Wizards, Manchester United At Arrowhead Stadium Is 7th-Most Attended Soccer Game In America This Year

Soccer America listed the top 10 attendances at soccer games in the United States this year, and showing up on the list is the all-time most attended soccer game in Kansas City history -- the Kansas City Wizards vs. Manchester United at the New Arrowhead Stadium.

Here are the games ahead of the Wizards game:

Wizards Hoping Manchester United Win Turns Into More Ticket Sales

So the Kansas City Wizards beat Manchester United at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night. It was an exciting game and the largest attendance in Kansas City soccer history.

So what's next?

Per Wizards head coach Peter Vermes, it's time to parlay that into some ticket sales.

"Obviously, our hope is to build on this for the second half of our season,'' Vermes said. "And hopefully, after what they saw tonight, we can get a few more people out to watch the Wizards."

They'll have a hard time getting folks from 43 states and four countries again but I do think they could build some momentum here.

The Manchester United game was the last big soccer event of the summer. The Wizards marketing group probably couldn't be happier with the timing considering the World Cup is still fresh in folks' minds and Man U is the most popular sports brand in the world.

As they say, winning cures everything. If the Wizards start winning, they'll see an increase in sales.

Some Wondering If Wizards Victory Over Manchester United Is Biggest In MLS International History

Obviously the game between the Wizards and Manchester United was the biggest in Kansas City history, both figuratively and literally.

Figuratively speaking, it was huge because Man U is the biggest sports brand in the world and Kansas City was coming off of a soccer high with all of the World Cup events. Literally speaking, it was the biggest. There were 15,000 more fans at this game than the previous attendance record for Kansas City soccer.

Now the official website of Major League Soccer wants to know: Is this the biggest victory in MLS international match history?

Does it beat out DC United's 1998 triumph over Brazilian side Vasco da Gama for the InterAmerican Cup? Where does the MLS All-Star victory over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 2006 rank? How high would you place the MetroStars win by Clint Mathis & Co. over newly minted UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich in 2001?

They've got a poll going and, as of this posting, the over 64% of the respondents believe the Wizards victory is the biggest.

I think you know my answer.

Clark Hunt: Manchester United Will Always Be Linked To The Unveiling Of The New Arrowhead

Kansas City Chiefs owner and host of the match between the Kansas City Wizards and Manchester United, Clark Hunt, spoke to reporters before the Wizards beat Man U at the New Arrowhead.

He said the timing was right to bring a brand like Manchester United to Kansas City and he couldn't be happier that their visit coincided with the unveiling of the New Arrowhead to fans for the first time.

"I did have a conversation with the Glazers about Man U coming to Kansas City. When Man U has come in the past, Kansas City has not been on the list of cities they would normally come to. But the Glazers and I talked about the New Arrowhead, we talked about the fan base the Wizards have and we talked about the growth of soccer in Kansas City. I think at the end of the day they realized this was an opportunity to take advantage of a market their brand hasn't been exposed to. I know in talking to them in recent weeks they're delighted with the crowd and thrilled with the decision to come here. They will always be linked to the unveiling of the New Arrowhead."

And on one of Hunt's proudest days, the Wizards took care of business and beat the Red Devils 2-1.

Manchester United, Wizards Game Beats Kansas City Soccer Attendance Record By 15,000

We passed along word this evening that the announced attendance at the game between Manchester United and the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium was 52,424. I attended all the Chiefs games last year when they were drawing similar crowds so that number is pretty accurate.

What's amazing is that the game drew 15,000 more fans than the previous attendance record for soccer in Kansas City.

The previous record was 37,319, set when the US Men’s National Team played a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica at Arrowhead Stadium in 2001.

It's possible this new record could be demolished again and again if Kansas City is awarded the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

PHOTOS: Kansas City Wizards, Manchester United At The New Arrowhead Stadium

I snapped a few photos of the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

If you squint your eyes, and look really close to the top of this picture, you'll see two black dots. Those are two planes and they are officially the first fly over of the New Arrowhead Stadium.

Here the two sides are lining up for the national anthem (yeah, there's only one that counts).

Here's a little more pre-game warmup.

And we're off.

The ball was on our side of the field for most of the first half. Lots of good action.

Living the suite life at the New Arrowhead.

52,000 Check Out Wizards Victory Over Manchester United At New Arrowhead Stadium

You could call me the ultimate soccer skeptic. I think professional soccer has a long way to go before becoming a powerhouse in America.

But on Sunday evening, Arrowhead Stadium filled with 52,424 people to see the Kansas City Wizards beat Manchester United 2-1.

Yes, the Wizards beat the world's most popular and valuable sports franchise.

Impressive, no?

I would compare the crowd out at Arrowhead to many of the crowds you saw at Chiefs game last year. The Chiefs couldn't fill the stadium all season and generally had somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 folks at the near 80,000 seat stadium.

While soccer has a long way to go, Sunday night's event at Arrowhead Stadium showed that it is possible to make soccer a popular draw here in our midwest city.

Keeping the momentum going is the key and that's what the Wizards will face with the World Cup over and Manchester United moving on.

Down Goes Manchester United: Wizards Win 2-1

The Kansas City Wizards made quite the name for themselves in the soccer world today, beating soccer powerhouse Manchester United 2-1.

KC was the third stop for the English football club, who had beaten MLS team in both Toronto and Philadelphia over the last ten days.

What made the Wizards’ win even more shocking was that KC played a man down for the entire second half because of a penalty.

Over 50,000 fans watched Manchester United lose to the Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium.

Joel was at the game so we’ll be getting more updates to you in just a bit.

Manchester United and Kansas City Wizards Fans Lining Up At Arrowhead Stadium

via gsk158

It's Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium and the grills are smoking and MLS soccer fans are streaming into the stadium for today's match between Manchester United and the Kansas City Wizards. 

Judging by pictures being sent out on Twitter and Joel's updates (He's at the game), it seems like it's business as usual at Arrowhead Stadium. The game starts at 5 PM central time. Here are some tweets being sent out from people at the game:

• Great tailgate scene at Arrowhead .. Go Wizards (bradkporter)
• Heard Cure's "Love Cats" at Arrowhead soccer tailgate scene. No classic rock or country tunes.  (JVranicar)
• At the tailgate before the tailgate. in line to get in arrowhead. packed with with Man u fans -> not one mo plate in the bunch! (GRAPEVINESoccer)

Kansas City is the third stop on Manchester United's tour of the United States and Canada. Man United beat Celtic 3-1 two Fridays ago in Tornoto and a late goal was enough for them against the Philadelphia Union just a few days ago.

Manchester United's web site is streaming the game live so make sure you check it out if you're not near a TV. We'll have updates and scores after the game starts. 

Any predictions before the game? How much of a chance do the Wizards have?

Manchester United, Wizards Game May Just Miss The Rain

If you trust the weather chart above, the Wizards and Manchester United game may just miss the rain. The game is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m., so if these weather predictions are correct, the game will likely just miss the rain.

A huge game like this. 50,000+ fans headed to the stadium. Setting the stage for Kansas City's World Cup bid.

Yeah, it'll probably rain now.

Is Manchester United Coming To Town A Good Thing For The Wizards?

Manchester United is in Kansas City and will draw a crowd five times the size of the Wizards season attendance at Arrowhead Stadium today.

But is that a good thing?

I was just talking with SB Nation Kansas City's soccer correspondent, Andy Edwards, and he said some things that piqued my attention.

He said while he's glad Manchester United is coming to town, it couldn't be at a worse time for the Wizards and league play. They're trying to improve and suggested the Wizards should draw attention by their play on the field -- not by bringing in big name opponents like Manchester United.

While I understand the premise of his argument, I wholly disagree. What the Wizards are doing with Manchester United coming to town is bigger than the Wizards. They're bringing the focus and attention in Kansas City to soccer. What they're doing is helping the perception of Kansas City as a whole as a soccer city.

The Wizards understand the path to long-term success as an organization in Kansas City is to draw as many eye balls to their team and their games as possible. Manchester United helps with that, gimmicky or not.

So while this game may not be in the best interests of the Wizards as it relates to league play, it's a great thing for the long-term success of the team, soccer as a sport and Kansas City as a whole.

Kansas City Ticket Sales Dominating Other Cities On Manchester United Tour

So far Manchester United has visited Toronto and Philadelphia Major League Soccer teams to some larger-than-usual crowds. Obviously a team like Manchester United is going to draw lots of people but Kansas City is doing very, very well for itself.

The Wizards said Thursday that they have already sold more tickets (46,000) tickets for today’s game than the much-larger cities of Toronto (39,139) and Philadelphia (44,213) did on the first two stops of United’s five-city North American tour.

Here's the thing though: Philadelphia is the sixth largest city in the country.

Kansas City? 35th.

Sure, Kansas City may not have the size of Philly or Toronto, but as far as FIFA World Cup's attendance watch is concerned, Kansas City ranks above them.

Over 50,000 Expected At Manchester United, Wizards Game At Arrowhead Stadium

I've been touting for a few weeks now that soccer is rising in popularity in Kansas City.

ESPN knows it, which is why the sent camera crews to the Power & Light District during the World Cup. The Hunt family knows it, which is why they, along with the Wizards, pursued the Manchester United game. FIFA World Cup knows it, which is why Kansas City is a finalist for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

And Manchester United knows it, which is part of the reason they chose Kansas City on their tour of the States, a team rep told the Kansas City Star.

"We know that Kansas (City) is working very hard on being a destination city for these key games," Arnold said. "We worked very hard with Major League Soccer researching the cities that we go to."

Luckily for Kansas City, ticket sales are helping with the national perception that they're a soccer city. Last week, the Wizards announced they had sold 46,000 tickets for the game at Arrowhead Stadium today.

If you're a Chiefs fan, you know that number tops a few December games at Arrowhead last year.

Think about that for a second. There could be more soccer fans at Arrowhead than a December Chiefs game the last two years. That's crazy.

I gotta give some kudos to the Wizards and Chiefs for pushing soccer in Kansas City and pushing it at the right time. Momentum is flying right now coming off the World Cup and they capitalize with an event like this.

Add in that this game coincides with the Chiefs re-opening of Arrowhead Stadium and you've got some pretty darn smart marketing folks on board.

Manchester United Week: Kansas City Wizards Need To Pull Out All The Stops

I'm not trying to insult the Kansas City Wizards when I say Sunday's game against Manchester United is like the Royals AAA team playing the Yankees but it's a fair comparison.

Manchester United, like the Yankees, has major talent and a major name. In fact, Manchester United is the no. 1 sports brand in the world.

Now it's time for little 'ol Kansas City to give them a test.

On Sunday, the two sides will meet at Arrowhead Stadium here in Kansas City. For the Wizards, it's a shot to see how they compare to the big boys.

Per the Kansas City Star:

“We are going to try to continue on the same themes that we’ve done so far, continuing to develop our game and our style,” Vermes said. “It’s us really getting a chance to develop our play against a side that obviously does everything at a high standard.”

Vermes, who calls Manchester United a "formidable opponent", says the Wizards will bring everything they've got despite the fact that they've got another game next week.

“We’re going to give a lot of guys an opportunity to play knowing full well that we’ve got a game the following week against Toronto. So we’ve got to be smart and keep our rhythm going, too.”

With Manchester United Coming To New Arrowhead, Kansas City Making Its Case To Host FIFA World Cup

Kansas City is making its case that it deserves to host the World Cup.

It started back when Clark Hunt of the Chiefs expressed interest in hosting the 2018 or 2022 games at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the largest stadiums in the Midwest. Kansas City is still in that bidding process today. The perception of Kansas City as a soccer town continued when ESPN cameras showed 30,000 12,000 fans in downtown Kansas City, the second largest watch party in America, when the USA played Ghana.

Not a bad promotion for your city, right?

With soccer in Kansas City trending upwards because of the World Cup and the world's most popular sports brand, Manchester United, coming to town, Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium are making another statement that they're ready to handle the World Cup.

Wizards President Robb Heineman recently came out and said the reaction to Manchester United playing the Wizards on July 25 at Arrowhead was so great, that more tickets have been made available.

"Fan response for our match against Manchester United has been tremendous," Wizards President Robb Heineman said. "The great crowd we are expecting Sunday will reinforce that Kansas City is a premier soccer city and that the New Arrowhead Stadium will make an ideal host venue if the FIFA World Cup comes to the United States in 2018 or 2022."

I'm not sure why those tickets weren't available in the first place but it's drawing more publicity to the excitement surrounding Kansas City with Man U coming to town so consider it a good thing.

A press release issued on Wednesday focused on the pro-soccer feel around Kansas City as of late.

The Manchester United match provides another opportunity for Kansas Citians to show their passion for the sport as part of the highly successful Summer of Soccer. Over 30,000 soccer fans gathered for World Cup watch parties in the Kansas City Power & Light District. The crowd for the USA-Ghana Round of 16 match was shown live on ABC’s game broadcast and seen by over 15 million people in the U.S.

Watch for these PR efforts to continue. Kansas City definitely wants the World Cup in one of those two years coming up in the next decade not only because it would bring in nice revenue for the city but it would increase soccer awareness in Kansas City which is something both the Wizards and the Hunt family would like to see.