SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it is opening the full capacity of the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field for four select fixtures against the club’s premier MLS Western Conference rivals. Additional upper deck seating in the 300-level is being made available for games against Vancouver Whitecaps FC (August 1), Portland Timbers (August 30), LA Galaxy (October 4) and Real Salt Lake (October 25). Tickets for these matches can now be purchased via SoundersFC.com. Starting at $159, the “Full 4 Pack” includes tickets to all four full-stadium fixtures, in addition to the 2015 Guinness International Champions Cup match between 20-time English champion Manchester United and defending Liga MX champion Club America on Friday, July 17.
“Every time our club plays at home, Sounders FC fans create the most energetic and unique atmosphere in North American soccer. Our full-stadium matches raise that bar even higher,” said Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer. “We look forward to creating an unmatched home-field advantage for Sounders FC against our biggest rivals in four key games this season.”
By opening to full-stadium capacity for these select matches in 2015, Sounders FC continues to set the precedent for soccer support in North America, and is poised for another record-setting campaign. Since entering Major League soccer in 2009, the Rave Green and their fans have earned the top six single-season attendance totals in league history and hold an active streak of 116 consecutive MLS sellouts, a league record.
Sounders FC has proven to be a dominant host when playing in front of larger crowds on its home turf. With crowds surpassing 45,000 or more, Sounders FC holds a record of 13-1-2, including postseason play. All four opponents Sounders FC is set to face in this year’s full-stadium games have achieved little previous success against Seattle on the big stage at CenturyLink Field: Portland (0-3-0 record), LA Galaxy (0-3-1 record), Real Salt Lake (0-1-0 record) and Vancouver (1-2-0 record).
In its inaugural campaign, Sounders FC set a then MLS average attendance record of 30,897 at CenturyLink Field. Attendance within the stadium has grown with the addition of full stadium fixtures, resulting in average attendance marks of more than 43,000 fans per home match in each of the past three seasons. By 2014, Sounders FC finished 27th in global average attendance amongst the world’s top-tier professional clubs (43,734), including the second-highest mark in the Americas. At its current configuration, CenturyLink Field’s MLS capacity allows for 39,571 patrons after an expansion to a select area of the 300-level on the facility’s east side prior to the 2015 season.
Since beginning MLS play inside CenturyLink Field, Sounders FC has become one of the league’s elite sides, capturing the 2014 Supporters’ Shield as last year’s top club in regular-season play, in addition to four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014. Managed by Sigi Schmid – the winningest Head Coach in MLS history – Sounders FC has earned 359 points (103-58-50) since its inaugural 2009 campaign, the league’s second-highest total in that span. Sounders FC is currently first in Major League Soccer in points per game (1.93 ppg), and the club currently holds a 9-4-2 record thus far in 2015 (29 points), good for first in the league race for the Supporters’ Shield.
