You can do your part in helping the club set records. Buy tickets here today.
When the lights come up on Nissan Stadium Saturday, will they be shining on a USL-record crowd? There’s a distinct possibility. While Nashville SC won’t likely be snapping FC Cincinnati’s overall single-game record (save that for July 7 when FCC itself comes to town), the inaugural home-game record of 20,497 – also held by FCC – is at risk.
The club has announced sales of over 16,000 tickets to date, and with a few more days and a nice walk-up crowd expected, 21k isn’t out of the question. For the on-field members of the club, though, it’s the support – rather than an arbitrary number – that makes the most difference.
“For us, it’s going be in front of what we hope is a big crowd,” head coach Gary Smith said. “[It’s the] opening home fixture, a wonderful venue and an opportunity to really get ourselves back on track.”
Fan support may be able to help will the team to victory – NSC is looking for a bounceback after their 2-0 loss to Louisville City FC Saturday.
The support from the community has been a major part of the early stages of Nashville SC’s days as a professional club. Moving this game to Nissan Stadium is indicative of that: their regular venue, First Tennessee Park with a 9,000-seat capacity, simply couldn’t meet the demand of the first competitive professional match held in Music City.
“It’s a tremendous commitment,” Smith said. “We had a great support system over the weekend and it was wonderful to see so many supporters there getting behind the group. I believe we have sold 16,000 tickets, so there is already a wonderful foundational level set for tickets sold.
“There’s a fabulous chance we will not only have a great crowd but we will be close to that number of breaking an opening season and game record- and even if it doesn’t, we will still have tremendous support- and for a team that is playing their first game at home, we are going to need that. We’re very much excited to have such a great base of supporters and it’s their opportunity to make this a great opening and historical game in Nashville.”
Of course, records in the stands are secondary to the record in the league table for the Boys in Gold. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds head down Saturday afternoon for their season opener after a USL bye (their reserves lost a friendly to Villanova University) last Saturday. They – like NSC – should be jockeying for a playoff spot this year.
You can do your part. Soccer in the city can only grow with a fanbase behind it. Buy tickets or risk missing out on history.
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