Lot’s of angles to tell on this story but the bottom line – catch SLU and St Dominic’s grad Tim Ream and the New York Red Bull versus Santos (Brazil) this evening on Fox Soccer Channel at 5:00 pm and check out the state-of-the-art soccer stadium they now call home!

The game should include MLS draftee Tim Ream who received a nice write up in the New York Times in advance of the game Red Bulls Coach Likes One Young Defender in Particular

“Tim Ream is close to being in the starting lineup,” Backe said. “He has a future. I probably shouldn’t say too much, but Ream has a chance to be a national team player. He’s a center back who is comfortable and calm in possession of the ball. He plays a good passing game, he’s an excellent passer. A European-type center back who, I think, reminds me of Rio Ferdinand in the Premier League. Ream is strong tactically and never stressed, and of course he’s good in the air. He has a top-class attitude and spirit.”

Grant Wahl has a story on the new stadium – World-class arena awaits Red Bulls

But after touring Red Bull Arena, the new $200 million-plus home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, I’m a little breathless myself. In the year 2010, the most advanced, state-of-the-art soccer stadium in the Western Hemisphere (at least until Chivas de Guadalajara’s futuristic “volcano” stadium gets finished) is a couple of convenient PATH train stops from the epicenter of New York City.

And the key phrase is “soccer stadium.” Unlike so many other MLS buildings, which have a stage at one end and double as concert venues, Red Bull Arena is built for fútbol. Not one of the 25,000 seats — and they’re all seats; no benches here — has a bad view. The front row is a mere 21 feet from the sidelines and 27 feet from the endlines, the better for Juan Pablo Ángel to make a quick run and Lambeau Leap over the short retaining wall after scoring a goal.

While the Wall Street Journal offers their view with Red Bull Places $220 Million Bet on Soccer

There may be easier ways to sell drinks than buying a struggling sports team and building the biggest soccer stadium the country has ever seen atop a former industrial-waste site.

Yet that’s exactly the playbook Austrian “energy drink” maker Red Bull has been following for the past four years. The strategy will be unleashed this weekend when the $220 million Red Bull Arena opens in Harrison, N.J. The home of the New York Red Bulls is about 10 miles and a brief train ride from lower Manhattan.

Paid for without a loan, the team and stadium represent the biggest and most visible foreign investment ever made in professional soccer in the U.S.—even as closely held Red Bull had flat revenue and faces challenges from rivals like Monster Energy, distributed by Coca-Cola, and Rockstar, distributed by PepsiCo.

Red Bull Arena: Home of the New York Red Bulls
Red Bull Arena is a world-class sports venue located in Harrison, New Jersey. The 25,000-seat stadium features a dynamic form roof that covers all of the seating and features 30 Skyboxes, three premium clubs, two retail outlets and a Kentucky Bluegrass field. Red Bull Arena is the home of the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. Red Bull Arena is privately funded stadium and owned by Red Bull GmbH, an Austrian company that produces the worlds leading energy drink.

In addition to Red Bulls matches, Red Bull Arena hosts major collegiate championships, international soccer friendly matches, international rugby matches, and special events.