SEATTLE, WASH. – Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it is opening the full capacity of CenturyLink Field for five select matches in 2016, including four clashes against Western Conference rivals, as well as New York City FC’s first-ever visit to Seattle. Additional upper-deck seating in the 300-level is being made available for games against NYCFC (June 25), LA Galaxy (July 31), Portland Timbers (August 21), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (September 17) and Real Salt Lake (October 23). Single-match tickets for these contests are now available via Ticketmaster.com, while five-match packs are being made available on Monday, April 18 via SoundersFC.com or by calling (877) MLS-GOAL. Starting at $25 per seat, the five-match pack includes tickets to each of the full-stadium fixtures for the best possible value.
“Sounders FC fans are the heartbeat of our club, and each season our full-stadium matches provide an unparalleled home-field advantage in MLS,” said Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer. “We look forward to these matches every year, and we’re excited to host our traditional Western Conference rivals once again, in addition to New York City FC for the first time.”
By opening to full-stadium capacity for these select matches in 2016, Sounders FC continues to set the standard for soccer support in North America. Since entering Major League soccer in 2009, the Rave Green and their fans have led MLS in single-season attendance season and hold an active streak of 129 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 15-2-3, including postseason play. Of the five opponents Sounders FC is set to face in this year's full-stadium games, Vancouver is the only one to record a win on the big stage at CenturyLink Field (2-2-0). Portland (0-4-0), LA (0-3-2) and Real Salt Lake (0-2-0) are all winless in Seattle in front of 45,000 or more, while NYCFC is set to play its first match on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.
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 four seasons, including a current-MLS record of 44,247 set in 2015.
At the end of last season, Sounders FC ranked 28th in global average attendance amongst the world's top-tier professional clubs (44,247), including the second-highest mark in the Americas. At its current configuration, CenturyLink Field's MLS capacity allows for 39,419 patrons after an expansion to select areas of the 300-level prior to the 2016 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 that 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 385 points (110-72-55) since its inaugural 2009 campaign, the league's second-highest total in that span. Sounders FC currently has four points (1-3-1) through five matches of the 2016 campaign, but is unbeaten in its last two matches, including a 1-0 home win over the Montreal Impact on April 2.
Sounders FC returns home to take on the Philadelphia Union tonight on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field (7:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, Univision-Seattle, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM).
