Soccer in the New York metropolitan area
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. New York Red Bulls II, the reserve  team for the Red Bulls, compete in the USL Championship, and New Amsterdam FC play in the National Independent Soccer Association, the second and third tier respectively. 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 Amsterdam plays in Hempstead, and the other three teams play in northern New Jersey. A second USL Championship club, Queensboro FC, will begin play in 2022. 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. Most successful clubs overall. Teams in "italics" are no longer active. New York  derbies. There are 3 professional New York derbies: New York Red Bulls and New York City FC met for the first time in 2015 at the first inaugural New York derby in MLS New York Red Bulls and New York Cosmos met for the first time in 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup New York City FC and New York Cosmos met for the first time in 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup