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Atlanta United will break the MLS single-game attendance record with more than 69,255 tickets purchased for Saturday’s game against Orlando City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The team announced the accomplishment on twitter Thursday night. Tickets sales are ongoing.
The previous record was set on April 13, 1996 in a game between the L.A. Galaxy and N.Y./N.J. MetroStars at the Rose Bowl.
Atlanta United leads MLS in average attendance (45,811) this season and is on pace to set the league record for highest average home attendance of 44,247 set by Seattle in in 2015.
Atlanta United President Darren Eales has said for weeks that the team hoped to break the single-game record on Saturday.
The team has closed the upper decks of the stadium for its first two home games. It will close them again after Saturday’s game until the final home game against Toronto on Oct. 22.
Top 5 MLS Single-Game Attendances
1. N.Y./N.J. MetroStars at L.A. Galaxy, April 13, 1996, 69,255.
2. Portland at Seattle, Aug. 25, 2013, 67,385.
3. Portland at Seattle, Oct. 7, 2012, 66,452.
4. L.A. Galaxy at New York Red Bulls, Aug. 18, 2007, 66, 237.
5. L.A. Galaxy at Seattle, Oct. 27, 2013, 66,216.
The most-attended non-exhibition game in soccer history in the U.S. occurred in 1977 when 77,691 tickets were sold for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers vs. the Cosmos in an NASL playoff game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
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