New York City FC will end its Yankee Stadium run next spring against the club’s biggest rival.
Red Bull New York will be NYCFC’s final regular-season opponent at Yankee Stadium before the club moves into its new 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in the summer, MLS revealed Wednesday night as part of a partial release of the sprint season schedule.
The NYCFC-Red Bulls match will take place on May 8 at 5 p.m. in The Bronx on the final day of the abbreviated 14-game schedule before MLS transitions to a summer-to-spring league calendar.
Yankee Stadium has served as NYCFC’s main home since the club’s first season in MLS in 2015, as ownership has searched for a place to build a permanent home venue, which was eventually found next to Citi Field in the Willets Point area of Queens.
The 14-game season will serve as NYCFC’s final campaign at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field before they host their first match at Etihad Park on July 17, 2027.
The prospects of reaching the playoffs during the sprint season do leave the door open for other potential matches at Yankee Stadium.
Several of the Hudson River Derby’s most memorable moments have taken place in The Bronx, including the infamous “Red Wedding” match when the Red Bulls crushed NYCFC 7-0 in 2016 and David Villa’s three-goal game in 2017 — his lone hat trick during his four seasons with NYCFC.
MLS is holding the sprint season to bridge the gap between the end of the 2026 campaign and the start of the 2027-28 season under the league’s new calendar.
The sprint season will run from February through May.
It will include 14 games against only conference opponents, with the top eight clubs from each conference qualifying for the postseason. The sprint season will offer the opportunity for clubs to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
Construction on Etihad Park is anticipated to be completed in the spring, but NYCFC officials opted to wait until the 2027-28 season to move into the new home rather than try to rush during the middle of the sprint season.
NYCFC announced in February that it would be waiting until the summer to open the new venue, which allows the club to host test events ahead of the official opening.
“This approach allows us to properly celebrate our final matches at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, prepare thoughtfully for the move, and build toward a definitive and historic opening that reflects what this moment means for us and our city,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said at the time.
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