The MLS started its run with an average of 17,000 fans per match during the inaugural season in 1996. However, after newness of the league wore off attendance fell for the next four straight years, to an all-time low of 13,756 in 2000. Since that point the MLS has seen the figure rise up and down throughout the years, mostly based on the influx of new teams and star players.
For the first 13 seasons the average attendance was led by the LA Galaxy, who topped the list 9 times during that stretch. Then came 2009, and the Seattle Sounders.