Wednesday MLS Playoff Gameday: Galaxy increase capacity for Thursday's HDC game
LA Lads: Former local Fox Sports commentator Max Bretos, former Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas and Chivas USA's Alejandro Moreno are the in-studio team for the 7 p.m. Seattle Sounders-Real Salt Lake match as the MLS Playoffs resume on ESPN tonight.
It appears fans are responding to the MLS playoffs this year, games that have traditionally struggled to draw decent crowds on relatively short notice.
The Galaxy announced last night they would increase capacity at Home Depot Center for Thursday's Western Conference Semifinal decider against New York by 5,000 to 20,000, a move made possible by offering free off-site parking and free shuttles at two locations.(as many fans had suggested). All 15,000 tickets had apparently already been sold two days before the game kicked off.
In addition, the Kansas City game tonight against the Colorado Rapids (5 o'clock Fox Soccer) is all but sold out, while another big crowd is expected as usual tonight in Seattle, even if the Sounders have absolutely no margin for error in the game.
And we're 19 days away from MLS Cup 2011 in Carson.
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Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Dallas and Colorado drew very poor crowds.
Bretos and Lalas on TV? Good thing I'm going to the game....;D
BTW, Lalas and Moreno look unimpressed that Bretos had to do Number 1....:D