The Red Bulls didn’t just host their annual Media Day at Red Bull Arena Tuesday, the club also trained at the new home in Harrison for the first time in the morning.
“It was awesome,” defender Andrew Boyens said. “We’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time and the boys walked out there and you get chills. You look up and know this is our home. It was nice to get out there, get a feel of the field and take it all in.”
While many of the Red Bulls players have visited the stadium at various stages of its construction, being able to finally step onto the Kentucky Bluegrass field makes Red Bull Arena finally a reality for them.
“It’s finally tangible, and that’s fantastic for the guys,” Kevin Goldthwaite said. “Just being able to go to the locker room, see the training room and to use the facilities is great for us. Coming off the season we had last year, it kind of gives us added motivation.”
While the stadium is simply stunning, the field wasn’t in the best shape – a portion had to be replaced during the winter.
“It’s OK. It’s playable,” veteran forward John Wolyniec said of the surface. “It moves a bit. Hopefully with some good weather the next couple of days it will improve.”
But even the worst grass surface – and this is far from the worst any of these players have been on – beats that bad four-letter word that Juan Pablo Angel is more than happy to leave in East Rutherford.
“Oh my God, I was probably the biggest critic of Giants Stadium since my time here and rightly so,” said Angel, whose is happy to not have to play on turf anymore.
Angel, who will not play against Brazilian powerhouse Santos because of a knee injury suffered as a result of a bad tackle by Julian de Guzman in a preseason match, said the stadium will allow American soccer fans to enjoy a European soccer-like experience right here at home.
“It’s going to change the perspective of the game because there’s nothing you can compare it within this country,” Angel said. “Hopefully we as a team can put performances on the field that will match this beautiful venue because at the end of the day we’re going to get judged on results.”