Riding World Cup buzz and the momentum of Major League Soccer, the Chicago Fire increased attendance this year despite winning the fewest games in its 17-season history.

Paid attendance at Toyota Park in Bridgeview jumped more than 5 percent over last year to just more than 16,000 tickets sold per game — a stark bounce-back from last season's 8 percent year-over-year decrease.

While that's the fourth-lowest average among all 19 Major League Soccer franchises, it marked the seventh-highest percentage increase in the league.

The bulk of the lift came from more young families, Fire Chief Operating Officer Atul Khosla said.

"It's parents (who played soccer growing up) bringing their kids," said Mr. Khosla, who said the Fire's single-game ticket sales finished about 20 percent higher than last year.

The Fire had roughly the same number of season-ticket holders this year, at around 6,300, with season-ticket plans ranging from $216 to $954. Single-game ticket prices were flat year-over-year.

Part of the ticket sales growth is MLS-wide, with interest in the league tending to peak during FIFA World Cup years.

TARGETING SOCIAL MEDIA

MLS attendance overall rose by just less than 3 percent to an average of 18,608 per game, but the league is seeking to grow rapidly over the next three years, with two expansion teams coming on board in 2015 (Orlando and New York) and new franchises slated for Atlanta and Los Angeles after that.

The Fire also have honed their efforts to reach people who declare their soccer fandom on social media sites, regardless of which team.

"We know they're a candidate" to become a long-term customer, Mr. Khosla said. "They're interested in local soccer, and we're able to target them."

'PUB TO PITCH'

Some of the attendance increase came from higher participation in the team's "Pub to Pitch" program, which subsidizes $10 bus rides for fans coming to Toyota Park from more than a half-dozen soccer bars in the city.

Games this season averaged about 10 busloads — nearly twice as many as last year — with some higher-demand games lacking enough buses to meet demand after significant promotion of the service online.

"I think Fire fans in general are really crazy-active on social media, and the Fire do a great job of garnering a lot of attention toward what they want people to watch or see," said Mallory McSweeney, sales and event marketer at official Fire bar Fado Irish Pub in River North. "Social media has had a lot to do with Pub to Pitch gaining popularity."

The Fire this year also invested in one of the most aggressive marketing pushes in franchise history, hoping to capture new fans who were aboard the World Cup bandwagon.

Palo Alto, California-based design firm Ideo LP — the group behind Chicago's Divvy bike-share brand — ran its 2014 ad campaign, highlighted by a series of TV ads and high-profile downtown billboards touting words of fan-favorite chants.