The USMNT finally kicked off its Copa America 2024 journey in style. Moments ago, the Eagles clinched a convincing 2-0 victory over Group C rivals Bolivia in its opening group stage fixture. However, despite the victory, netizens still found a way to get upset over the match attendance tonight at AT&T Stadium.

Well, to quote the exact number, only 47,873 fans turned up to support the host country at the Arlington, Texas-based stadium. The astonishment comes after the fact that the venue’s overall capacity is over 80,000. Yet, spectators just above 55% showed up to exhibit support for their own country. In fact, you would be surprised to know that the USA has hardly ever drawn a significant crowd in Copa America.

Back in 2016 Copa America, the highest-ever attendance was recorded back on June 9, 2016, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, with over 83,263 spectators coming to watch a group stage fixture between Mexico and Jamaica. Behind this, stands the Chile vs. Argentina final held that year on June 26 where 82,026 fans came to the MetLife Stadium, followed by a quarter-final fixture played on June 17 by Colombia and Peru at the MetLife Stadium with a 79,194 attendance.

Well, the USA somehow makes the top 4, thanks to their June 21 semifinal clash against Argentina at NRG Stadium with 70,858 fans turning up. Furthermore, in this year’s opening game match between Argentina vs Canada, over 70,000+ footfall was recorded. Of course, everyone knows the obvious crowd-puller here for the World Champion (Lionel Messi it is for those still clueless.)

However, coming back, even after having the advantage of having a home crowd, the USMNT is failing to draw more flocks. So, the anger of the netizens on the internet is justified.

Fans question the attendance of the USMNT vs Bolivia match

Of course, such low attendance in such big stadiums isn’t something that fans would let slide easily. They are taking down their heat on X, formerly Twitter.

Of course, the USA, being a host nation, is expected to draw bigger crowds in their well-structured stadiums. However, the opposite is happening, as stadiums are getting filled to just above 50%, and that too with a lot of difficulty, reflecting poorly on Gregg Berhalter’s behalf.

Perhaps the biggest reason for fans failing to turn up to stadiums isn’t because of less exciting matches. It’s actually due to expensive tickets. This fan remembers what he used to pay for an economical ticket, but now the prices have become rather unaffordable.

Another big reason for Copa America stakeholders to worry about their attendance is UEFA Euro 2024. Of course, a tussle remains between the organizers of both bodies to finish the tournament with the best numbers possible. Yet, this fan has numbers to back that the European competition might be winning in fan loyalty and huge attendance.

They say back in England that if you reside near a stadium, then congratulations, you won’t get a good night’s sleep due to the continuous chants with stadium-filled spectators, and until it finally the venue empties. Turns out, this Texas native also lives just a few blocks behind the AT&T Stadium. However, he couldn’t figure out that his nation’s soccer team was playing at such a big stage.

Well, low attendance is certainly quite a matter of concern for Copa America, especially for the USMNT, who are of course expected to draw more crowds. Perhaps this may change if they make things like ticket pricing more seamless as per the fans’ convenience.