New stadium for soccer’s NYCFC to be built next to Mets home The new stadium would be built at the former site of Citi Field.
— Major League Soccer fans should expect news this week about one of their most important sports franchises.
A new stadium will be built for the New York City FC to replace the current soccer-specific stadium for the team that will join the league in 2017.
Citi Field, which opened in 2009, has served as the home of New York City FC since the team entered MLS in 2012, bringing them closer to their New York roots.
The team has long considered the stadium one of the franchise’s greatest assets, and their current lease extension for the stadium’s life span would not begin to expire until 2033.
A source told ABC News that the MLS will make a decision soon on whether to extend the lease for the new stadium, located near Port Washington, N.Y.
“There are still a lot of details to be worked out. But Citi Field is the jewel of the stadium, the home of the New York City FC and the New York Cosmos,” a source said.
The stadium has a capacity of 20,500 for soccer and was built by Anschutz Entertainment Group and is currently in the middle of a $250 million renovation.
But the work at Citi Field has been an “ongoing work in progress,” the source said.
“We feel very strongly that we need to continue to bring more soccer into New York,” a spokesperson for the stadium said.
“There are very strong arguments for this stadium to be built to fulfill MLS’s potential and the long-term sustainability of our club,” the spokesperson said.
The stadium will have up to 20,000 fans inside, but is not currently being used as the home of the New York City FC. The franchise will play their matches at Yankee Stadium.
The new stadium for NYCFC will be built