Red Bulls Insider

Red Bulls Have Some Fun at NYCFC’s Expense

August 25, 2017

The New York Red Bulls just expertly trolled New York City F.C. by subtly taking a dig at their noisy neighbors from The Bronx.

This week, NYCFC announced that they would be moving an upcoming home match to Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, the home stadium for UConn football. The issue is a conflict with the New York Yankees, the co-owners of City and also joint tenants of their mutual home field, Yankee Stadium. NYCFC was forced to move the match to Hartford after striking out with several other local options.

Rentschler Field has hosted some marquee international matches and has a regulation grass field. But social media and soccer columnists had a field day with the decision.

It is somewhat embarrassing, given that City’s selling point to local fans is being a New York team playing within the five boroughs, something they gleefully claim the Red Bulls don’t do. They’ve also promised that any new stadium they built will be built within the confines of New York City proper and not in the outlying areas.

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As such, moving a match to Hartford isn’t exactly ideal.

So minutes before kickoff and with a sold-out Red Bull Arena buzzing, City’s Starting XI was announced to the tune of ‘Brass Bonanza.’ Quite a subtle dig.

The tune, of course, is synonymous with the old Hartford Whalers, dating back to their days in the WHA and then carrying over with the team into their transition to the NHL in 1979. It stuck as their anthem until 1997 when the team moved and became the Carolina Hurricanes.