LionNYC tell us about the stadium when you get a chance.
Okay, so I had seats at VIP South which was essentially Pitchside seats. The club access is the same as the Field Club seats behind the benches. The stadium is gorgeous from the design to architecture. It’s the nicest I’ve seen thus far. You walk through this beautiful marble entrance to get to the clubs.
The Field Club is simple. A decent spread, Legends has more. Heineken and house red and white wine are included. As are other non alcoholic beverages. The Field Club is where the players come out so it’s essentially the tunnel to the stadium so you can see the walk out. They had some of the club owners (the notable ones) talking to fans and hanging out. After the game the club stays open an hour after the match and yes, they’re still serving. You can watch the press conferences behind a glass wall (can’t hear anything however). Saw Claudio, Stemp, Vieira, and Jonathan Lewis in the club area/by the field.
The seats are incredible. You’re right on the field with nothing blocking your vision besides the linesman. It is difficult to see the game in the far nearside corners but there’s always the screen. After the match, they put up a goal with facing out and if you had access to ththe Field Club, you could take a penalty kick. Will Ferrell played goalie for some. Yeah, Will Ferrell. I did not partake. Another NYCFC fan siting next to me who was out there asked for a photo and Will said, “Not with that jersey. You’re the enemy.”
As for the game, I thought the result was fair. We could have won, they could have won. Vieira kicked a bottle after the Berget miss, which was out biggest missed opportunity. As noted, I helped with a quick throw in. I also, I think more importantly, stopped the LAFC player from getting the ball when they had their thrown in. Always let the opposing player get the ball from the ball kid.
Fun place. Fun night.
The roof doesn’t keep the sun away as the far side was in the side even late into the match. It was loud but not Atlanta loud. The standing supporter section was great. There’s a supporter bar at the top by Heineken. It’s a different experience than Atlanta but I’d give it the edge based on soccer oriented atmosphere.