MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field is a soccer-specific stadium on the campus of Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. The stadium serves as home to the Montclair Red Hawks men's2024 men's soccer schedule at montclairathletics.com and women's2024 women's soccer schedule at montclairathletics.com soccer teams, although it has also been a frequent venue for professional soccer teams.
History Built on the site of a former baseball field, MSU Soccer Park opened in 1998 as the home of the Montclair State Red Hawks men's and women's soccer teams.
From 2007 to 2013, Montclair State was the training site for the Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls while their Red Bull Training Facility was constructed in nearby Hanover Township, New Jersey. The Red Bulls helped finance the construction of a new field house, as well as the installation of a FIFA approved FieldTurf surface at MSU Soccer Park. Lights were installed in 2012 allowing for night matches to be played.
In 2016 it was announced that the Red Bulls' USL Championship affiliate club, New York Red Bulls II, would move into MSU Soccer Park in 2017. To accommodate the Red Bulls II, MSU Soccer Park underwent significant renovations to keep the facility in line with stadium standards set by the United States Soccer Federation for lower division professional soccer clubs. MSU Soccer Park's capacity was expanded to 3,000 seats for the 2017 season and again by 1,500 seats in 2018 bringing the total capacity to 5,000 seats. In addition to the expanded seating capacity, the club built new locker rooms adjacent to the playing field and upgraded the FieldTurf playing surface. The renovations were made ahead of and during the 2018 USL season, forcing the Red Bulls II to play their first six home matches at Red Bull Arena.
In December 2016, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, a Montclair resident, became the first season ticketholder for Red Bulls II at MSU Soccer Park. At this event, it was also announced that MSU Soccer Park would host select matches for New York Red Bulls U-23, the MLS franchise's affiliate club in USL League Two.
In 2020, Gotham FC played two matches at MSU Soccer Park on October 3 and October 10 as part of the National Women's Soccer League Fall Series. This abbreviated season series was held following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which cancelled the regular season. Gotham FC had to play at MSU instead of Red Bull Arena due to scheduling conflicts with the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC sharing that facility at the time.
In 2022, FC Motown became part time tenants of MSU Soccer Park with their National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two teams playing part of their regular season schedules at the facility. Their NPSL team has also hosted several U.S. Open Cup matches at the park. On August 6, 2022, FC Motown won the 2022 National Premier Soccer League Championship, their first title in club history, by defeating Crossfire Redmond 4–3.
Notable matches Winning teams in bold Date Teams Ref. May 7, 2019 New York Red Bulls U-23 4–4 FC Motown 2019 U.S. Open CupFirst Round 302 Jun 11, 2019 New York Red Bulls 2–3 New England Revolution 2019 U.S. Open CupFourth Round 2,185 Apr 20, 2021 Gotham FC 4–3 North Carolina Courage 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup n/a May 2, 2021 Gotham FC 0–0 Racing Louisville FC 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup n/a Mar 23, 2022 FC Motown 2–3 West Chester United SC 2022 U.S. Open CupFirst Round 323 Apr 1, 2022 FC Motown 1–0 West Chester United SC 2022 U.S. Open CupFirst Round Replay 176 Apr 6, 2022 FC Motown 1–0 AC Syracuse Pulse 2022 U.S. Open CupSecond Round 50 May 25, 2022 New York Red Bulls 3–1 Charlotte FC 2022 U.S. Open CupRound of 16 3,500 Aug 6, 2022 FC Motown 4–3 Crossfire Redmond 2022 NPSLNational Championship 2,065 May 9, 2023 New York Red Bulls 1–0 D.C. United 2023 U.S. Open CupRound of 32 2,396 Nov 4, 2023 Montclair State Red Hawks 4–2 Rowan University NJAC Men's Soccer Championship 827 Mar 20, 2024 New York Red Bulls II 5–1 Hudson Valley Hammers 2024 U.S. Open CupFirst Round 1,073 Mar 21, 2024 FC Motown 0–3 New York City FC II 2024 U.S. Open CupFirst Round 450 Mar 18, 2025 FC Motown 0–1 Westchester SC 2025 U.S. Open CupFirst Round 534
References
External links
New York Red Bulls II