Is this another shot fired in a soon-to-be rivalry?
Charlotte FC president Tom Glick said the 2022 MLS expansion side have already received more than 30,000 season-ticket deposits, outpacing Atlanta United.
"We have north of 30,000 season ticket deposits already, which is a huge number and ahead of the pace that Atlanta United was on when they launched four years ago," Glick said. "And Atlanta has really set the standard for that league.”
This comes on the heels of Charlotte FC co-owner David Tepper saying in December Charlotte-Atlanta would be “a hell of a rivalry," and Glick saying they plan to "knock them off of their perch."
Atlanta United set a new season ticket record for an MLS expansion team when they sold more than 22,000 season tickets ahead of the 2017 season after receiving 31,000 season-ticket deposits for their inaugural season.
Atlanta have shattered league attendance records since joining MLS in 2017, averaging 51,237 fans in 51 home games, nearly 11,000 more than second-place Seattle Sounders (40,881).
That number jumps to a league-best 61,780 in the postseason for the Five Stripes, who also have 13 of the top 20 regular season single game attendances in league history.
Other incoming expansion teams are also breaking Atlanta's record. Last June, Austin FC revealed they had already broken the 30,000 mark ahead of their entry into the league next season. And just last week, St. Louis SC announced that it had sold 50,000 season-ticket deposits in just 24 hours.
