After months of reports, it is finally official: Red Bull Arena will host the first World Cup qualifier to be played in the New York metropolitan area.
U.S. Soccer formally announced on Thursday that the New York Red Bulls' stadium in Harrison, New Jersey will play host to the United States national team's game against Costa Rica on Sept. 1. The game will be televised on ESPN and the Univision family of networks, with kick off set for 6:30 pm ET.
"This is going to be a critical game for us against one of the toughest opponents in CONCACAF," US head coach Bruce Arena said in a statement provided by the federation. "Red Bull Arena is among the finest soccer facilities in the country, and we look forward to having outstanding support."
The US currently sit in third place with eight points in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings, three points behind the second-placed Ticos with four games left to play in the Hex. The top three teams in the group will automatically qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-placed team – currently Panama with seven points – will play off against the fifth-placed Asian team in November for a remaining spot in the finals.
Following the game at Red Bull Arena, the US will then travel to face Honduras on Sept. 5, then finish the Hex with games against Panama in Orlando, Florida on Oct. 6 and at Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 10. Arena's team is currently preparing to kick off their 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, which starts against Panama on July 8 (4:30 pm ET; FOX, Univision, UDN).
Though the game will be the first qualifier in the New York metropolitan area, the US has a long history in New York and New Jersey dating back to 1925. The Yanks have played three previous games at Red Bull Arena, all of them friendlies. The most recent was also against Costa Rica, a 1-0 loss on Oct. 13, 2015.
