More than 40,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Atlanta United match

Fans crowd into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch Atlanta United play against Montreal Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Atlanta. (PHOTO/Daniel Varnado)

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Credit: Daniel Varnado

Fans crowd into Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch Atlanta United play against Montreal Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Atlanta. (PHOTO/Daniel Varnado)

An announced attendance of 40,116 was at Atlanta United’s game against Montreal on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United won 1-0 on a late goal by Marcelino Moreno.

It was the largest attendance for a soccer match since the pandemic, according to Atlanta United’s communications team. The previous high mark was held by Zenit St. Petersburg, which had an announced attendance of 39,783 on May 2 in the Russian Premier League.

Atlanta United opened the stadium to full capacity for the first time since hosting more than 69,000 for a match against Cincinnati in March, 2020.

“It’s beautiful to see so many people in the stadium,” manager Gabriel Heinze said. “It’s a long time since we’ve seen this. Football is for people. For the rest, I’m very happy because the players did everything to get this win.”