Attendance poor for U.S. friendly
WASHINGTON — If you watched the U.S. men's national team friendly on TV on Tuesday, you might have been under the impression that a good-sized crowd had attended the match against New Zealand at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. After all, the east-side lower bowl, which serves as the backdrop for the primary camera angle, was almost full of bouncing, tifo-raising spectators.
The other side of the stadium, however. was almost empty. To avoid bad TV optics, organizers did not sell tickets in the premier sideline sections behind the team benches. Instead, everyone was compressed into the the camerafriendly far side, in a corner on the near side or on the mezzanine.
Announced attendance was 9,012, the smallest gathering in a 25-year span of U.S. men's appearances at RFK. The previous low was 10,216 for Saudi Arabia's visit in 1995. Before Tuesday, the average crowd for a U.S. match in Washington was 32,186.
The U.S. men have played more games at RFK than any other venue in their history (24), and for good reasons: It's the nation's capital with a large-butnot-too-large stadium featuring an enclosed design to contain sound and a quality grass surface. Yes, RFK is a dump, but a lovable and historic dump with old-school features and feel. It's got soul, man.
The D.C. region also boasts one of the most diverse and sophisticated soccer audiences in the country. Local TV ratings for the Premier League, World Cup and Women's World Cup back that up.
This match, however, was an impossible sell from the start. Aside from the unheralded opponent, the friendly fell on a Tuesday night, which also happened to be the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday. Washington's notorious rush hour (on the roads and rails) probably scared off other potential customers.
Any hopes for a late surge at the box office were dashed by Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to release most of his marquee players, including teenage sensation Christian Pulisic, after Friday's friendly in Cuba. Marketing was scarce.
In defense of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the original plan was to bring in Ghana, an African power that has clashed with the United States in each of the past three World Cups. A matchup with the Black Stars would have helped push ticket sales to perhaps 20,000. But in support of clubs concerned about travel fatigue affecting their players, FIFAdoes not allow federations to schedule matches continents apart during a short official window.
An appeal to soccer's international governing body was rejected. Ghana ended up playing a friendly against South Africa on Tuesday in Durban after a World Cup home qualifier a few days earlier against Uganda.
The USSF wasn't left with many options. European, South American, African and Asian countries were playing qualifiers. New Zealand was already scheduled to play in the United States, last Saturday against Mexico in Nashville. So it only made sense for the All Whites to stick around and play the Americans.
Mexico, meantime, played its second match in the FIFA window against Panama on Tuesday at Toyota Park in suburban Chicago. (CONCACAF teams completed the semifinal round of World Cup qualifiers in the September window and will start the final round next month.)