New York City Football Club (Major League Soccer) @ Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)

I enter what I consider "baseball hell" to watch...soccer?

*This trip occurred on May 25, 2025, and you'll note that it's NOT a baseball game. I was originally just chronicling baseball games with these 2025 writeups, and as such, I was debating whether or not to write about this as it’s a different sport (soccer), but eventually decided to include it - mostly as it’s still a baseball stadium.

The New York Feather Monkey Yankees.

As a Massachusetts native, I grew up not liking the Yankees all that much, so given that I'm currently living in New Jersey (and have been for a while), I’ve never truly known how to deal with them. On the one hand, you have to give them credit: that history is impressive (even if the Red Sox are, more often than not, on the wrong side of it). On the other hand…their magical ability to be slightly above mid at worst when literally EVERY OTHER TEAM IN NORTH AMERICA has had a bad season in the 21st century is downright MADDENING. Most of my friends are Yankee fans, and they’ve never had to suffer through a truly dismal season the way just about everyone else has (the last time the Yankees finished under .500 was the year I was born, so if you know or choose to look it up, you now know my age).

Here’s the thing, though: I’ve never been to the new stadium. I have been to the old stadium, but it was only once (2007) and I legitimately cannot tell you anything about that visit as I don’t remember much (outside of the Yankees losing one of the final games in Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays history). As much as I’d like to see the new stadium to cross it off my list, I’d rather not be forced to spend three hours with Yankee fans while hoping that the home team has a repeat of Game 5 in 2024.

However, there’s another team that plays in Yankee Stadium: New York City Football Club! Sure, they may be the lovechild of two different flavors of evil (the Yankees and English soccer/football supergiant Manchester City), and they’re part of Major League Soccer - one of the more notorious soccer leagues in the world (seriously, look it up), but a $20 ticket + a tour of the stadium costing NEARLY $40 meant that this was the least expensive way in. Outside of a somewhat random 2021 title, there’s not much to say about NYCFC - though having followed them back when they first started out in 2015, it’s kinda odd seeing them have a bunch of dudes who most soccer fans have never heard of when they started out as a “retirement home” for no less than two World Cup winning players.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Yankee Stadium 2009 is the “grand concourse” - a MASSIVE hallway-esque area with a bunch of small stands (i.e. merch, a 50/50 raffle, and a stand to get customized jerseys - I don't remember if there were any concessions). At the end of this hallway are stairs/escalators up to the upper levels, though I feel I should note that the third level was not open for this game. If I remember correctly, this design (as well as the exterior) was meant to resemble the original exterior of the old Yankee Stadium as it was built in 1923 - if you’re like me and remember something VERY different, that's because the original stadium was damaged and had to be rebuilt in the 70s (BTW, the old field is a public park now).

The main concourse of the stadium’s seating bowl (i.e. the first level) goes completely around the field, and there are views to the field from most of the infield sections (as well as the 4 trains passing by outside the stadium). I was also able to walk around the second level as well, and it was fairly similar - though there were less areas with field views (and it doesn’t completely wrap around as it ends in the outfield).

I will say, though, that the soccer atmosphere itself is strange. I’ve heard that the Yankees mandate that the soccer pitch not touch the pitcher’s mound (heh); therefore, it’s actually not wide enough to meet international soccer standards. Also, the field runs from left field towards first base, and the supporters section (i.e. the most passionate fans) is in the outfield bleachers. They were rather noisy throughout the match (as you’d expect soccer supporters to be), but outside of them, there was little noise outside of the moments when NYCFC threatened to score (and did - three times in fact en route to a somewhat controversial 3-1 win). In fact, I could hear the people behind me talking about…childbirth.

Because the Yankees cannot resist flaunting their 27 championships (and the men who won them), there are reminders of them all around the concourse; my favorite part of this was reminiscing about the 2000-2009 gap (i.e. Luis Gonzalez in 2001, Josh Beckett in 2003, and most especially the emergence of David Ortiz in 2004). In addition, they’re known for Monument Park - a feature present since 1932 with physical monuments to former Yankees who have had their numbers retired - both great and average at best. Unfortunately, it (and its special store) was closed during the match (as well as a “Yankees museum”); I've heard it's only open pregame (when I was too busy checking out the team store), but there are also pitch side seats that are on the field itself which you go through Monument Park to get to. Yes, that’s right: for some undisclosed amount of money, you can sit near where Aaron Judge patrols center field (though I think the spot where he dropped that ball is well within the soccer pitch lines).

MERCH

I don’t think I’ve seen as many merch stores/stands at ANY sporting event as I did at Yankee Stadium - save for another MLB park I visited later in the year (but more on that will have to wait for now.)

While the store with street access (i.e. the one that is open when nothing’s going on) seems small, there’s a bigger one further in (though it seems to only be for games). Half of the small stands sold the same exact things (i.e. jerseys, hats, and other fun things), but a store on the second level had something rather interesting: clearance merchandise! I was able to take advantage of this to get a few old NYCFC jerseys (thanks to soccer teams and their propensity for changing their jerseys every year; it's also piqued my interest in returning next year if/when the current away jersey with the monogram rotates out).

For what it’s worth, I also got a special “NYC Parks Green” jersey and a hat with the current NYC monogram, but I didn’t get any logo balls - NYCFC or Yankees.