NYRB II And Too Many Hot Dogs

Friday nights at New York Red Bulls II games means one thing: $1 hot dog nights.

I like that. My wallet did too.

The reserve team of the Red Bulls moved this season to Montclair State University after spending the first two years of their existence playing in front of only a handful of fans in the cavernous Red Bull Arena. Their new home is a more intimate 3,500 seat stadium fully branded NYRB II with a grandstand on one sideline and a smaller one behind a goal. In my humble opinion: the ideal size for a USL affiliate club.

Prior to the match, followers of The Soccer Tour were polled on the amount of hot dogs I would eat. The “4 or more” option won with a landslide 75 percent of votes. Whether people believed I could do it, or simply wanted to see the ill aftereffects, I took one thing from the poll: I must consume four hot dogs.

Challenge accepted.

The first hot dog came with chips and a drink, courtesy of the folks at NYRB II. Five minutes later, I was ready for round two. No problem. This was going to be easy.

A member of The Rampage heard that I was going to eat four, so he gladly contributed a dollar to my cause. I completed my first-half hat-trick on the half hour mark. That’s when I started to feel it.

It was time for me to reflect. The stadium was mostly full. The supporters of NYRB II greeted me with a scarf and accepted me into their section with open arms. The hot dogs were dirt cheap. I was really enjoying myself.

Followers of the tour know I am a big proponent of lower-division soccer. There’s a really beauty in the intimacy it provides. Sure, there’s no equivalent to a big, full stadium with big teams and big-name players in it. But being one of a few thousand, or even a few hundred people in a small venue gives you a lot that a “major league experience” can’t offer.

In the case of NYRB II, the tickets were cheap, the food and drink prices were reasonable, the atmosphere was perfect for families, and after the match players stick around to thank the fans.

And, let’s be real: to a small child it makes no difference whether it’s MLS star Bradley Wright-Phillips signing their shirt or NYRB II standout Vincent Bezecourt. In their eyes, they’re on the same level. You get a lot of bang for your buck in the lower divisions.

And on that thought, after nearly an hour without a hot dog, I decided to go for number four.

You’re welcome.



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