By Clemente Lisi - HARRISON, NJ (Mar 20, 2010) US Soccer Players -- Red Bull Arena definitely isn’t your father’s soccer stadium. The famed New York Cosmos may have had Brazilian legend Pele and a successful, star-studded roster to boot, but they never played in a stadium of their own like the 25,000-seat soccer-specific arena that opened Saturday to a raucous sellout crowd.
The fired-up Red Bulls (who played without the injured Juan Pablo Angel) christened the place with an impressive 3-1 victory against Pele’s former club Santos FC (without injured superstar Robinho who didn’t travel for the game) during an unseasonably warm 73-degree evening.
“I wasn’t sure we’d ever get a stadium built,” said RBNY defender Mike Petke, who scored the team’s second goal. “It’s great for MLS and great for soccer in this country.”
The feel and look of the day – both on and off the field - was very different than anything the franchise had put together in the past. After nearly 15 years of playing at the cavernous Giants Stadium to small crowds and having to schedule around its main tenants - the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets - RBNY is ready to start this season on the right foot and in a new home.
RBNY opens its season at home next Saturday against the Chicago Fire before another expected sellout crowd. In fact, team officials said they hope to average 18,000 fans this season -- about twice as many who showed up last season when the Red Bulls had Major League Soccer’s worst team at 5-19-6 while playing at the 79,000-seat Giants Stadium.
Located near Newark’s traditionally Portuguese neighborhood known as the Ironbound, the new stadiums’ concession stands pay tribute to the area by serving the usual hot dogs and beer along with such favorites as chorizo sandwiches. In fact, the team hired Seabra, which runs Portuguese supermarkets in New Jersey, to help pick the food. Aside from good grub, there also isn’t a bad seat in the place.
The arena’s wraparound roof ensures that fans are covered in the event of rain and two giant high-def video screens gives them the chance to gawk at highlights before the game and at halftime. Even reporters, who often had to deal with uncomfortable conditions at Giants Stadium (the press box was located high in the sky above the third level to accommodate skyboxes), are this time conveniently near the field where all the action is. That action, of course, is all played on natural grass, with the players no longer having to endure the fake stuff and greater risk of injury.
When Austrian energy drink-maker Red Bull took over the project from AEG three years ago, it decided to scrap the construction of a concert stage, and reduce the number of suites to just 30 (from the original 66) and club seats to 750 (from 2,000). The place also lacks all the bells and whistles that characterize most new stadiums across the country, exactly because Red Bull wanted fans to stay in their seats and watch the game, not wander around the like many have done at the new Yankee Stadium that opened last year.
MLS has made it no secret over the past few years that it is banking on soccer-only stadiums to build its fan base while providing fans with a unique sporting experience. The $220-million Red Bull Arena is the league’s eighth soccer-specific stadium, following Columbus Crew Stadium, which was the first when it opened in 1999. Another soccer-only facility that will house the expansion Philadelphia Union will open later this year.
Among those in attendance were former Cosmos star Franz Beckenbauer, a World Cup champions as both a player and a coach for the former West Germany, and former US National Team stars Tony Meola, Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna, all of whom played for the MetroStars/Red Bulls during their storied careers. Others in the crowd included Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn, who delivered the ball to the referee at the start of the game, and Super Bowl-winning running back Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints.
“It is a real home for soccer in New York,” said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as a manager in 1990. “The capacity is just perfect. There is a lot of interest in soccer in this country. You can see that here.”
All the Red Bulls need now is a winning season to keep the fans coming back for more.
“It is an absolutely gorgeous stadium,” said Red Bull striker John Wolyniec, who came on in the second half. “This has been a long time coming. I really couldn’t be happier about the stadium and the start of the new season.”
Clemente Lisi is the author of “A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006.” His new book "The US Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story" will be available in June. Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/ClementeLisi
