Max from the Association Football blog just finished his search for America's equivalent to Wembley Stadium, and his number one choice ended up being.... Pittsburgh!
The choice shouldn't come as much of a surprise, for two main reasons:
1. We have the right stadium in the right place. Heinz Field is still a new stadium and relatively large at 65,000 seats. It is located right along the Allegheny River across from downtown, soon to be connected by the city's light rail system. Most importantly, the stadium can truly rock, as anyone who has ever been to a Steelers game at Heinz Field can attest to.
2. We give the US a home-crowd advantage. Ideally, World Cup Qualifiers are played in cities away from the Hispanic population, so that American fans aren't outnumbered by opposing fans living in the States. (If you Pittsburghers haven't seen this crowd disparity in home qualifiers, think of it as how Steelers fans invade games in nearby cities such as D.C.) Only 1.3% of Pittsburgh's population are Hispanic or Latino, and less than one-percent of Allegheny County is Hispanic.
The only real concern that remains is if Pittsburghers would turn out to support the Men's National Team. US Soccer has not played a qualifier in Pittsburgh, and the city's only pro soccer team, the Riverhounds, have been marred by poor marketing, ownership changes, and multiple home venue changes since their inception in 1999.
The following cities have recently played host to CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers for the United States: Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, D.C., Columbus, Nashville, and Salt Lake City. We see no reason why Heinz Field shouldn't host a friendly match leading up to 2010 Cup to evaluate interest in the Men's National Team. Pittsburgh could provide a great advantage for 2014 World Cup Qualification
