In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Red Bulls released the following statement regarding their 25,000-seat stadium in Harrison, NJ and their scheduled Eastern Conference semifinal Saturday night against rival D.C. United:
“Our staff was continually assessing Red Bull Arena overnight and this morning and found only minor, non-structural damage to the facility. In addition, the pitch was fully covered and did not experience flooding.
“We want to thank our stadium operations and security staff for their tremendous job in preparing for Hurricane Sandy. Our club is currently in communication with local officials, authorities and Major League Soccer and evaluating our options for Saturday’s playoff game against D.C. United. We hope to provide further information soon.”
With Red Bull Arena sitting on the bank of the Passaic River, and also having a partial roof that could have been vulnerable to the 80 mph winds, the news is noteworthy.
The Red Bulls are slated to host United Saturday night in the first leg of a home-and-home series, then play the road leg against archrival United next Wednesday at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.