SEATTLE - Thousands of fans flocked to downtown Seattle on Sunday to see who would be crowned champions of Major League Soccer.

The underdog - Real Salt Lake - beat the star-studded Los Angeles Galaxy 5-4 for its first MLS Cup before a sell-out crowd of energized fans at Qwest Field.

But the real winner of the high-stakes match was Seattle, as fans from all over the country spent lots of cash at local businesses.

KOMO News found soccer fans at the match from Houston, Great Falls, Mont. - and even from as far away as Switzerland - armed with folding money, credit cards and not afraid to use them.

"A lot - a lot more people come out," says vendor Elisa Zamora.

Officials said the MLS Cup match at Qwest Field had the highest attendance for the league finale since 2002.

All those fans are also turning the Emerald City into a soccer mecca - with a lot of help from Sounders fans, even though the team isn't playing.

In fact, more Sounders supporters attended the final match than any other team, fulfilling a prediction by Sounders goalkeeper Casey Keller ...

"I have a funny feeling there's going to be 30,000 people dressed in Sounders gear for this game - they're coming here to show the rest of the league that they are the marquee fan base," Keller said before the game.

That still left plenty of room at Qwest field for out-of-towners. In fact, many arrived early to take in the sights.

"It was cool going to the Space Needle and stuff - this is my first time in Seattle," said one.

Others were just getting used to the Northwest weather.

"It is a beautiful city - a little wet," said one another fan. "We're not used to this at all."

And while a lot of people were hoping to catch a glimpse of superstar David Beckham, they all say they'll come back to Seattle - especially to catch another game.

"We've heard Seattle's fans are like crazy and stuff - like that really good European-style soccer fans - so it's really cool to see," said one visitor.

Seattle was named the site of the 2009 MLS Cup a week before the Sounders even began the regular season.

It was clear, even then, that soccer fans had created an atmosphere that the MLS was craving.

And that passion was demonstrated again Sunday afternoon, with the Sounders tradition of the "March to the Match" from Pioneer Square to Qwest Field led by Sounders FC co-owner Drew Carey.

So although the Sounder weren't playing, Sunday's electrifying scene gives them added motivation for a march to the Cup of their own.