Iron City Showdown Notebook: Liverpool, Real Bettis friendly expected to challenge Acrisure Stadium soccer attendance mark

Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Steelers / Acrisure Stadium

The two European soccer clubs, Liverpool FC and Real Betis, who have made themselves a home in Pittsburgh the past few days, will finally kickoff on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium, as both sides begin their US tour with this match.

While match officials have not revealed any specific details about ticket sales, there’s a chance that this match could surpass the record attendance for a soccer match at Acrisure Stadium.

In fact, Ben Latty, Liverpool’s chief commercial officer, said earlier this week that he expects 40,000-45,000 fans Friday at Acrisure Stadium, which seats just over 68,000

He also stated that final attendance number could also rise with day-of “walk-ups.”

Here’s a quick peak at the attendance numbers of the past soccer matches at Acrisure Stadium:

• In 2004, when Chelsea (England/Barclays Premier League) and AS Roma (Italy/Serie A) played here, they drew 25.317.
• Ten years later, Manchester City (England/Barclay’s Premier League) and AC Milan (Italy/Serie A) drew 34,347.
• The following year, in its first appearance following the 2015 World Cup victory, the USWNT played before 44,028 fans excited to catch a glimpse of hometown hero Megan Klingenberg.  In its first go-around in 2004, the USWNT only drew 6,386 as part of its Gold medal celebration tour.
• In 2018, there was a drop-off, despite the presence of US star Christian Pulisic in a match between two of Europe’s most storied soccer clubs, Borussia Dortmund of Germany (Bundesliga) and Benfica of Portugal (Liga1) drew just 16,717 fans for a Wednesday night International Champions Cup match.

Speaking of ticket sales — Pittsburgh Soccer Now has an exclusive deal for Subscribers — with 25% off tickets.  Click below for more details and if you are not a PSN subscriber — to register.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Discounted tickets for Liverpool FC vs Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium available for Pittsburgh Soccer Now subscribers

Pre-Match Happenings in the ‘Burgh

Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s team has been all over the place with pre-match coverage, including:

John Krysinsky shared the history of matches between European sides at Acrisure Stadium, going back to 2004.  Plus, more on Liverpool’s visits to the community, including a stop at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Colton Coreschi caught up with a number of people from both sides for one-on-one interviews, including Liverpool’s Tash Dowie, the club’s women’s team’s all-time goal scorer, and Real Betis’ MF Marc Roca, who has played with a number of USMNT players.

Mark Goodman was at Liverpool’s pre-match press conference on Thursday, at UPMC Rooney Sports Performance Complex, reporting that it’s all smiles for the EPL club, as both Arne Slot, Liverpool’s new manager shared his thoughts on the preseason along with midfielder Curtis Jones.

Goodman also provided a quality breakdown of Liverpool’s roster, and what fans should expect from the match against the La Liga side, as Liverpool plays the first of their three match US tour here in Pittsburgh.

👌⚽️ pic.twitter.com/yZeCahzaRs

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 25, 2024

Look for more coverage to come Friday, as Pittsburgh Soccer Now will unleash full team coverage, as Colton Coreschi, Mark ‘Soccer Rabbi’ Goodman, along with our photographers Ed Thompson and Jared Todhunter will be at Acrisure Stadium.