MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
The Mini Fortress
Map
Location1 Normal Avenue
Montclair, New Jersey 07043
Coordinates40°51′38″N 74°12′02″W / 40.860694°N 74.200555°W / 40.860694; -74.200555
OwnerMontclair State University
OperatorMontclair State University
Capacity5,000
Field size120 yd × 75 yd (110 m × 69 m)
SurfaceFieldTurf
Construction
Opened1998
Expanded2016, 2018
Tenants
Montclair State Red Hawks (NCAA) (1998–present)
New York Red Bulls II (MLSNP) (2017–present)
New York Red Bulls U-23 (USL2) (2017–present)

MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field is a soccer-specific stadium on the campus of Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. Built on the site of a former baseball field, MSU Soccer Park opened in 1998[1] as the home of the Montclair State Red Hawks men's and women's soccer teams.[2]

From 2007 to 2013, Montclair State was the training site for the Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls[3] while their Red Bull Training Facility was constructed in nearby Hanover Township, New Jersey. The Red Bulls helped finance the construction of a new field house, as well as the installation of a FIFA approved FieldTurf surface at MSU Soccer Park.[4] Lights were installed in 2012 allowing for night matches to be played.[5]

In 2016 it was announced that the Red Bulls' USL Championship affiliate club, New York Red Bulls II, would move into MSU Soccer Park in 2017.[6] To accommodate the Red Bulls II, MSU Soccer Park underwent significant renovations to keep the facility in line with stadium standards set by the United States Soccer Federation for lower division professional soccer clubs.[7] MSU Soccer Park's capacity was expanded to 3,000 seats for the 2017 season[4] and again by 1,500 seats in 2018 bringing the total capacity to 5,000 seats. In addition to the expanded seating capacity, the club built new locker rooms adjacent to the playing field and upgraded the FieldTurf playing surface. The renovations were made ahead of and during the 2018 USL season, forcing the Red Bulls II to play their first six home matches at Red Bull Arena.[8]

In December 2016, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, a Montclair resident, became the first season ticketholder for Red Bulls II at MSU Soccer Park.[9] At this event, it was also announced that MSU Soccer Park would host select matches for New York Red Bulls U-23, the MLS franchise's affiliate club in USL League Two.

Notable matches

Date Teams Match Type Attendance Notes
May 7, 2019 New York Red Bulls U-23 4–4 FC Motown 2019 U.S. Open Cup
First Round		 302 [10]
June 11, 2019 New York Red Bulls 2–3 New England Revolution 2019 U.S. Open Cup
Fourth Round		 2,185 [11]
April 20, 2021 NJ/NY Gotham FC 4–3 North Carolina Courage 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup n/a [12]
May 2, 2021 NJ/NY Gotham FC 0–0 Racing Louisville FC 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup n/a [13]
March 23, 2022 FC Motown 2–3 West Chester United SC 2022 U.S. Open Cup
First Round		 323 [14]
April 1, 2022 FC Motown 1–0 West Chester United SC 2022 U.S. Open Cup
First Round Replay		 176 [15][16]
April 6, 2022 FC Motown 1–0 AC Syracuse Pulse 2022 U.S. Open Cup
Second Round		 50 [17]
May 25, 2022 New York Red Bulls 3–1 Charlotte FC 2022 U.S. Open Cup
Round of 16		 3,500 [18]
August 6, 2022 FC Motown 4–3 Crossfire Redmond 2022 NPSL
National Championship		 2,065 [19]
May 9, 2023 New York Red Bulls 1–0 D.C. United 2023 U.S. Open Cup
Round of 32		 2,396 [20]

References

  1. ^ "Montclair State Athletics". Montclair State University. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "Evolution of the Montclair State Athletics Logo" (PDF). February 3, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  3. ^ "NEW TRAINING DIGS Red Bulls to practice at Montclair State". Bigapplesoccer.com. February 1, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "A LITTLE BACKGROUND Some details on Montclair State refit for Red Bulls II". Bigapplesoccer.com. May 18, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  5. ^ "Facilities". Montclair State University. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "New York Red Bulls II Make Montclair State University Home; Remainder of 2016 USL Schedule to be played at Red Bull Arena". New York Red Bulls. May 10, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2016-11-30.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "NYRB II Announce 2018 USL Schedule". New York Red Bulls. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "MLS Commissioner Don Garber Becomes NYRB II's First Season Ticket Holder". New York Red Bulls. December 19, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  10. ^ "New York RB III vs. FC Motown - 8 May 2019 - Soccerway".
  11. ^ "New York RB vs. New England - 12 June 2019 - Soccerway".
  12. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL".
  13. ^ "National Women's Soccer League Official Site | NWSL".
  14. ^ Battista, Michael (24 March 2022). "2022 US Open Cup round 1: West Chester United kicks off tournament with comeback win". TheCup.us. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  15. ^ "FC MOTOWN MOVE ON WITH SLIM 1-0 WIN OVER WEST CHESTER UNITED SC IN 2022 OPEN CUP FIRST ROUND REPLAY". US Soccer. April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  16. ^ "FC Motown vs. West Chester United SC - Football Match Summary - April 1, 2022". espn.com. April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "FC Motown vs. Syracuse Pulse - Football Match Summary - April 6, 2022". espn.com. April 6, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "RBNYvsCLT 05-25-2022". mlssoccer.com. May 25, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "FC MOTOWN CROWNED 2022 NPSL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS". National Premier Soccer League. August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "RBNYvsDC 05-09-2023". mlssoccer. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

External links


Montclair State University
New York Red Bulls
USL Championship venues
Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area
National Women's Soccer League stadiums
Categories