Naysayers who thought American fans would quickly lose interest in soccer after the World Cup were wrong.
A friendly match between Manchester United and Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, Michigan, set a new record for U.S. attendance at a soccer match Saturday, according to multiple reports.
[seealso slug= "world-cup-montage-roundup/"]
A sold-out crowd of 109,318 filled Michigan Stadium on Saturday, according to estimates, shattering the previous record of 101,799 set during a 1984 Olympic match between Brazil and France.
Today's attendance: 109,318, beating the previous high of 101,799 for a soccer match in the USA. #mutour pic.twitter.com/B35iAokkod— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 2, 2014
Man United-Real Madrid at Michigan Stadium will have the largest U.S. soccer crowd ever. pic.twitter.com/o97sbUIp4b— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) August 2, 2014
PIC: Were you one of the lucky ones inside The Big House today? This was the scene. #mutour pic.twitter.com/y0xRgL44hw— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 2, 2014
A record 109,000 spectators watched Manchester United vs Real Madrid at 'The Big House' in Michigan last night. pic.twitter.com/jaxA9aauSi— FootballFacts101 (@FootballFact101) August 3, 2014
Astonishing!! 109,000 tickets sold for @realmadrid vs @ManUtd in Michigan. That's a US record (via @FootbaIlCentre) pic.twitter.com/DWVFb0VviW— SBS - The World Game (@TheWorldGame) August 1, 2014
The turnout for the match between two of Europe's biggest soccer clubs underscores soccer's growing popularity in the U.S. Fans paid anywhere between $45 and $189 for tickets to the preseason match, Yahoo Sports reported.
Manchester United beat out Real Madrid in a 3-1 victory, but the highlight for many fans in attendance was when Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo made an unexpected appearance during the match's second half. Ronaldo is still recovering from a knee injury that slowed him down during the World Cup earlier this year in Brazil, and was not expected to play, local news outlet MLive reported.
3-1: @Cristiano Ronaldo plays his first match on the US tour http://t.co/0P2levHdGv #RMTour2014 #halamadrid pic.twitter.com/KK4YAClZmy— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) August 3, 2014
Although Saturday's game set a new attendance record for a U.S. soccer match, it did not beat Michigan Stadium's record for highest-ever attendance; that record stands at 115,109, set last year during a college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.