Atlanta United sets MLS standalone game attendance record

Atlanta United is having a truly record-breaking week. 

After hitting the New England Revolution for a 7-0 win, good enough to tie the MLS record for largest margin of victory, the club returned to action Saturday in front of the largest crowd to ever watch a standalone MLS game. 

With the full seating of Mercedes-Benz Stadium open, the expansion side drew 70,425 spectators, good enough to surpass the 21-year-old record of 69,255 fans who showed up to the Rose Bowl to watch the LA Galaxy play their very first MLS game back in 1996.  

The record crowd was also treated to quite the show. 

Dom Dwyer scored his first and second goals for Orlando City since being traded to the club back in July. 

Not to be outdone, Josef Martínez scored three times for the home side, pulling Atlanta level after each of Dwyer's strikes and also answering when Cyle Larin had put the visitors in front for a third time, earning his side a 3-3 draw.

While Atlanta now holds the single game attendance record, the club is also on pace to top the 44,247 average MLS attendance mark for a season set by the Seattle Sounders in 2015. The expansion side could even jump past the 1978 New York Cosmos who drew an average of 47,856 fans, which stands as the North American record. 

A match between Chivas USA and the New England Revolution played at LA Coliseum holds the single game MLS mark of 92,650 fans, but that match was played as part of a doubleheader featuring Barcelona and Club America.

The match also was the fourth largest crowd of the weekend worldwide, only falling short of the home attendance numbers posted by Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.