The 1970s saw the Atoms and Fury of the North American Soccer League (NASL), and the 1980 to 90s saw the rise of indoor football with the Philadelphia Fever of the MISL, and Philadelphia KiXX of the NPSL. In 2008, MLS awarded Philadelphia the 17th expansion team with the Philadelphia Union.
In 2003, Philadelphia Stadium opened with the highly anticipated, sold-out match featuring Manchester United and Barcelona, with 68,000 fans, and in the same year played host to the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003™ drawing 56,000 fans, among the largest crowds of the tournament.
