New York City FC (NYCFC) and the New York Red Bulls are set to face off in the first-ever post-season Hudson River Derby this Saturday in the Eastern Conference semi-finals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, but they will do so in an almost half-empty Citi Field.
NYCFC has announced that the attendance for Saturday’s eagerly anticipated playoff game will be capped at around 22,500, stating that only the 100 and 300 sections of the 41,800-seater stadium will be open for Saturday’s semi-final.
In a press release announcing the limited capacity, NYCFC stated that attendance would be limited to 22,500 due to “previous stadium commitments during this period,” leading some people to speculate that capacity has been limited due to the planned Tianyu Winter Lights Festival. The festival is scheduled to begin operating outside Citi Field on Nov. 29 and is currently set up in the stadium’s parking lot.
However, an NYCFC official confirmed that attendance for the Hudson River Derby has been capped because the stadium is in the process of “winterization” for the baseball off-season. The spokesperson added that no external factors are responsible for Saturday’s reduced capacity.
“Citi Field is in the process of closing for the winter (winterization), and therefore, parts of the stadium are now closed off for that,” an NYCFC spokesperson said. “The club worked with the Mets who generously agreed to pause the closure and accommodate us for this game.”
A crowd of 30,731 looked on as NYCFC beat the Red Bulls 2-1 at Citi Field in a regular-season Hudson River Derby in May, the second-biggest home crowd NYCFC has drawn this season after their clash with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami at Yankee Stadium in September.
NYCFC is due to move into a 25,000-seater soccer-specific stadium at Willets Point for the 2027 MLS season and currently splits its home fixtures between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium, depending on availability.
Yankee Stadium is unavailable for Saturday’s clash with the Red Bulls as it is hosting a college football encounter between Notre Dame and Army on the same day.
NYCFC and the Red Bulls reached the Eastern Conference semi-finals after upsetting the third and second seeds in the play-offs respectively, with the Red Bulls sweeping their best-of-three series against second seeds Columbus Crew and NYCFC taking Game 3 against FC Cincinnati in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
NYCFC beat the Red Bulls in both Hudson River Derby games during the regular season, winning 2-1 at Citi Field and 5-1 at Red Bull Arena in October.
The winner of Saturday’s semi-final will progress to the Eastern Conference final against the winners of fourth seed Orlando SC and wild card Atlanta United on Saturday, Nov. 30, or Sunday, Dec. 1. Either New York team will play away from home if Orlando prevails but will have home advantage if Atlanta can cause another MLS Cup Playoff upset following their shock victory against Inter Miami in the opening round.
