Now, there are a lot of factors to why the 2016 game did better than 2017; cord-cutters, the move to an afternoon game and the fact that 2016’s game was one of most boring things ever, maybe that scared a fraction of the audience away for 2017 (“fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you”). The fact that Toronto FC put up one of the most incredible seasons in MLS history didn't help increase the reach of the big game.  

At the end of May, the Dark Clouds, a band of NSC Minnesota Stars supporters, collected money to send to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Slave Lake wildfire in northern Alberta. They had found out about the fire, which destroyed 374 homes in the town, as their club traveled to Alberta to face FC Edmonton in NASL play for the first time. Now, FC Edmonton fans have the chance to return the favour.