MetroStars
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Image:Metrostars logo.gif The MetroStars was the name of a soccer club based in New Jersey that participated in Major League Soccer between 1996 and 2005. On March 9, 2006, the club was purchased by Red Bull and re-branded as Red Bull New York with the playing team being known as the New York Red Bulls.
The club played its home matches at Giants Stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford; the headquarters were located in Secaucus. The team colors were red, black, and gold. During the team's first season, the Metrostars had solid black or solid white jerseys and during all other seasons, the home jerseys had red and black vertical stripes. The MetroStars were known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars through 1997. The team's name came from MetroMedia, a company owned by the club's original owner/operator John Kluge.
Some of the high-profile international players that played for the Metros were Roberto Donadoni, Branco, Lothar Matthäus, Adolfo Valencia, Amado Guevara, and Youri Djorkaeff. The team has had its share of famous coaches as well, including Carlos Queiroz, Carlos Alberto Parreira, and Bora Milutinovic, as well as Bob Bradley and Mo Johnston. American stars Tony Meola, Tab Ramos, Alexi Lalas, Tim Howard, Clint Mathis, Eddie Pope, and Eddie Gaven have all played in the red and black. At the time of the Red Bull purchase, the club's all-time leaders (regular season only) were: games, Mike Petke, 134; goals, Giovanni Savarese, 41; assists, Ramos, 36; shutouts, Meola, 20.
When Red Bull purchased the MetroStars in 2006, it decided to completely re-brand the franchise, changing the name, colors, and logo. The sale of the team has been controversial among some fans of the MetroStars, not dissimilar to the situation in Austria, where Red Bull bought SV Austria Salzburg and renamed it Red Bull Salzburg. While some fans were disappointed with the loss of Metro identity, others found fault in corporate branding, or with labeling the franchise as New York, when it plays and is headquartered in New Jersey. Other fans have welcomed the change, as the MetroStars franchise had never been particularly successful on the field, and has suffered waning support in the stands; it is anticipated that Red Bull will provide enough cash for the club to be competitive and increase its advertising revenue.
Although most MetroStar supporters decided to follow the re-branded team, a number claim they have abandoned the team altogether. Some fans who are staying with the team would like to keep Metro tradition going, whether it is by singing tradition chants, or using traditional nicknames, or a compromise nickname of Metro Reds or Reds. Some are attempting to start a new team called AFC Metro, possibly to play in the Premier Developmental League.
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has stated that a second franchise in the New York area can come "as early as 2010, but not before that" [1]. Whether that new team will be known as the MetroStars, and whether it would inherit the club's pre-2006 history from the New York Red Bulls, is not known. Although that seems unlikely since Red Bull has announced that it will acknowledge Metro history from the team's inception, regarding the New York Red Bulls as a continuation of that history and not a separate franchise. There are also rumours that a second New York area team would be named in honor of the former New York Cosmos of the NASL.
See also
- Complete history of the franchise: Red Bull New York
- MetroStars players
External links
Template:Major League Soccerde:Red Bull New York es:MetroStars fr:Red Bull New York it:MetroStars ja:メトロスターズ no:MetroStars sv:MetroStars