Backpass: Wins are fixing the Rapids’ serious attendance problem in Commerce City

Atlanta United defender Julian Gressel (24) makes a shot on goal assisted by Atlanta United defender Leandro Gonzalez (5) during the second half of an MLS soccer match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, April 27, 2019.0

When it comes to the important numbers in sports, few are as important to franchise owners as the number of fans in attendance.

For the owners in American soccer, a sport still trying to make a dent with TV audiences, the take at the gate is even more important than it would be in one of the other major leagues in the US. That anxiety at the turnstiles is even more pronounced for some of the longest-tenured MLS teams like the Rapids, who helped found the league…