New data from FIFA shows that Major League Soccer past the 6 million fans mark for the first time this season.
Total attendance for MLS games was 6,072,854. The game in the U.S. continues to show strong growth as the MLS broke through the 4 million barrier in 2010 and 5 million in 2011.
With an average attendance of 18,807, MLS ranks seventh in the world by that metric.
Worldwide soccer attendance figures
| Rank | League | Average |
| 1 | Bundesliga (Germany) | 42,387 |
| 2 | Premier League (England) | 35,719 |
| 3 | La Liga (Spain) | 28,138 |
| 4 | Serie A (Italy) | 23,176 |
| 5 | Primera División (Argentina) | 22,491 |
| 6 | Liga MX (Mexico) | 21,559 |
| 7 | Major League Soccer (USA & Canada) | 18,807 |
| 8 | Ligue 1 (France) | 18,731 |
| 9 | Chinese Super League (China) | 18,702 |
| 10 | Eredivisie (Netherlands) | 18,405 |
Once again the Seattle Sounders led the way averaging 43,144 fans. They outdrew every other team in the league by more than 330,000 in total attendance, and even set a North American soccer record by drawing 733,441 fans (besting the New York Cosmos, who drew 717,840 in 1978).
But MLS is not a one team league. What is encouraging is that for the first time, five clubs topped the 20,000-barrier; Houston, LA, Montreal, Portland, Seattle.
Here are the team-by-team attendance numbers from mlsattendance.blogspot.com
| Team | 2012 Average Attendance | Capacity | Percent Full | 2011 Average Attendance | % Change from 2011 |
| Chicago Fire | 16,407 | 20,000 | 82.03% | 14,274 | +14.94 |
| Chivas USA | 13,056 | 18,800 | 69.45% | 14,830 | -11.96 |
| Colorado Rapids | 15,175 | 18,086 | 83.90% | 14,838 | +2.27 |
| Columbus Crew | 14,397 | 20,145 | 71.47% | 12,185 | +18.15 |
| DC United | 13,846 | 19,467 | 71.13% | 15,211 | -8.97 |
| FC Dallas | 14,199 | 20,500 | 69.27% |
12,861 |
+10.41 |
| Houston Dynamo | 20,946 | 22,000 | 95.21% | 17,694 | +18.38 |
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 23,136 | 27,000 | 85.69% | 23,335 | -0.85 |
| Montreal Impact | 22,772 | 20,341 | 111.95% | — | — |
| NE Revolution | 14,001 | 20,000 | 70.01% | 13,222 | +5.90 |
| New York Red Bulls | 18,281 | 25,000 | 73.13% | 19,691 | -7.16 |
| Philadelphia Union | 18,053 | 18,500 | 97.58% | 18,258 | -1.12 |
| Portland Timbers | 20,438 | 20,438 | 100.00% | 18,827 | +8.56 |
| Real Salt Lake | 19,087 | 20,213 | 94.43% | 17,594 | +8.49 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 13,293 | 10,525 | 126.30% | 11,858 | +12.10 |
| Seattle Sounders | 43,104 | 38,500 | 111.96% | 38,495 | +11.97 |
| Sporting Kansas City | 19,404 | 18,467 | 105.08% | 17,810 | +8.95 |
| Toronto FC | 18,155 | 21,140 | 85.88% | 20,267 | -10.42 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 19,475 | 21,000 | 92.74% | 20,406 | -4.56 |
| Average | 18,801 | 21,059 | 89.28% | 17,870 | +5.21 |
