The Gift of Soccer

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and the holiday season, our thoughts turn to giving back to the community. We would like to invite you to support "The Gift of Soccer", a great cause sponsored by the Third Rail!

We are looking for members to sponsor/donate a soccer ball to be donated to 5 schools from different inner city locations. The soccer ball can be new or used, preferably size 5. We are also looking for volunteers to help distribute the soccer balls during the Week of December 8th, exact dates & times to be announced.

If interested in donating a ball, please bring it to Nevada Smiths on December 7th during our Holiday Party. If you cannot make the Holiday party on the 7th but would still like to donate or volunteer please contact Andres Loaiza, Director of Community Outreach, by email or via twitter.

We look forward to your help in bringing the Gift of Soccer to the communities of New York City!

"The Third Rail eye inaugural season in 2015"

Some good coverage from the league's official website:

New York City FC supporters' group The Third Rail eye inaugural season in 2015
November 17, 2014
Dylan Butler
Special to MLSsoccer.com

John Malone has never attended a Major League Soccer game. His soccer fandom was limited to the US national team.

But when it was announced New York City FC would be the league's 20th franchise, Malone was all in.

The White Plains resident purchased his season tickets eight hours after they went on sale, joined the Third Rail - the club's official supporters group - and is already discussing future road trips.

"The second they were talking about NY-2, I was in with this team," Malone said. "This is finally a team I could be all-in on and would pull on the heartstrings for some reason. This is finally my first soccer team. I don't care who is on the team.

"This is my team."

Malone, who ordered MLS Direct Kick to do his homework on the league, isn't unique among NYCFC's most ardent fans. In fact, many of the 1,200 and growing registered members of the Third Rail have a similar story.

That includes its president, Chance Michaels.

"The ability to help establish the framework and build a culture from the ground up is one of the things that was so attractive to me and to many of our members," the Brooklyn resident said. "We get to do something that hasn't been done in our city."

The day it was announced there would be a second MLS team in the New York City area, Michaels started a fan blog. Then in July, Michaels - a lifelong Arsenal supporter who went to New York Cosmos games as a kid at Giants Stadium and Yankee Stadium - started a membership drive for the club's supporters group.

"I honestly didn't know what to expect. When we first started this, there weren't any players, there wasn't a logo, there wasn't anything," Michaels said. "I thought if by the first match we could have 500 paid members, I'd be happy. We passed 500 members in three weeks."

The group needed a name and put it up to a vote. Michaels said they wanted to shy away from anything with 'Ultras' or 'Army' in it.

Soon, the Third Rail was born.

"We wanted to find something that was uniquely New York," Michaels said. "This had the added the benefit of also incorporating some really powerful electrical imagery."

New York City FC immediately embraced the name, tweeting the club was "powered by the Third Rail."

"They participated in what the badge was going to look like, we let them choose where they wanted to sit at Yankee Stadium," NYCFC Chief Business Officer Tim Pernetti said. "That's the culture we're trying to create. I think supporters are growing because they have access to this club."

Access is of the utmost importance, according to Pernetti.

"No matter how far we go, how long we're around or how good we are, we will never deprive the supporters of the access they deserve because we want this to be, much like our sister clubs, our community clubs," he said.

Michaels said Third Rail lobbied for the supporters sections – 236 and 237 in the left-field bleachers – to be general admission and the club made it happen. Both sections are nearly sold out.

"It's going to be an interesting fit for everybody," Michaels said. "The club has been very interested in clearing as much room for us as possible. They've been very responsive to our concerns and interested."

Nick Loccissano, a firefighter in Greenburgh, also never watched an MLS game before and he doesn't have a favorite squad in Europe. His soccer knowledge is limited to FIFA video games.

Now, he's an NYCFC season ticket holder and a member of the Third Rail.

"It's the best time to be a fan," he said. "I'm not jumping on a bandwagon or anything. I feel like I can actually establish this is my team."

Michaels said there are monthly meetings with Third Rail members and the supporters group recently hosted a Halloween party and co-hosted a World Cup semifinal watch party with NYCFC over the summer.

There are also tentative plans for road trips, including the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup.

"We're also looking at the first day of the SuperDraft," Michaels said. "We're looking to have a presence there as well. It's been so long coming that we're all champing at the bit to actually do something."

Third Rail Merchandise at Upper 90, "New York's Soccer Store"

Upper 90 / Matthew Wolff Design

We proud to announce an agreement with Upper 90, New York's Soccer Store, to produce exclusive Third Rail merchandise.

Our first offerings include tshirts, caps and hoodies for men and women.

We will have more items added in the coming weeks. Don't hesitate to let us know what you want!

In addition, all Third Rail members receive exclusive discounts on Third Rail and NYCFC merchandise on Upper 90's site - check your email for details and the discount code.

Order Your Jersey With This Discount for Our Members!

The NYCFC Inaugural Season shirt has been released!

We know you want to buy one, and we have partnered with Upper 90 to give Third Rail members a discount!

The shirt should be up for order on Upper 90's site soon, and check your emails and our private Facebook page for the discount code.

All online retailers will ship their orders at the same time. That means even though it's not on Upper 90's site at this moment, you'll still be among the first to receive yours. And at a discount just for being a Third Rail member.

Our discount code is good on all products on the Upper 90 website through the end of this year. It's never too early to think of your holiday shopping!

Membership Meeting Next Saturday!

Our next membership meeting will be held on Saturday November 15th from 2-4:00pm at Nevada Smiths, our official home for away matches!



Here are some of the topics we will be discussing:

• Membership Packages
• Travel to the Carolina Challenge Cup
• Season Tickets to NYCFC
• Our Under-21 Division

For those who wanted to pick up their membership packages, we'll be available from 12:30 until the meeting starts, and then from 4:00 to 5:00.

You can find more information at our Facebook event page. We'll see you there!

South Bronx United Benefit Next Tuesday

Our friends at South Bronx United are holding their 4th Annual Benefit next Tuesday at the Midtown Loft in Manhattan.

From the organization's website:

Tickets and donations for the evening help raise crucial funds for the organization's youth programs and features a buffet, dessert, and an open bar sponsored by Dos Toros Taqueria, the Bronx Brewery, and Artuso Pastry Shop. Guests can also support through live and silent auctions.

Midtown Loft is located at:
     267 Fifth Avenue, 11th Floor
     New York, NY 10016

South Bronx United is one of New York City FC's eight Youth Affiliates. They "use soccer as a tool to enrich the lives of South Bronx and immigrant youth," in the words of Executive Director Andrew So.

For more information, visit sbusupporters.org/benefit. You can purchase advance tickets for the benefit here; tickets at the door will be subject to an extra charge.

South Bronx United does so much in the community; let's get out and support them on Tuesday!

Anyone Feel Like Charleston in February?

The club unveiled some surprising news this morning:

NYCFC to compete in 2015 Carolina Challenge Cup
November 5, 201411:26 AM EST

New York City Football Club is delighted to announce that the team will participate in the in the 12th annual Carolina Challenge Cup in February 2015.

Just a few weeks before NYCFC play their first-ever MLS fixture, Jason Kreis’s side will be joined by Orlando City S.C, Houston Dynamo and Charleston Battery in the round robin tournament hosted at the Blackbaud Stadium in South Carolina.

Six matches will take place between Saturday 21 February and Saturday 28 February and NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna believes that the competition will provide the perfect test at an ideal time.

“The opportunity to play in the Carolina Challenge Cup was one that we didn’t want to pass up. It’s a fantastic tournament and Charleston is a great city for us to spend time in during pre-season.” Reyna declared.

“Playing against an established MLS side in Houston Dynamo will get us a real sense of where we’re at in our preparations to join the league in March and the same can be said of the game against our fellow new expansion team, Orlando City.

“Charleston Battery are also a talented outfit and I’m sure that they will do an excellent job in hosting next year’s Carolina Challenge Cup. This competition will form a very important part of our pre-season.”

Head Coach Jason Kreis, who won the competition with Real Salt Lake in 2009, echoed Claudio’s sentiments, revealing his excitement at this first announcement of pre-season matches.

“It will be an exciting challenge for us to take part in the Cup which is MLS-sanctioned for the first time this year,” Kreis told nycfc.com.

“It’s a competition I have experience of competing in, so I know how well organised and how competitive it is.

“We’ve been working really hard behind the scenes to ensure that our pre-season program gets us in the best shape to be competitive from the first minute of our opening regular season match.

“I believe that it will prove to be an important week in our preparations for our first season.”

The Carolina Challenge Cup was started in 2004 by USL Pro side, Charleston Battery.

DC United have won the tournament on the most occasions, lifting the Cup four times, including the last one in 2014.

Kreis’s Real Salt Lake fended off competition from Toronto FC, DC United and Charleston Battery to lift the trophy in 2009 – a feat which preceded their MLS Cup win at the end of the year.

Ticket news and date of fixtures to be released soon. More pre-season exhibition announcements will be announced in due course.

This is an interesting development; a chance to see our club compete before the MLS season starts. It's also good news that they want to hit the ground running.

The Charleston Battery, the USL Pro club hosting the event, tweeted out this message shortly after the announcement was made:

Fans of @OrlandoCitySC travel very well & we hope for great interest from supporters of @NYCFC. Working on special travel packages for them.

— Charleston Battery (@Chas_Battery) November 5, 2014

Sounds like fun. Charleston is a pretty hefty drive, but a very reasonable flight.



Orlando is about half that distance, so expect to see lots of purple in the stands. It would be great to bring the blue!

Stay tuned, Third Rail members. We'll have more on this as the situation develops for those who would like to make our first away trip.

Photographers Needed!

The Third Rail is growing, and with that comes new opportunities to get involved.

We are putting together a team of photographers so we can have one at each of our get-togethers, starting with next week's NYCFC special event. We would like to use these photos in our promotional materials, as well as to document the beginnings and growth of our group.

If you'd like to be one of our Weegees, please send an email to chance (at) thirdrail.nyc, or click here.

Another Third Rail Exclusive - "All Will Be Revealed"!

Just minutes ago, New York City FC released this promo image:

Seems pretty clear we're getting a jersey release in two weeks!

They also sent an email to all season ticket holders with an opportunity to RSVP for a "Special Event" with David Villa.

Those RSVP spots filled up within a half-hour, but we have additional spots reserved just for Third Rail members! Check your email; you should already have received a link to sign up for this amazing event.

It's another benefit of membership in the only recognized, independent NYCFC supporters' group; if you're not yet a member, you know what to do!

Scarves Are on the Way!

We are packing up your membership scarves and sending them out!

We ask for your patience; we're all volunteers, and there's an awful lot of these to send out. But we promise that all packages will be shipped by the end of next week.

If you asked to pick up your materials, they will be available at our membership meeting on the 15th, or any of our informal meetups at Nevada Smiths - keep watching this space for details.