10 | April | 2016 | Hopping across The Pond

Major League Soccer

Sunday 10th April 2016

Kick off 19.00 Actual 19.28

New York City F.C. 0 Chicago Fire 0, attendance 22,930

@ Yankee Stadium

1, East 161st Street

The Bronx, NY 10451

Admission $30 plus $9.10 fees, print at home ticket *

No programme.

As stated earlier, there is a direct subway line, travelling north from Manhattan on Line 4 to 161st Street Station, where the Yankee Stadium is right in front of you as you exit the station. When my match ticket was booked, it was a print at home option, but this was then changed by Ticketmaster to an e-ticket accessible through your phone only. I am not too keen on this method as if you lose your phone, or something prevents you getting a signal etc,etc, then you have no chance of getting into the match. Thankfully, after a phone call, I was able to change my ticket to ‘will call’, which was not an option for online bookings, and the ticket office is on the same side of the stadium as the subway station exit, so it took less than 5 minutes to collect. Very efficient in the end. Apparently the tickets are sent via phone to try and make it harder for touts to ply their trade.

The Yankee Stadium opened in April 2009 and is built one block north of the original home to MLB team the New York Yankees, who New York City share the stadium with, whilst waiting for their own stadium to be built, although whether they actually ever build a stadium of their own remains to be seen. Capacity here is 49,638 when used in MLS, although NYC are unlikely to ever see crowds of that number and today’s turnout looked much less than the figure given.

If NYC play this poorly every week then it is little wonder the crowds are staying away. They may scrape into the end of season play offs, but any half decent side will surely have no problem beating them as they were absolutely dreadful. The visitors were simply dire, which sadly seems to be pretty much what the standard of the league is these days.

Today was also the first time I have seen hooliganism here in the States. A group of around 20 home ‘fans’ attacked two Chicago supporters in the toilets, but swift action by stewards and police soon had it sorted and at least a dozen were led away.

Major League Baseball

Sunday 10th April 2016

First pitch 13.10

New York Mets 2 Philadelphia Phillies 5, attendance 37,233

@ Citi Field

123-01 Roosevelt Avenue

Queens, NY 11368

Admission $29

Programme ? Didn’t look for one.

When I booked my flight from Montreal down to New York I hadn’t even considered doing anything other than my evening game at 19.00. I only noticed the fixture on Saturday night and when I checked where it was I was surprised to see it was by both the airport and my hotel. However, my Air Canada flight wasn’t due in to La Guardia until 12.20, which would mean my chances of making it for a 13.10 start were pretty slim. As it turned out, I was off the plane for 12.18 and checked into the hotel by 12.50. I was advised the next hotel shuttle to the subway drop off, Mets-Willets Point Station, was at 13.00. The station just happened to be right next to Citi Field. Despite the shuttle leaving a couple of minutes late, it was still going past the stadium before the game was due to start. The driver asked if any of us were doing the game and, even better, he stopped right outside the ticket office as it was en route to the station drop off. What service! Having just bought the cheapest available ticket, on the top tier, it was into the first lift and into my seat as Mets were about to bat their first innings.

Citi Field opened on 29th March 2009, with a college baseball game. The Mets played their first game there on 3rd April 2009 versus Boston Red Sox, in an exhibition, before playing their first regular season game 10 days later against San Diego Padres. The capacity is 41,922, with the record attendance of 45,186 set for the 2013 All-Star Game.

After the game it was a couple of hundred yards walk to Mets-Willets Point Station and then taking subway Line 7 into Manhattan and then heading north for my next game. It was an hours journey, with just one change, and for a very reasonable $3.

Hopping across The Pond

Daily Archives: April 10, 2016

New York City F.C. V Chicago Fire

New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies

Match day visits to sporting stadia