The Crew's average attendance is 2,710 fewer than the previous low of 12,659 in '17GETTY IMAGES
The Crew beat the Earthquakes on Saturday in front of 11,479 fans at Mapfre Stadium, the MLS club's fifth home match of the season. That moves their home attendance average to 10,255, which is down 25% from the same point last season and next-to-last among MLS clubs. The only team with a lower average is DC United, which has played two homes games in Germantown and Annapolis as the team awaits the opening of its new Audi Field home in Southwest DC (THE DAILY). In Columbus, Andrew Erickson reported prior to Saturday's game, the Crew has been "averaging an announced home crowd of 9,949." It was the Crew's "lowest average attendance through four home games since Precourt Sports Ventures bought the team" in '13. The attendance average was 2,710 "fewer than the previous low average of 12,659" in '17. Many reasons have been thrown out to explain the drop, from the Crew's "heavy slate of early season home games to a general lack of interest or one stemming from the team's potential relocation to Austin." A Crew spokesperson said that attendance was "expected to rise." The announced attendance of 11,264 last Saturday against the Revolution has been the "season high." Fans started the season with a "'Fill the 'Fre' campaign on social media with the goal of raising attendance numbers, but they are aware they face an uphill battle." Save the Crew spokesperson David Miller said that the team's potential relocation "serves as another barrier to attendance, echoing the beliefs of many fans" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 4/28).
