June 01--Chicago apparently isn't the ideal place for soccer fans who like to put on their scarves and kits and support their team at the pitch.
The city was ranked 12th in the U.S. for soccer fans, according to a report released Wednesday by personal-finance website WalletHub. Orlando, Fla., was ranked No. 1, followed by Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.
The website compared the 296 most-populated U.S. cities that have at least one professional or college soccer team and analyzed 51 metrics across six divisions, ranging from best performing teams to most engaged fans.
Chicago is home to the MLS' Fire and the NWSL's Red Stars.
Chicago ranked at the bottom in a couple of categories, including worst performing MLS team and least engaged MLS and NSWL fans. The city also was ranked 15th out of 16 teams in MLS stadium capacity and eighth out of 10 in NWSL stadium capacity.
The city did tie for fourth in lowest minimum season-ticket price for an MLS game and was ranked fourth for best performing NWSL team.
Other Illinois cities also were ranked in the report: Rosemont (52nd), DeKalb (82), Charleston (91), Edwardsville (93), Champaign (137), Peoria (166), Evanston (198), Macomb (207) and Normal (225).
The report was released ahead of the start of the Copa America Centenario tournament, which begins Friday with the U.S. playing Costa Rica in Santa Clara, Calif. Soldier Field will play host to three games during group play and one semifinal match.
Top 20 U.S. cities for soccer fans
1. Orlando, Fla.
2. Los Angeles
3. Portland, Ore.
4. Kansas City, Mo.
5. Seattle
6. Washington
7. Houston
8. Rochester, N.Y.
9. New York, N.Y.
10. Salt Lake City
11. Boston
12. Chicago
13. Columbus, Ohio
14. San Jose, Calif.
15. Dallas
16. Piscataway, N.J.
17. Philadephia
18. Denver
19. Richmond, Va.
20. Hempstead, N.Y.
mdwojak@tribpub.com
