There will nine sections of ticketing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium made up of eight levels of pricing from $360 per season ticket to $4,050. The price per game will range from $20-$225 per game for 18 games. Club president Darren Eales said there are 16,000 seats priced at $30 per game or less. The team will begin play in 2017.
Responding to queries on Facebook and Twitter, a few of the team’s 10,000 Founders’ Club members said they were thrilled with the least expensive two sections, the Supporters, which will be behind one goal in front of the large bank of glass, and the Goal section, located behind the opposite goal. Eales said there are approximately 5,500 seats in the Supporters section, of which there will be approximately 2,000 for general admission.
“My family and I were in as Founding members straight away, and we plan to buy four seats at the lowest price range,” said Tim Saviello, a Grant Park resident with a 12-year-old son who plays soccer. “I did some research and so while the $360 might be a few bucks higher than it could have been, I do understand that (Arthur) Blank’s got to make some money and the ‘Benz isn’t cheap. So overall I’m not disappointed with the prices.”
Two members of different soccer supporter groups in the city were also happy with the prices in the Corner/Goal section ($560 per ticket), Sidelines ($630) and Sideline/Corner Front Rows ($810).
“The affordable price is the biggest reason,” Curtis Jenkins, a member of Footie Mob, said. “Many want better seats because the corners and sidelines are well within their budgets. The corners are especially attractive at that price point.”
The supporters are ready.
“Everyone I know is very excited and ready to hand over their money today, as if that will make next season start sooner,” Robyn Saghini, co-founder of supporters group Terminus Legion, said. “I thought the tickets would be closer to $25 per game, so I’m thrilled that they’re only $20. And I’m looking forward to standing in the (Supporters) section with Terminus Legion screaming my head off at every home game next year!”
The team won’t determine the number of seats available for sale in each section until it’s deeper in the process. Should a section’s sales near capacity, the team will consider alternate configurations so that supply can meet demand.
Soccer for new fans: What's a friendly? A "friendly" is just another term for an exhibition game between two teams. For example, some of the games that have been played at the Georgia Dome, Club America vs. Manchester City and Club American vs. A.C. Milan, were friendlies. While regular-season games and those in tournaments feature strict rules, friendlies sometimes bend those rules, notably with substitutions. Each team playing in an official game is allowed no more three substitutions; in a friendly game, that limit can be negotiated and expanded so that managers can try out new players, new formations and new ideas.
Good, or at least interesting, reads: Wolfsburg in Germany signed a video game star (don't tell my son this is a real thing).
Winners and losers from the U.S. men's national team camp.
More winners and losers from the camp.
Ten games to watch
Here are the top 10 games to watch in world soccer on TV or your mobile streaming device:
Tuesday
2:30 p.m., West Ham vs. Liverpool, Fox Sports 1: The FA Cup is underway with two struggling teams. Liverpool is losing players and its manager to injuries and illness. The Reds have just five points from their last six Premier League matches and have no realistic shot at finishing among the top four. The Hammers have 10 points in their last five league matches. Both teams could use a win in the FA Cup to try to save their seasons.
2:30 p.m., Stuttgart vs. Borussia Dortmund, ESPN Deportes TV: Watch for American Christian Pulisic to start in the DFB Pokal tournament in what should be a cracking game.
Wednesday
3 p.m., Valencia vs. Barcelona, beIN Sports USA: Barcelona continues to roll in La Liga and now faces in the Copa del Rey a struggling Valencia squad with under-fire manager Gary Neville.
8 p.m., Mexico vs. Senegal, Fox Soccer 2 Go: Mexico faces what could be a difficult friendly match against Senegal. Mexico won't have in-form striker Javier Hernandez or midfielder Hector Herrera. If you're curious, there are no MLS players on this "El Tri" roster.
Friday
8:30 p.m., Veracruz vs. America, Univision Deportes: America is two points behind league-leaders Monterrey while Veracruz has just three points and is in 17th out of 18 teams in Liga MX.
Saturday
7:45 a.m., Sunderland vs. Manchester United, NBCSN: Manchester United is running out of games if it hopes to finish in the top four and earn a spot in next year's Champions League. They are six points behind Manchester City and didn't help themselves after Chelsea scored in the 90th minute to tie last week's game. Sunderland scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of last week's match against Liverpool to earn a 2-2 tie and valuable point. The Black Cats have just 20 points and are in 19th place, four points behind Newcastle, which is in 17th place and currently safe.
2:45 p.m., Juventus vs. Napoli, beIN Sports USA: The co-game of the week in world soccer features the top two teams in Serie A. Juventus, riding a 14-game winning streak, is two points behind Napoli.
Sunday
7 a.m., Arsenal vs. Leicester City, NBCSN: The co-game of the week in world soccer. The Foxes destroyed Manchester City 3-1 last week. Arsenal is in third place with 48 points, five points behind Leicester. If the Foxes win and create an eight-point gap with 12 games remaining, they will become the odds-on favorites to win the Premier League.
11:15 a.m., Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur, NBCSN: The other two teams in the Premier League's top four will face off in another must-win game for title hopes. The Spurs, like the Gunners, have 48 points and are in second place because of a greater goal difference (plus-26), which is the best in the league.
2:45 p.m., Fiorentina vs. Internazionale, beIN Sports USA: Fiorentina is in third place in Serie A with 46 points, 10 points behind Napoli, and Inter is in fourth place with 45 points.
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