The sport of soccer has a long history in New York City, beginning in the 1910s with the first iteration of the American Soccer League. In the 1970s, with the rise of the first iteration of the North American Soccer League, the New York Cosmos became one of the most recognizable brands in American soccer.
Presently, there are five professional soccer clubs in the New York City region. New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls play in the top division, Major League Soccer, while their reserve teams New York Red Bulls II and New York City FC II compete in the third tier league MLS Next Pro. NJ/NY Gotham FC, a women's team, competes in the National Women's Soccer League. New York City FC plays in the Bronx, New York City FC II plays in Queens, and the other three teams play in northern New Jersey. In 2019, Queensboro FC founded themselves expecting to make their debut as a USL Championship expansion team in 2021,[1] however issues stemming to the COVID-19 pandemic led to the team's future being uncertain.
The region has also hosted 27 U.S. Open Cup finals at various venues including Starlight Park, Triborough Stadium, Dexter Park, the Metropolitan Oval, the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field. Despite this, a New York City-based club has not won the Open Cup since the 1991 final, where the Brooklyn Italians defeated the Richardson Rockets. The last time a local club reached the final was 2003, where the New York Red Bulls, then known as MetroStars' lost to Chicago Fire.
Today, major stadiums that host soccer matches include Red Bull Arena, Yankee Stadium and MetLife Stadium, which is considered a strong candidate to host the 2026 World Cup Final.[2]
