Tuesday marked a significant moment for the U.S. men’s national soccer team, but it didn’t inspire a large turnout at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

The USMNT faced New Zealand in a friendly match that began shortly after the announcement of Mauricio Pochettino as the team’s new head coach. Although this was exciting news, the usually packed stadium for FC Cincinnati’s MLS games was far from full for the match against the All Whites.

The noticeably smaller attendance came after the USMNT’s recent 2-1 defeat to Canada, which had an officially reported crowd of 10,523 at Children’s Mercy Park. In contrast, Sporting Kansas City’s average attendance this season is 22,476, as reported by FBref. The attendance on Tuesday was 15,711, significantly lower than FC Cincinnati’s average of 25,292 for the season.

This trend has frustrated U.S. Soccer in recent years, with many fans pointing to high ticket prices as part of the issue. Moreover, both of Ohio’s MLS stadiums — the other being Lower.com Field in Columbus — have frequently hosted friendlies for both the USMNT and the women’s team. Both venues were used for World Cup qualifiers in 2021, and TQL Stadium recently hosted a USWNT friendly against South Africa last September, as well as a USMNT match against Morocco in 2022. Lower.com Field also hosted a SheBelieves Cup event in April.

Finding attractive opponents has also been a challenge for the federation, especially since the UEFA Nations League and CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying games coincide with USMNT friendlies, which hold no qualification significance until after the 2026 World Cup. Canada has become the USMNT’s second-most regular opponent in recent years, after Mexico, while New Zealand ranks just 94th in the latest FIFA standings.

Regardless of the reasons, a noticeable number of fans in Cincinnati opted to stay home, and it was hard to ignore.