New York has been waiting 15 years for a soccer-specific stadium.  Fans of both the Metrostars and Red Bulls have been promised a stadium to call home.  Perpetually around the corner and chronically delayed, the wait is finally over.  The stadium promised to Metro fans by Nick Sackiewicz long ago has been delivered (albeit in a different form and context than initially expected).  A lot has changed since then, from team name and ownership to coaches and GMs, but tri-state area fans’ desire for a place for their team to truly call home has never gone away.

Harrison, NJ is the proud parent of a shiny new soccer stadium.  Red Bull Arena is undoubtedly the greatest park in all of MLS.  Few others compare, and none come close.  Housing 25k, the arena has 360-degree roof coverage, great sight lines, first class amenities, and more corporate advertising than a commercial for NASCAR aired in Times Square.  It had to get paid for somehow.  The only thing the stadium lacks is a good soccer team to play in it.  Although last year was an abortion of a season that most fans have probably erased from there memory with the help of powerful liquor, this preseason and the changes it encompassed give hope for a team capable of deserving such an amazing home.

New York opened the Stadium in style, defeating Brazilian side Santos FC 3-1 on goals from Joel Lindpere, Mike Petke and Dane Richards.  The night had the clear feeling of an event, with fireworks post game and random Red Bull sponsored athletes and celebrities in attendance.  Personally, some of the fanfare (most notably Olympic snowboarder Lindsey Vonn driving the Red Bull NASCAR car onto the field for no apparent reason directly before kickoff) seemed forced and actually took away from the game itself.  Still, if you want to watch a game in Red Bull Arena you have to do it by the companies rules, and that includes EXTREME marketing and wild excitement, even if it isn’t always focused on the team itself.  The only star I was interested in seeing at the game was Robinho, who was injured playing for Santos last week and didn’t make the game.

Metro looked good on the field, possessing the ball well and creating a decent amount of chances, especially in the first half.  The whole team worked hard on and off the ball to create space and keep its shape.  It was nice seeing an actually organized team on the field for once, and the win was a dominant one.  Lindpere created his own chance, finishing the rebound of a free kick he took seconds before to score the first ever goal at RBA.  Captaining the team in Juan Pablo Angel’s absence, Mike Petke cleaned up on a corner kick, finishing from within the six-yard box.  Richards finished the scoring for NY, burying a ball from deep on the right.

Santos picked up a consolation goal late in the second half, giving the large group of Brazilian fans who came out something to cheer for.  Now begins the daunting task of getting them to come back, only wearing Red Bull and not Santos gear.  New York’s play will have a large part in just how often RBA is filled, and how many fans continue to come to games.  But for now, the beautiful stadium is enough.

Dave Braneck is a blogger and an all around soccer fan who represents North Jersey to the fullest and contributes to Dailyharrison.com