TEXAS, USA — With a newfound surge of interest in MLS with the arrival of Lionel Messi, more eyes have turned to the soccer league than ever before.
The Sports Business Journal (SBJ) reported in February that MLS Season Pass subscribers surpassed 2 million by the end of the 2023 season. The subscriber count prior to Messi's arrival was under 1 million, SBJ reported. The "Messi Effect" prompted ticket servicer Vivid Seats to compile data exploring "America’s rooting interests by identifying the most popular MLS teams in each county."
Vivid Seats broke down MLS fandom by county, in an interactive map here (screenshot of map below):
FC Dallas remains Texas' most popular MLS club
According to Vivid Seats' data, FC Dallas is the most popular club in Texas, claiming 74 of the 254 counties in the Lone Star state. The Houston Dynamo are favorites in 44 Texas counties, mainly in the southeastern and southern area of the state. Austin FC, the newest club of the three, came in with 33 counties, mainly in Central Texas.
There were a few counties that favored non-Texas teams:
- Presidio County: LAFC
- Reeves County, El Paso County: Los Angeles Galaxy
- Mason County, Yoakum County: Atlanta United
- Bailey County: Sporting Kansas City
- Sherman County: Colorado Rapids
- Hutchinson County, Hamilton County: Inter Miami CF
- Motley County: Toronto FC
- Freestone County: Charlotte FC
- Duval County: Chicago Fire
The remaining 91 counties were "areas with insufficient data" and show as black on the map.
FC Dallas was the eighth-most popular MLS team in America, according to Vivid Seats' data. The most-popular MLS team in the US was Sporting Kansas City. Atlanta United, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew and Minnesota United rounded out the top five.
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