A Portland crowd of 20,438 filled the stands at JELD-WEN Field Monday night despite pouring rain and 40-degree weather for the home team’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia. Attending the game that wasbroadcast on ESPN2 was Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports, which began its broadcast deal with MLS in Sunday’s 2-1 FC Dallas win over the New York Red Bulls.
Of the scene in Portland on Monday, Miller said:
“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been in the sports business, I’ve been with NBC for 34 years, and I have neverseen anything like this tonight. This has blown me away. I’ve been to NFL playoff games, and World Series game sevens, and this fanbase should be really proud of itself.”
Philadelphia midfielder Freddy Adu called the atmosphere “electric” while MLS Commissioner Don Garber joked it was just “another warm and sunny day inPortland.”
Absolutely the Most Electric Atmosphere in North American Sports.