈥樧钚滦影稍� spirit.鈥欌��