Photo: Stephen Speer

With the 2022 Major League Soccer season only a month away, there’s no better way to warm up to the new year than with a nice, easy power ranking article. With no official kit news yet, save Charlotte, stadiums seemed the next best choice for a fun way to kick off the new season. 

Stadiums are ranked from worst to first, with my own personal opinion being the only guiding factor. To help guide my rankings I’ve focused on stadium’s atmosphere, accessibility, amenities, and overall match day experience. In some cases I’ve also factored in some more intangible elements, that either help or hurt a stadiums ranking. I’ve indicated what stadiums I’ve been to by italicizing those names in the list. 

Finally, PSP managing editor Peter Andrews — who’s been to quite a few of these over the years — has hopped in to give his thoughts on the grounds he’s been to, including insight into the professional side of some of these parks. 

NYCFC: Yankee Stadium

30,321

Visited here as a fan back in 2017. There’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said already. Baseball field. 

Peter: It does have the best press food spread in the league by a wide margin, and it’s easy to get to by subway. Makes up for not being able to see anything that’s going on. 

Inter Miami: DRV PNK Stadium

18,000

It’s a temporary home, and from what I understand, it feels temporary. At least it’s got solid sightlines. With multiple stadium delays, hopefully Inter don’t turn into the modern day NYCFC.

New England Revolution: Gillette Stadium

20,000

Using an NFL stadium is never going to be ideal. Especially when you can’t fill it, and it’s 45 minutes away from your city. Even the players don’t enjoy it, with common complaints being the distance from Boston and turf that isn’t cared for. 

FC Dallas: Toyota Stadium

20,500 

There’s nothing desirable about Toyota Stadium. No cover from the Texas sun, a lack of modern amenities, poor location, and recent “renovations” that made the supporters section objectively dangerous. Yikes.

Peter: Having the National Soccer Hall of Fame built into one end is a nice touch, though.

Chicago Fire: Soldier Field

24,955

With the Bears looking for a new home soon, Soldier Field’s future is unknown, and the Fire may become the sole tenant. That could be good, that could be bad. The Fire’s final home game had an attendance of 31,000+, and brought some hope that the Fire could re-cultivate it’s passionate fanbase and make Soldier Field a daunting environment. As it stands now, Soldier Field feels too big, and soulless. Hopefully that changes.

NYRB: Red Bull Arena

25,000

It’s too big, too far away, and too… blue for a club called the Red Bulls. In theory it’s a good ground, but location and mismanagement have left it soulless.

Peter: Splitting the stands into two decks made an already oversized stadium feel cavernous. And there’s nothing to do in the vicinity.

Real Salt Lake: Rio Tinto Stadium

20,213

About 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake proper, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Rio Tinto. That said, the once raucous environment has faded in recent years, and the ground feels half alive. It does at least have a unique roof structure, and fantastic view.

D.C. United: Audi Field

20,000

I’ve somehow managed to avoid Audi Field so far in both my professional, and personal life, and from what I’ve heard I’m the better for it. Built in 2018, the stadium opened in an unfinished, and unsafe state, and complaints of the stadium feeling half baked have continued ever since. The only thing saving the ground in my eyes is the location, and occasionally strong support.

Houston Dynamo: PNC Stadium

22,039

PNC Stadium is a ground that theoretically should be better than it is. It’s modern, comfortable, and aesthetically gorgeous. It offers all that a modern stadium should, even if it does lack some of the bells and whistles seen later on in the list. What really hurts PNC Stadium, and the Dynamo, is the lack of support. The stadium rarely reaches half capacity, and the lack of large-scale organized support leaves the ground feeling hollow.

Peter: Covered the 2018 U.S. Open Cup final there. A miserable night for the Union, exacerbated by the 100% humidity. But the stadium is pretty close to some good barbecue, so there’s that. I do not recommend a postgame trip to Whataburger unless you have the metabolism of a 22-year-old.

Vancouver Whitecaps: BC Place

22,120

BC Place is a solid enough venue as a whole, but comes up a bit short as a soccer stadium. The upper half of the stadium is blocked off with canopies, and it doesn’t really feel like a soccer stadium. That said, Whitecaps fans can be loud when they need to be, and the stadium gets the job done without any real issues. If I’d talked to Peter more in depth about the ‘Caps digs I probably would’ve dropped this one a few places.

Peter: I would’ve put this lower. It’s close to downtown Vancouver, which is nice, but the interior is dingy and playing on turf is a drag. Fun fact: I covered the Union’s 2017 season opener there while wearing mud-covered pants.

Colorado Rapids: Dicks Sporting Goods Park

18,061

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is one of the most average grounds in the league. I don’t mean this in a bad way. It offers everything a stadium should, but lacks any real distinction. The ground is also a victim of the 2010’s trend of placing soccer stadiums outside of downtown proper, and because of that, attendance and atmosphere can be lacking.

Peter: Fun fact: the stadium is surrounded by a couple dozen full-size pitches. It’s actually where I played rec soccer in my two years living in Denver. But the location is way too far from downtown, making it tough to get the full Denver experience pre-game. And, inexplicably given the mountain climate, the press box is fully outside.

Charlotte FC: Bank of America Stadium

40,000

Charlotte have yet to play a game, and as such, get the benefit of the doubt to a degree. I’ve been to Bank of America Stadium for a few football games, and the venue leaves a lot to be desired in accessibility, modernity, and amenities.  That said, if CLT can sell out the building à la Atlanta United, there’s no reason it can’t be a solid enough home.

San Jose Earthquakes: PayPal Park

18,000

PayPal Park is an aesthetically unique venue in MLS. It’s a horseshoe design, with a totally open Northeastern end that only houses the world’s largest outdoor bar, and a small amount of seating. Additionally, the main stand is elevated above club seating, meaning that the front rows of the non-club seats are set back from the pitch, and elevated. The only thing holding the stadium back from being one of the better grounds in the league is the lack of atmosphere. 

Peter: Agreed that atmosphere is what makes this park come alive. The difference between the Union-Earthquakes game I covered in 2015 and the USMNT World Cup qualifier in 2017 (Christian Pulisic’s arrival) was stark. It’s a bummer that there’s nothing really around the stadium, although there are a few In-N-Outs within a short drive if you’re starving post-match.

LA Galaxy: Dignity Health Sports Park

27,000

Dignity Health Sports Park is essentially the quintessential early 2000’s MLS ground. It’s single level, lacks any notable unique features, and sits 45 minutes outside of downtown LA. That said, it’s nice for what it is. It finds itself this high due to the success of the club, the support, and the newly installed safe standing supporters selection.

Peter: It’s a fine place to watch a game, but DHSP is overshadowed by its glitzy neighbor (LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium). The seats are also weirdly far away from the playing surface.

Seattle Sounders: Lumen Field

37,722

Maybe my first controversial ranking, but Seattle’s Lumen Field leaves a lot to be desired as a soccer venue. That isn’t to say that it’s poor, just that, as a soccer venue, it’s not ideal. My two trips to Lumen Field both left much to be desired in terms of sightlines, and there wasn’t much unique about the building. It feels like they’re playing in the Seahawks’ stadium, not that they share it. If the support was any different, Lumen Field would be indistinguishable from the other NFL stadiums in the league. That said, the incredible support Seattle receives more than makes up for many of the shortcomings. 

Peter: Yeah, it’s a football stadium, but the Sounders fans fill it up and make it a really intimidating place to play. And I really enjoyed how easy it was to explore Seattle before the game — start the morning at the Museum of Pop Culture and then walk (and eat) your way south across the city. Loses a point in my book for the fully glassed-in press box.

CF Montreal: Saputo Stadium

19,619

Stade Saputo as it’s known in the native French of Quebec, has been home to Montreal’s premier soccer team since 2008. The ground offers many modern amenities, without the frills of more modern stadiums. What really helps the stadium stand out is the ultra fanatical support of Ultras Montreal, some of the most fervent supporters in the league. Their support makes the ground feel intimate, and a true home for Montreal. Here’s hoping that ownership will allow their return in the new season. 

Philadelphia Union: Subaru Park

18,500

Home is where the River End is. The sightlines are clean, the amenities are fine enough, and there’s not much to complain about aside from the proximity to center city. The unique large canopies juxtaposed with the Commodore Barry Bridge behind the ground make it one of the more picturesque venues in the league, and the Delaware River behind the River End only helps the visual appeal. The ground also benefits from support that’s routinely solid, and more and more often exceptional. 

Peter: Subaru Park is always a beautiful place to watch a game, and it was amazing to see it come alive as the Union made their playoff run last season. The massive new video board is a good touch. Better public transit links would help.

Orlando City: Exploria Stadium

25,500

If the old Crew Stadium was the greenlight for clubs to build soccer specific stadiums, Orlando’s Exploria Stadium was the go-ahead for great soccer specific stadiums. City’s ground offers spacious concourses, perfect sightlines, and an intimate environment. The ground was the first in the league to be built with safe standing for their supporters section, and that combined with the canopy that covers a majority of the seats helps create one of the loudest environments I’ve experienced. The downtown location makes it easy to get to, and helps cultivate a party-like atmosphere on matchdays.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the stadium power rankings, coming next week.