Despite what many may think, soccer has been a part of US society for over a century and a half, with stadiums dedicated to the game getting constructed on US soil as far back as the early 20th century.
Nowadays, at least thirty in the United States have been built exclusively to host professional soccer. But there are more, over a hundred, multi-purpose ones that can get used for footie action, not counting the amateur and college ones. Below, we list what we consider the ten strangest of this bunch, each cutting account of its oddball charm, own character, or general wackiness.
Nestled in Garden State’s Piscataway Township, on the Rutgers University campus, Yurcak Field is a soccer-only arena. There is only one man-made stand and a grass hill that assumes this role on the opposite side. People watch games picnic-style on blankets, enjoying a soccer experience like no other.
This is a small one, able to host only five thousand people, but it is a soccer-specific stadium in Utah, in the city of Herriman in Salt Lake County. It is home to the Real Salt Lake affiliate Real Monarchs and doubles as the shrine to the Salt Lake Shred, an ultimate frisbee team. The unique thing about Zions Bank is that it sits at seven thousand and seven hundred feet above sea level, which makes it one of the highest-altitude venues for sports in the nation. That means that players' stamina and the ball's flight are affected by the thin air that everyone in the stadium's suburban location, surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains, breathes.
Titan is a California State University collegiate stadium where Los Angeles FC 2 also plays. It has a capacity of ten thousand and opened in 1992. Like much of Cal State Fullerton University, this stadium has also been the site of alleged paranormal activity. Those incidents stem from a 1976 campus shooting when a Cal State Fullerton custodian killed seven co-workers with a semi-automatic rifle in the university library basement, leaving a dark past on campus.
Ocean City’s Carey Stadium, located two hundred meters from the Atlantic Ocean, makes the selection. Renovated in 2016, this complex, active since 1919, sees football, lacrosse, and soccer games year-round, and has gotten nicknamed the Beach House, ranking as one of the closest sports venues to an ocean in the US. Visitors can see the Ferris wheel at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier looming, and neighborhood houses and restaurants, for an atmosphere that only this place can deliver.
Portland’s Providence Park in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Oregon used to be a Chinese vegetable garden essential in meeting the state’s produce demands. In 1893, this site became home to Multnomah Field and is now renowned for its old-time 1930s vibe.
Suppose anyone wants to feel what it is like playing soccer in the desert. In that case, they should visit 19593 S. 48th Street in Chandler, Arizona, the spot of the Wild Horse Pass Stadium, part of the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex. This ten-thousand-seat venue is surrounded by mostly sand. It is not the type of place anyone would want to do some live in-stadium soccer betting, as the scorching Arizona sun could potentially affect their judgment.
Those who have never been to this multi-purpose stadium in Tukwila, Washington, on the banks of the Green River, but want to come, should be aware of the low-flying planes that have a habit of roaring overhead during matches, as not get startled by the jet noise that creates a distinct sense of mood.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies, a USL Championship team, play at this waterfront seventy-five-hundred-seat stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was built as a baseball stadium, but in the 2010s, it slowly became a soccer-only arena. Still, its single corner stand makes it obvious what this venue was in the past. One would be hard-pressed to find another soccer complex with this type of seating anywhere on Earth, aside from Cashman Field in Las Vegas, maybe.
While Zions Bank Stadium may be high, the highest-altitude stadium in the US is Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs. It began welcoming visitors of the USL Championship Colorado Springs Switchbacks and can also host concerts. For soccer, it can hold eight thousand people and is locally used for regional high school soccer competitions.
Why did this small two-thousand-seat soccer spot take up the number one position on this list? It is built on top of an underground parking garage in Queens. It is part of St. John's University and is the field of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League team - the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms. It cost six million dollars to construct, breaking ground in 2021, opening a year and a half later. New York City FC II of the MLS Next Pro also uses Belson Stadium, home of the men's and women’s St. John's Red Storm teams.
