Red Bulls v Philadelphia Union on Anime Night in Harrison Sat. 8/29/26

The New York Red Bulls return to Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison on Saturday, August 29, 2026, for an Eastern Conference matchup against regional rival Philadelphia Union. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with the Red Bulls looking to pick up three important points as the Major League Soccer regular season heads toward its final stretch.

Saturday's game will be more than just soccer. The Red Bulls have designated the match as Anime Night, presented by the New Jersey Lottery, with Yu-Gi-Oh! taking center stage throughout Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Anime Night Brings Yu-Gi-Oh! to Harrison

The Red Bulls have planned a series of special activities and giveaways for Saturday's Anime Night. Fans arriving early will have an additional incentive: the first 10,000 fans entering Sports Illustrated Stadium will receive a five-card Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game pack. Those first 10,000 fans will also receive a Red Bull New York cheer banner, courtesy of the New Jersey Lottery.

Throughout the evening, fans will find Yu-Gi-Oh!-themed activities, giveaways, and prizes around the stadium. On the BULLevard, official judges will conduct demonstrations designed to introduce fans to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, with additional merchandise and giveaways available.

Adding to the Anime Night atmosphere will be Darren Dunstan, the English-language voice actor known to Yu-Gi-Oh! fans as the voice of Maximillion Pegasus. Dunstan is scheduled to be at Sports Illustrated Stadium for the event.

Fans interested in the promotion may want to arrive well before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff, particularly because the card packs and cheer banners are limited to the first 10,000 fans through the gates.

The Match Before The Match

Another unusual pregame event is happening Saturday. The Red Bulls have partnered with In The Wild for The Match Before The Match, a social event for singles aged 21 and older.

The private pregame mixer will take place in the stadium's Hype House from 6 p.m. until the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Participants will then watch the Red Bulls v. Philadelphia Union match together from a designated group seating area. The Hype House will reopen to participants for another hour of socializing following the final whistle. There are also local restaurants fans can go to before and after the game in Harrison.  Check out our Restaurant page.

Tickets to the special event include admission to the mixer and soccer match, plus food and soft drinks during the mixer.

Red Bulls Looking for Points at Home

The Red Bulls enter Saturday's game with a 7-9-5 record and 26 points, placing them seventh in the Eastern Conference. New York has scored 31 goals while allowing 43 this season.

The matchup concludes a three-game Red Bulls homestand at Sports Illustrated Stadium. New York will hope that playing in Harrison provides an advantage as the club tries to strengthen its position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Philadelphia comes to Harrison at 5-10-6 with 21 points, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference. While that leaves the Union below the Red Bulls in the standings, Philadelphia has already demonstrated this season that it can cause New York problems.

The standings make Saturday's contest particularly important. With only five points separating the two clubs entering the match, a Philadelphia victory would substantially narrow that gap, while three points for the Red Bulls would give New York additional breathing room over its Route I-95 rival.

Philadelphia Union and Subaru Park

The Philadelphia Union joined Major League Soccer for the 2010 season and have developed into one of the Red Bulls' most familiar regional rivals. Philadelphia plays its home matches at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River near the Commodore Barry Bridge.

Subaru Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 18,500 spectators for soccer matches. The stadium opened in 2010 and has served as the Union's home since the club's inaugural MLS season. The venue can accommodate approximately 26,000 people for concerts and includes luxury suites, a club restaurant, and a 2,000-seat supporters section.

Originally known as PPL Park and later Talen Energy Stadium, the facility became Subaru Park in 2020 through a naming-rights agreement between the Union and Subaru of America.

The Union has enjoyed some notable success during their relatively short history, including winning the 2020 Supporters' Shield and reaching the MLS Cup Final in 2022.

Philadelphia Won the First 2026 Meeting

Saturday will be the second MLS meeting between Philadelphia and New York this season.

The first came on July 22, 2026, when the Union defeated the Red Bulls 3-1 at Subaru Park in the teams' first match following Major League Soccer's World Cup break. Milan Iloski opened the scoring for Philadelphia in the ninth minute. New York's Cade Cowell equalized in the 38th minute, but Indiana Vassilev restored Philadelphia's lead in the 57th before Neil Pierre added another goal in the 66th minute.

The rivalry produced several memorable games in 2025 as well. Philadelphia defeated New York 2-0 at Subaru Park on July 12, 2025, with Indiana Vassilev and Bruno Damiani scoring.

The Union then defeated New York 3-2 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on August 13, 2025, scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute.

Only three days later, however, the Red Bulls finally turned the tables. On August 16, 2025, New York defeated Philadelphia 1-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium, with Dylan Nealis scoring the game's only goal in the 74th minute. That victory ended Philadelphia's lengthy unbeaten run against the Red Bulls.

Saturday's game therefore gives the Red Bulls an opportunity to avenge their 3-1 defeat in Philadelphia earlier this season.

Harrison Police Issue Traffic Bulletin

The Harrison Police Department has issued a Sports Illustrated Stadium Traffic Bulletin in connection with Saturday evening's match.

Residents should anticipate increased vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the southern portion of Harrison before and after the game, particularly along South Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard and streets surrounding Sports Illustrated Stadium and the Harrison PATH station.

As with other heavily attended stadium events, residents traveling through the area should allow additional time, while fans using mass transit should anticipate larger-than-normal crowds at the Harrison PATH station before kickoff and following the final whistle.

Good News From the Weather Forecast: No Rain Expected

There is particularly good news for fans walking from the Harrison PATH station to Sports Illustrated Stadium and for Harrison residents traveling through the neighborhood Saturday. Rain is not in the forecast.

Weatherologist Anthony "Tony" Mondaro from the Harrison Weather Station calls for mostly sunny, pleasant conditions, with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the 60s.

That forecast should provide excellent conditions for an evening soccer match and, importantly for those familiar with recent flooding around the Harrison PATH station, no rain is expected to complicate the trip to the stadium.

Recent heavy-rain events have demonstrated how quickly portions of the streets surrounding the PATH station and the low-lying area between the station and the Passaic River can experience standing water and drainage problems. For Saturday's Red Bulls game, however, fans and nearby residents should not have to contend with rain-related street flooding on their way to or from Sports Illustrated Stadium.

EPA Plan Raises Concerns

Concerns have also been raised about the EPA’s plan, which is supported by Harrison Mayor James Fife, who also serves as the longtime Chairman of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency, a position to which he was originally appointed by the late Mayor Raymond McDonough. Harrison Councilman James Doran, who also serves as a Commissioner of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, likewise supports the proposed Toxic Sludge Plant. The facility would be located across the street from Sports Illustrated Stadium and the Riverbend District community, which is home to residents of The Wyldes Harrison, The Cobalt Lofts, Vermella Harrison, and Steelworks apartment buildings. The proposed site is also just down the street from, and across the rail lines surrounding, the Harrison PATH station, as well as directly across the Passaic River from Newark’s densely populated Ironbound neighborhood. Read more by clicking on this link.

With sunshine expected during the day and mostly clear skies Saturday evening, Anime Night appears set for favorable weather as thousands of Red Bulls and Union supporters make their way into Harrison.

Saturday Night in Harrison

Between an important Eastern Conference matchup, the longstanding Red Bulls-Union rivalry, Anime Night, Yu-Gi-Oh! giveaways, interactive activities and a favorable weather forecast, Saturday should be another busy night at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Fans hoping to receive the limited Yu-Gi-Oh! card pack and Red Bulls cheer banner should plan on arriving early. Residents who are not attending the game should nevertheless keep the Harrison Police Department's traffic bulletin in mind and expect heavier traffic around the stadium and PATH station before and after the 7:30 p.m. match.

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