New York City FC will hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting for a new stadium on September 6 — but no, not for that one.
This will mark the opening of a renovated Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, refurbished and made ready to host soccer as it becomes one of two home venues for New York City FC II of MLS NEXT Pro.
NYCFC II will play a first Randall's Island home match against Atlanta United II on Friday, September 6 with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 pm. Five days later they'll be back for another game during weekday rush hour, meeting Toronto FC II on Wednesday, September 11 at 5:00 pm.
These dates have been anticipated since word first broke via amNewYork that New York City FC donated $3 million to make Icahn Stadium soccer-compatible. The gift covered the cost of widening the track so a soccer pitch could fit within its borders, installing a new Kentucky Blue grass surface, and improving Icahn's drainage and irrigation systems.
Andrew Leigh
The upgrades are significant, but the timing is tricky for those looking to get a first look at the Baby Blues in action at their new stadium.
Both initial NYCFC II matches kick off early weekday evenings, a decision made purely for scheduling reasons, according to a New York City FC spokesperson.
According to the team, Icahn Stadium is able to host night matches under the floodlights, should NYCFC II choose to do so. The other non-NEXT Pro soccer match currently scheduled for Icahn Stadium, an annual charity game between members of the NYPD and FDNY scheduled for Monday, September 23, also begins at 5:00 pm — though a corresponding promotional graphic says kickoff between New York's Bravest and New York's Finest will be at 7:30 pm, after the sun has set.
New York City FC II will get a first taste of their newest home venue at the tail-end of what is shaping up to be the strongest season in their three-year existence. The 2024 season saw the team reach the US Open Cup Round of 16, and NYCFC II are now on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in team history, sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference with eight regular season matches remaining.
Noah Kassell-Yung
Five of the team's remaining eight games will be played at home, though the bulk of those will still take place on the turf at Belson Stadium in Jamaica, Queens.
The St. John's University soccer stadium will host the Baby Blue's next home match, the August 28 make-up game against Orlando City B (after the initial June 19 match was postponed due to player availability issues).
The final two regular season home games also aren't planned to move to Randall's Island, with the Baby Blues set to close out their NEXT Pro regular season with two games in Queens, against FC Cincinnati 2 on September 29 and against Huntsville City FC on October 6.
This seems like a "toe in the water" approach from New York City as the club gets started playing in a new facility that will continue to regularly host events from other sports, like track and field, lacrosse, and rugby.
It's as of now unclear what the split for NYCFC II home games will look like during the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season, or if Randall's Island might host any other matches in 2024 during a potential NEXT Pro playoff run, but it's at least clear when the grounds that once held historic Downing Stadium will get back to hosting some professional soccer.
