The Rose Bowl Stadium is one of the most iconic sports venues around the world, located in Pasadena, California. Initially, it was built exclusively for football (American), but then expanded to soccer games and has witnessed many soccer landmark moments since.
Rose Bowl Stadium Capacity
It is not home to any Major League Soccer side but has been regularly used to host international matches. It has a seating capacity of 92,542 and has featured in the list of largest football stadiums out there.
History
Rose Bowl stadium was developed by architect Myron Hunt in 1921. The construction of the stadium was completed in 1922. It was constructed with a motive of hosting the annual Rose Bowl match (American football).
The stadium was inaugurated with the 1923 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl has increased in size over the years. Built in a horseshoe shape, capacity rose from 57,000 to 76,000 when its open south end was built on in 1929. By the 1950s it could accommodate over 100,000.
Notable Matches
The stadium has hosted 5 Super Bowls, making it the second highest in history. But the stadium has been the hub of US soccer.
The first notable soccer match dates back to the finals of 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where France beat Brazil to win gold. The total attendance recorded was over 1,00,000.
Also, when US hosted the World Cup in 1994, Rose Bowl hosted eight matches including the final. It was the place of the famous Roberto Baggio penalty miss in the finals where Brazil overpowered Italy 5-4 on penalties.
Americans got to witness a red-letter day in their soccer history when it hosted the 1999 Women's’ World Cup and US team went all the way to win the tournament after it beat China 5-4 on penalties.
Before its recent renovation, stadium witnessed an attendance of 93,130 when an exhibition match between FC Barcelona and LA Galaxy was held in 2009.
Major Controversies
In the 1994 WC match between USA and Colombia, Colombian defender Andres Escobar scored an unfortunate own goal that eventually led to Colombia’s early exit from the tournament. A few days later, Escobar was shot down by gunmen. The heinous act brought to the fore the dark side of football.
Recent Matches
Rose Bowl continues to host international matches like CONCACAF qualifiers and friendlies apart from college football (American). In the recently held Copa Centenario in 2016, the stadium hosted three group stage matches. It also hosted a few matches, including a semifinal, in the recently concluded 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
