June 11 – The rapidly expanded secoind tier US professional league, the USL, broke another record last week as total attendance for the 2018 season broke the one million barrier at the earliest point in its history.
The mark was reached in week 13 of the season and a month earlier than the previous league high in the 2017. It was reached in 27 fewer games
In week 8 of the season, the USL broke another record when 105,072 fans recorded the first six-digit week of attendance in the league’s history.
The USL clubs (that are not MSL second teams) currently average 5,743 fans per game.
“The incredible passion that fans have for our clubs and our league continues to be demonstrated by the outstanding attendance figures we see on a weekly basis across the league,” said USL President Jake Edwards.
Sacramento Republic FC’s sellout crowd of 11,569, the final game of Saturday night, was the game that broke the 1 million mark.
New Mexico’s first franchise
The latest franchise to be added to the USL roster of clubs will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who will begin play in the USL’s Western Conference in March 2019.
This new professional soccer franchise is the vehicle, but our vision is much bigger than soccer,” said President and Team Owner, Peter Trevisani (pictured). “Our passion is for the sport and the power it has to uplift and transform communities. The economic impact witnessed in other markets that have welcomed USL soccer is huge, and we’re excited to bring that back home to our state.”
The USL in 2019 is currently set to kick off with 39 teams across the United States and Canada.
So far the New Mexico club does not have a signed player, coach or even a team name. It does have a stadium and will play home games at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. The club is currently accepting deposits for season tickets and will announce a branding contest to name the team in the Autumn.
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