MetroStars

New York/New Jersey MetroStars were one of MLS's founding clubs and one of the most visually distinctive teams in American football history, playing in striking red, black, orange, and yellow from their debut in 1996 until they were acquired by Red Bull in 2006. Based in the New York metropolitan area, the MetroStars played some of the most memorable early MLS football and reached the MLS Cup Final in 2000, attracting European stars like Lothar Matthaus to America while building a passionate fanbase in the world's biggest city. Founded in 1994 and playing from 1996, MetroStars were based at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. They competed in MLS until their sale to Red Bull in 2006, who renamed the club the New York Red Bulls. Key achievements include the inaugural 1996 MLS season and an MLS Cup Final appearance in 2000. They wore red, black, orange, and yellow. MetroStars' kits from the MLS founding era are among the most celebrated in American football history. The iconic 1996 red and black striped home shirt, the only striped jersey in the original MLS, immediately stood out as the most aesthetically bold kit in the new league. The various red, black, orange, and yellow combinations across the club's ten-year existence represent a design legacy that MLS fans still celebrate, and vintage MetroStars shirts are now highly sought-after by American football collectors.