- Address: 7000 South Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview
- Country: United States
- Capacity: 20,000
- Opened: 11 June 2006
- Main use: Football, rugby union
- Tenants: Chicago Hounds (rugby union), Chicago Red Stars (football), Chicago State Cougars (football)
Extra stadium info – SeatGeek Stadium
The construction of the SeatGeek Stadium, which opened as the Toyota Park, started in 2004. The construction costs of the stadium were $98 million and it is known as a venue for several events, like concerts, field lacrosse, football and rugby union. Several world famous football clubs played at the SeatGeek Stadium. The national rugby union team of the United States played various matches at the venue. The SeatGeek Stadium hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup qualifier in 2008. The national football team of the United States defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in that game. In 2023, the SeatGeek Stadium hosted the first-ever Major League Rugby final in Illinois. 10,000 people attended the rugby union match.
Tenants
The Chicago Hounds, the Chicago Red Stars and the Chicago State Cougars use the venue named SeatGeek Stadium for home matches. The Chicago Hounds rugby union club became the first rugby union club from Illinois with 10,000 followers on its main social media page. Bryce Campbell became the first player who signed for the Hounds. He played numerous games for the national rugby union team of the United States. The Red Stars football club became one of the first women’s football clubs with home attendances above 10,000. The club was founded in 2006. The Chicago Red Stars play in the National Women’s Soccer League, which became the most popular women’s football league in the United States.
Major League Soccer and the Chicago Fire
The SeatGeek Stadium opened as the home of football club Chicago Fire. They play in Major League Soccer, one of the first sports competitions with 1 million followers on its main social media page. In 1998, 36,000 people attended the first-ever Major League Soccer home match involving the Chicago Fire. That year, they gathered 56 points in 32 MLS matches. They won 20 league games. Two league games ended in a draw and two league games ended in a loss. The Fire won their first-ever MLS Cup in their inaugural league season in 1998. The Chicago Fire won the title after beating DC United 2-0 in Pasadena in front of a crowd of 51,000. They reached the final after defeating the LA Galaxy from California at the Soldier Field. 32,000 fans attended the game.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
In 2017, the Chicago Fire signed the world famous football player Bastian Schweinsteiger, who played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. He won the match with the national football team of Germany after defeating the Argentine Republic 1-0 in front of 74,000 spectators. Bastian Schweinsteiger played for FC Bayern München and Manchester United FC, two of the first clubs with a FIFA Club World Cup title, before he moved to the Chicago Fire. Schweinsteiger became one of the first football players with 1 million followers on his main social media page.
