Since their inception as a charter member of MLS, the Red Bulls have been one of the league’s worst teams. But after 15 years of getting it wrong on the field, when it came to building their own field, they got it right. In less than a week they will unveil the most futuristic soccer stadium in the Americas.
After a decade of fits and starts under previous ownership, Red Bull Arena finally opens Saturday, with an expected sellout of 25,000 expected for a game against Brazilian power Santos. On March 27, the nation will get its first look at the stadium on ESPN when the Red Bulls meet Chicago in the MLS opener. The attention will help not only the underachieving club, but the tiny industrial town of Harrison and the sport of soccer in the U.S.
A soft opening scheduled for last night, with the Red Bull Under-18 academy squad playing the U.S. U-17 national team, was postponed because of weather.
“They’ve built a stadium that will be among the best small stadiums in the world. It’s absolutely spectacular,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said. “When you walk in there, you’ll have a lump in your throat.”
After going an MLS-worst 5-19-6 last year, Red Bull built a $200 million palace for futbol, not football. And with the club hoping to convert the Portuguese and Brazilian soccer aficionados in Newark’s Ironbound section, it had to be.
“It’s a phenomenal stadium. It’s beautiful. There’s nothing like it in this country,” captain Juan Pablo Angel said. “This is going to be a memorable moment for soccer in this region.
“It’s going to be the first time this franchise is going to have a home field where we can start building our fan base. I’m excited to be part of it. . . . It’s one of the reasons I came, because they promised a nice stadium, a big project.”
Big is an understatement, with a translucent roof and 300 flat-screen TVs, 1,116 premium seats and 30 skyboxes. But beyond the opulence, it was made with the fans in mind.
“You can compare it to the best in the [English] Championship or Premiership,” coach Hans Backe said. “It’s absolutely top-class, and it’s a true soccer stadium.”
Why? After buying out previous club owner and onetime stadium partner AEG, Red Bull scrapped a planned stage, replaced some skyboxes with affordable seats and modeled it after Werthersee Stadium in Austria, featured in Euro 2008. And with the closest seat just 21 feet from the pitch, it adds to the experience.
“We had 14 years of history of soccer moms and group sales. We’re flipping that. We need to focus on the sport more and the people that love it, are passionate about it,” managing director Erik Stover said.
“We want people in the Ironbound to know you may be a fan of River Plate or Porto, but you live here and you’re not being dishonest by [coming here]. We want people across the river — who are the most critical analyzers of what a game-day experience is — to walk away saying, ‘That’s a soccer stadium.’ ”
After years of rejection by those soccer moms, the team finally has targeted not only the ethnic hardcores — expect Portuguese food from Ironbound eatery Seabras — but the commuter community. The stadium is just three blocks from the Harrison PATH station and one stop — or a 15-minute walk — from Newark’s Penn Station. There will be free shuttles from the Ironbound and around Harrison.
Will convenience equal attendance? After selling just 4,500 season tickets last year and averaging a club-record low of 12,491 fans per game, the Red Bulls set goals of 6,000 and 18,000. They already have hit 7,000 season tickets and expect a thousand more, buoyed by groups such as the Empire Supporters Club and Garden State Supporters.
The ESC and GSS will gather at local pubs, walk to the Jackson Street Bridge and march to Red Bull Arena, singing and chanting the way soccer fans do around the world.
“I’m hoping [the enthusiasm] spreads to other sections of town, hoping [soccer fans] shop in Harrison and eat at the restaurants,” Harrison mayor Ray McDonough told the Jersey Journal. “I’m excited . . . because it’s going to bring jobs. People are excited about it.”
That goes from the locals to MLS brass to stars around the world, with Barcelona’s Thierry Henry telling The Post last June he thought he would join the Red Bulls next year.
“Now we’re a credible franchise,” Stover said. “There’s no question people in the industry are aware of what’s going on.”
The place to be
The Post’s Brian Lewis takes a look at some of the features and amenities of the new Red Bull Arena:
HOW TO GET IN: Season ticket-holders are using a paperless system by London’s Fortress GB, which sold the same thing to Arsenal and Manchester City. They will get smart cards that activate the turnstiles and can be loaded with cash to buy things at the stadium.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Three stadium clubs, one team shop, two 22×39 high-definition video boards. There are 65 concession stands combined between the two levels, and 20 portable hand carts on each level.
WHAT TO KNOW: A translucent polycarbonate and aluminum roof covers the fans but not the field. But the field has a high-tech warmer underneath to heat the grass.
NEARBY EATS: In Harrison, try Central Lounge, Tops Diner, Lisbon Chateau Bar-Restaurant or Spanish Pavilion; in Newark check out Seabra Rodizio (whose food is served at the stadium), Casa Vasca, Don Pepe Restaurant, Fornos of Spain, and either the Iberia Peninsula or Tavern.
brian.lewis@nypost.com