After 39 years, Chicago soccer finally has a place to call home. The Chicago Fire opens MLSÆs fourth soccer-specific stadium Sunday when it hosts the New England Revolution at 20,000-seat Bridgeview Stadium. The official opening of the stadium wonÆt take place until June 25.
The lack of a permanent home has always been one of the reasons given for the poor support pro soccer often received in the Windy City.
The Mustangs (actually Sardinian club Cagliari) played in Comiskey Park in 1967 and averaged 4,207 fans a game. The next year, the Mustangs took a new tack, relying heavily on local Americans, but they averaged only 2,463 fans a game in the newly formed NASL. In their one season of existence before moving to Kansas City, the Spurs werenÆt much better, averaging 2,619 a game in the 1967 NPSL.
The Sting came along in 1975, but its average attendance never topped 6,000 a game in its first four years. The high point of its 10-year history in the NASL came in 1981 when it averaged 12,889 fans a game. The Sting shuffled from Soldier Field to Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park, splitting time most seasons between two of them. Things were so confusing that Sting players occasionally showed up at the wrong field.
The high mark for Chicago soccer came in 1998 when the expansion Fire won the MLS title and averaged 17,857 fans a game. They played all or parts of seven seasons at Soldier Field (1998-2001 and 2003-05) and two at North Central CollegeÆs Cardinal Stadium in suburban Naperville.
The 20,000-seat Bridgeview Stadium was built at a cost of $70 million. Fire parent company AEG and the city of Bridgeview contributed $15 million each, and $40 million was raised in bonds.