Red Bull Arena Opening

Move over Home Depot Center: the next great American soccer stadium has finally been completed.

Red Bull Arena, located in Harrison, New Jersey, will open on March 20th as the official home of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls will face-off against Brazilian club Santos in a friendly match. Santos is led by striker Robinho, a former star of Real Madrid and Manchester City.

The new structure boasts a capacity of 25,189 seats and features a European-style roof that covers all the seats but not the field. The arena is the end result of a project that took six years to complete and was all privately funded by Red Bull GmbH, the creators of the eponymous energy drink.

That being said, Red Bull Arena will serve as a landmark in the American soccer landscape. The appearance of the facility immediately looks different than any of its MLS brethren; instead, it could be used in Europe and fit in perfectly. The days of American soccer teams playing in cavernous NFL stadiums are long gone. Making the arena look more similar to those stadiums found throughout the world should do a lot for die-hards looking to take in the ultimate game environment.

(Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel inside Red Bull Arena)
(Courtesy of MLSnet.com)

As for the on-field product, maybe this addition will draw a superstar to the team a la David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Red Bulls do have two designated player spots, and Thierry Henry was rumored to have interest in joining the club last summer.

Here's an animated tour of the facility from the club: