Red Bull Arena ( New Jersey ) Red Bull Arena is a soccer - specific stadium with a translucent , partial roof . It is located in Harrison , New Jersey , on the waterfront across the Passaic River from Newark , and is the home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer . Initial planning . The construction project was beset with delays because of the city of Harrison . The original plan , announced on July 1 , 2004 , was to move the MetroStars ( as the New York Red Bulls were known at the time ) from their home at Giants Stadium by the beginning of the 2006 season . Negotiations between MLS and the state of New Jersey dragged on until an agreement was announced on August 5 , 2005 , for the MetroStars to build and complete construction of a new dedicated soccer facility for the 2007 season . Concerns about environmental clean - up at the selected site forced another delay . Additionally , though the groundbreaking took place September 19 , 2006 and construction was set for November 2007 , that was delayed by one month when Red Bull GmbH bought out the MetroStars club from Anschutz Entertainment Group ( AEG ) , changing the club ' s name in the process . After projections of opening during the 2008 , and then the 2009 season , on January 23 , 2009 , it was announced that the arena opening would be delayed until 2010 . According to Erik Stover , Red Bulls managing director at the time , Harrison Redevelopment Agency chairman Peter B . Higgins was " quite simply the reason that the New York Red Bulls have a new home in Harrison . His vision and leadership guided us through numerous difficulties . " The late Mr . Higgins ' contribution is memorialized by the street naming as Pete Higgins Boulevard at the main gates along the west side of the stadium . Red Bull buyout and new design . In addition to purchasing the team , Red Bull bought out AEG ' s $ 100 million share of the stadium , an after effect of lasting disagreements between the two corporations regarding their plans for the facility . Their differences prompted a significant delay in the early stages of the stadium ' s construction . After the naming rights of the soccer team were acquired , leading to the name " Red Bull Park " , Red Bull instituted a number of changes to the stadium ' s original design , which sparked tension between the Austrian - based energy drink company and AEG . Red Bull opted out of AEG ' s plan to construct a stage in the stadium for performances , one that would have increased profit margins for the group . Construction of Red Bull Park began in late December 2007 with an undetermined 2009 completion date . The updated design was completed by Rossetti architects from Los Angeles and was built by New Jersey - based Hunter Roberts Construction Group , LLC . The new design featured a roof extending just past the field ' s touchlines with of the roof being translucent to allow for natural light . The first row of seating is approximately from the touchlines . The design is on par with those of soccer stadiums around the world . It looks similar to the Hypo - Arena in Klagenfurt , Austria in appearance . The stadium has 30 luxury suites and 1 , 000 premium seats . Construction . Construction commenced on Red Bull Park on January 3 , 2008 , including the first of 3 , 000 timber piles driven into the ground to support the new stadium . On January 11 , 2008 , Erik Stover was announced as the new GM of Red Bull Arena during construction and then on after . He has served as GM of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego since 2005 . On February 20 , 2008 , a CAN $ 28 – $ 30 million contract was announced with Structal - Heavy Steel Construction to assist in the fabrication and construction of steel components . Fabrication began offsite in the second quarter of 2008 , and erection in Fall , 2008 . Total project size is estimated at 9 , 000 tons of structural steel . The first steel girder was put in place on August 19 , 2008 . The arena was reported by the " New York Times " to be 55 % complete on March 27 , 2009 . The last major beam for the roof was topped out on April 14 , 2009 . Enclosure panels started going up on May 7 , 2009 . The first section of the Red Bull Arena roof was completed in August 2009 . The underground drainage and turf - heating system installation began on August 18 , 2009 . A soft opening of the stadium , a match between the Red Bulls Under - 18 Academy team and the United States U - 17 men ' s national soccer team scheduled for March 13 , 2010 , was postponed due to heavy rain and high wind . The facility instead opened on March 20 , 2010 as the Red Bulls played a friendly match against Brazilian club Santos FC , with the first official match , the MLS season opener against the Chicago Fire , took place March 27 . Joel Lindpere became the first player to score a goal at Red Bull Arena . In December 2010 the stadium was named Project of the Year ( Sports / Recreation ) by Engineer News Record – New York . Events . Red Bull Arena hosted its first - ever international soccer game in May 2010 , when Turkey beat the Czech Republic in front of a crowd of 16 , 371 . The stadium also hosted an exhibition between Ecuador and Colombia in October 2010 . The game drew a sellout crowd of 25 , 000 . It also hosted the finals of the 2010 Churchill Cup in rugby union . Red Bull Arena hosted its first - ever concert , with Dispatch on June 18 , 2011 . In addition , Red Bull Arena hosted the 2011 MLS All - Star Game on July 27 versus Manchester United . On October 8 , 2011 , Red Bull Arena hosted its first New Jersey high school soccer game when the Harrison Blue Tide hosted the Kearny Kardinals in both boys ' and girls ' soccer matches . On October 11 , 2011 Red Bull Arena hosted its first United States men ' s national soccer team match , as the US squad lost 1 – 0 to the Ecuador national football team in an international friendly . On November 13 , 2011 , Red Bull Arena hosted the semifinals and championship match of the 2011 Big East Conference Men ' s Soccer Tournament , a college soccer tournament . On July 28 , 2012 , Red Bull Arena hosted the Trophée des champions , between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France : Montpellier HSC vs Olympique Lyonnais . Lyon won on penalties after the match ended 2 – 2 . The match was organized by Ligue de Football Professionnel . Transportation . The stadium can be reached via the Harrison station on the Port Authority Trans - Hudson system . Free shuttle buses run from Newark Penn Station and New Jersey Transit ' s Newark Broad Street station . The nearby Jackson Street Bridge crosses the Passaic River to the Ironbound neighborhood in Newark .