When US Bank Stadium held their open house July 23-24, thousands of purple clad Vikings fans came to the former Metrodome site to preview the team's new home after playing outside for two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
Fast forward to August 3, as the stadium held it's first event, an exhibition soccer match between AC Milan and Chelsea. The event was a huge success as 64,101 fans populated the new stadium. For soccer fans who couldn't get into the game, they could head up to the National Sports Center in Blaine to see Minnesota United FC battle Puerto Rico FC. The evening's attendance was 6,101, bringing the total attendance for the two soccer matches to 70,202, a state record that has not been broken since 46,370 fans saw the Minnesota Kicks take on the New York Cosmos at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington in 1978.
To quote the past tense of a Steve Allen song title, it was "The Start of Something Big" for the newest Twin Cities sports venue. Two concerts will take place later this month. Luke Bryan will perform on August 19 and Mettalica on August 20.
As for US Bank Stadium's main tenant, the Vikings, their first exhibition game takes place August 28 and the regular season home opener is September 18 against the Green Bay Packers. Please note that the game will be on NBC's Sunday Night Football. So if you don't have a ticket, it will be on TV.
On the high school level, the state boys and girls soccer semifinals and championship games will be held October 31, November 1 & 3. The Prep Bowl returns inside after being outside November 25 & 26. HSGN looks forward to covering the championship games from the new stadium's press box.
Baseball will also be held at US Bank Stadium as the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers revive the Dairy Queen Classic in early March. High school teams will also use the stadium, including the St. Louis Park Orioles. Mark April 18, 2017 on your calendar. The Orioles will take on the Richfield Spartans at 6:45 PM.
Also coming up at US Bank Stadium is the 2018 Super Bowl and the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. If you can't get a Vikings ticket, there are plenty of opportunities coming up to see the new US Bank Stadium.
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