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.
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Presently, there are four professional soccer clubs in the New York City region, fielding six teams in various leagues. New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls play in the top mens 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. There are two first divisions for women in the United States, and both are represented by clubs in the metropolitan area: NJ/NY Gotham FC, a women's team, competes in the National Women's Soccer League while Brooklyn FC, a new soccer club, fields a woman's team in the USL Super League. Brooklyn FC will also field a men's team in the second-division USL Championship in 2025, both playing in Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
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 2017, where the New York Red Bulls lost to Sporting Kansas City.
Today, major stadiums that host soccer matches include Sports Illustrated Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and MetLife Stadium, which will host the 2026 World Cup Final. [1] New York City FC is planning to build Etihad Park, the first soccer-specific stadium in New York City which will be located in Queens and opening in 2027. [2]
