Bar Crawl

Come meet up with The Third Rail as we kick off 2017 with an East Village Bar Crawl! Join in for a drink or two, or for the entire day. If you've never been to a TR event before, this is a great opportunity to meet up with some members.

We'll be starting at Slainte on Bowery and 1st St. at 12:30pm. From there, we will be moving East on 1st avenue and then North on Avenue A. We'll end at Crocodile Lounge on 14th St. See the full schedule below to plan when and where you will be meeting up with us. 

The schedule and timeline are ambitious so we understand if you can't stick around for the entire crawl. View the route map here. Mark your calendars now!

12:30 - Slainte - 304 Bowery
2:00 - One and One - 76 E 1st St.
3:30 - Ace Bar - 531 E 5th St.
5:00 - Doc Holliday's - 141 Avenue A
6:30 - O'Hanlons - 349 E 14th St.
8:00 - Crocodile Lounge - 325 E 14th St.

The Third Rail Has Strong Showing at Pepito Cup 2016

By Ray Kingsbury

The Third Rail came up big for the 2016 Pepito Cup hosted by Italian national teamer, and New Jersey native, Giuseppe Rossi. Rossi, though arriving late due to a delayed flight from Lisbon, was greeted warmly by fans and journalists alike at the event at Chelsea Piers Sports Center. In an interview with Sky Sports Italy, Rossi seemed pleased with the turnout, and the Third Rail was the center of the party with TR New Jersey Chapter’s Connor Lloyd and his drum being featured during the exit scene for the segment. The event, which took place on Friday, December 23rd, was done to benefit the Kick 4 Life charity to which Giuseppe Rossi is a brand ambassador.

The squad, which consisted of an eclectic group of Third Rail members from different chapters, went on to have the second best record in the tournament, besting the Red Bulls' 1 win and 2 losses. Despite placing fifth of six teams, it was evident that the squad was one of the better teams at the tournament and received compliments from competitors – even the Red Bulls. If you want to take a look at the team’s performance, you can watch video streamed to the Third Rail public facebook page by Rox Fontaine. 

The format of the tournament allowed for each team to play exactly three games. The teams were split into two groups by random draw. Group A consisted of Napoli supports, Bologna supporters, and the Giuseppe Rossi Fan Club (which included one Third Rail member). The second group was filled out by The Third Rail, Red Bull supporters, and AC Milan supporters.

The first game of our group kicked off with AC Milan supporters edging out an impressive victory over the Red Bulls. Next up was the Third Rail versus AC Milan, which saw the Third Rail team come together in quick interplay to take a stout victory. Immediately following this the team went up against the Red Bulls, and due to a combination of fatigue and mistakes, we fell 1-0 early before clawing back level and conceding again. Though it looked as if the team could reclaim the lead with a late resurgence, some colorful calls by the referee combined with a challenge of the century by John Hayducky sealed the deal. Due to the way that the bracket fell, seeding was decided by two games, and with each team in our group tied on wins, it fell to goal difference, which we lost out on. This saw us turn out for a third consecutive game against the Bologna supporters. Though hampered by a series of knocks from the previous two games, all players on the roster got out on the pitch for this game and took a dominating win. Though placing fifth, we take pride in the fact that we won two of our three games, and bested the Red Bulls record, who fell unceremoniously in the championship game to the Giuseppe Rossi Fan Club. Ironically, they were wearing blue and rostering a Third Rail member so it was nice to see that New York is indeed still blue!

Though tournament organizers intended for The Rail to wear orange, upon unveiling the jerseys it was quickly realized a huge mistake had been made. "Oh well, it’s almost Christmas, and looking like Santa Claus isn’t that bad…. right?" Yeah, having to wear red jerseys sucked, and to make matters even worse the Red Bulls were present! Following the tournament, The Third Rail’s supporters had the opportunity to mill around on the pitches and meet Giuseppe Rossi as well as shoot some penalties against Light Railer and budding keeper Sam Perman. All in all, the support shown for the team by other TR members and the teamwork, friendship, and sportsmanship between The Third Rail and the other groups was the biggest positive of the night. Scarves were swapped and fun was had. It was quite a good start to a holiday weekend.

2017 Home Jersey Leak

Here's an unexpected Christmas gift! An image was posted to twitter this morning by Giovanni Trombetta of what looks to be the 2017 NYCFC home jersey. Many are agreeing that this is the real deal. What are your thoughts on the new look? 

2016 Pepito Cup

By Ray Kingsbury

The Third Rail is proud to announce a new off-season adventure! We have assembled some of the finest (cough) players to participate in the 2016 Pepito Cup. The 2nd year tournament, which is hosted by Italian-American player Giuseppe Rossi of Fiorentina, will take place on December 23rd at the Chelsea Piers sports center. We invite you all to come and cheer on The Third Rail squad as we take on supporter groups of Italian Serie A clubs as well as the dreaded Ed Bulls of New Jersey. The Third Rail's team has the distinct honor of being joined on the field by former US Men's National Team captain, member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup All-Tournament team and NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna.

Come out and show your support for the #TRibe and cheer on the team for a good and fun cause! Admission is free. 

Check out our full roster below. 

Topps Now Villa MVP Trading Card

Our Captain David Villa won MLS MVP and Topps is marking the occasion with a limited production Topps Now card! This card features our Captain "El Guaje" posing with the Landon Donovan MVP Trophy at his award ceremony yesterday in New York City. This card is limited to the number purchased in 24 hours so act now to secure your copy. Sales close tomorrow, 12/8/16, at Noon. Click the link below to purchase NOW! Time is ticking...

Third Rail members, be sure to check out our member app for an exclusive deal!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Watch Party - MLS Cup Final

Please join us next Saturday, December 10th, at Playwright 35th to watch the MLS Cup Final! Toronto will be facing the Seattle Sounders for the biggest prize. A win for Toronto means we get a CONCACAF Champions League berth. 

Our custom Third Rail food and drink menu will be in effect! We look forwarding to seeing YOU there.

Playwright 35th is conveniently located at 27 W 35th Street NY, NY.

2016 Recap

2016 was a very active year for The Third Rail and we thank all of our members and supporters for creating the energy that pushed us to excel. Here is a list of what we accomplished this year:

• 21 watch parties at Playwright 35th. Thanks to our gracious away day bar, members received an hour of free beer for each match and a custom discounted food and drink menu
• Our chapters hosted local watch parties in New Jersey, Westchester, Connecticut, and South Brooklyn
• Bus trips to Philadelphia, New England and DC. All trips included free snacks and water on the bus 
• Hosted a free inter SG tailgate outside of Red Bull Arena. Complete with DJ, kegs and food
• Produced a first ever stunt and put a Snapchat filter over the entirety of Red Bull Arena
• Our Connecticut chapter hosted a free inter SG pre-game tailgate at New England
• We produced four large scale tifo banners, one of which was a first ever scrolling panel
• 20% membership discount at Upper 90 on NYCFC and Team USA apparel
• Trip to the 2016 MLS Superdraft in Baltimore followed by a private party with Q&A session with Patrick Vieira and draft selection Jack Harrison at Slainte
• Participated in the NYCFC pre-game video shoot
• Participated in the ESPN app launch commercial 
• Distributed 600 scarves and membership cards to members at the home opener
• Coordinated a canned food drive at the home opener, collecting food donations for BronxWorks
• Participated in the FIFA Interactive World Cup Finals, including exhibition matches with finalists,  and tickets to the grand finale event at the Apollo Theater
• Third Rail Pride T-shirt sale, raising $100 for the New York Ramblers
• Coordinated discounted tickets to the NYC Kicking and Screening Film Festival
• Supported the NYC Soccer Initiative mini pitch grand opening at Mill Brook Houses in The Bronx 
• Donated $500 worth of school supplies to PS 49 (Bronx) students for the MLS 20 for 20 Initiative mini pitch unveiling
• Coordinated The NYC Supporters Cup soccer tournament, which raised over $3000 for Street Soccer USA
• Coordinated a Third Rail exclusive NYCFC training session visit
• Raised and donated $300 to South Bronx United for their 6th Annual Benefit, this year honoring Jack Harrison
• Created The Third Rail “Jolty” end of season player awards
• Hosted an end of season party with guests and award recipients David Villa and Andoni Iraola along with Patrick Vieira and RJ Allen
• Produced our first ever, and limited edition, New Era fitted cap, a derby day T-shirt, custom pin buttons, and introduced our new lifestyle supporters wear brand Electric City
• Became the first supporters group ever to directly partner with Topps trading cards
• Coordinated a limited engagement outing with Audi showcasing their Player Index at Chelsea Piers
• Donated 40 tickets to Tickets for Troops Initiative

Offseason? What offseason? 2017 is just around the corner and we're hard at work preparing to do it bigger and better next season. Stay tuned for some exciting developments as we continue to grow and evolve! 

2016 End of Season Party

by Stephanie Plaut

Did you miss the party of the year Friday night at Playwright 35th? We hope not! Third Railers from New Jersey to Connecticut turned out in force to celebrate the end of our second season, and it was a blast.

The night started off with the presentation of the first annual Jolty Awards. Our Light Rail U21s were the night's presenters. Accepting the award for Player of the Season was David Villa. After thanking us for our support, he emphasized how much he loves playing soccer in NYC and how much he attributes his success to the hard work of his teammates. Our Unsung Hero winner was Andoni Iraola. He was gratified that we took the time to acknowledge his contributions on the field. Patrick Vieira seemed very happy, too, that Andoni got some love. He said the award perfectly reflects Andoni's selfless behavior on and off the field. Defender of the Season Ronald Matarrita was unable to join us because he was called up to the Costa Rica National Team. Third Railers got an extra treat when RJ Allen showed up as well to mingle with the crowd, sign autographs and take pics. You can imagine the shocked looks of the patrons at Playwright when they saw who we had been partying with upstairs, behind the velvet rope.

Festivities continued even as the USMNT took on Mexico. A fierce FIFA 17 tournament raged on with players wrapped up enough to miss the actual USA goal in the hex. Rox handed out NYCFC swag and we had intense competition during half time with a NYCFC trivia contest, questions by last winner, Kate Reilly. Sean Proctor took home the night's grand prize of a 2015 secondary jersey signed by the entire team. Congratulations, Sean! (New TR tradition born: trivia contest winner provides the questions for the next contest.)

Cupcakes with blue and orange frosting helped to offset the USMNT loss, Mumsi Harrison was her usual charming self and Third Railers partied into the night, happy to celebrate a pretty successful second season on the pitch and in the stands.

Check out some photos below. Photos here courtesy of Cathy Logo (IG: catuxa) For more visit our facebook page:

Watch Party - NYCFC vs Toronto FC

Please join us this Sunday at Playwright 35th and help us bring the noise! The club will be playing their first ever playoff game against Toronto FC and we will be clinging to every moment. Toronto is also in their first ever playoff game so we are expecting fireworks!

Free beer🍺 in the hour before kickoff and, of course, our custom Third Rail food and drink menu to boot! We look forwarding to seeing YOU there.

Playwright 35th is conveniently located at 27 W 35th Street NY, NY.

DONATE - South Bronx United Benefit

 

Please support us in supporting our friends and neighbors at South Bronx United as they head into their 6th annual benefit. The event will be held on Thursday, November 10th at Midtown Loft & Terrace in Manhattan. Our aim is to collect $1,500 dollars to donate to the program. With that donation, we would receive 10 tickets to the event that we would offer up to YOU in lottery format. (Must be 21+) Winners of the lottery would get one ticket each to attend the event which includes an open bar (beer, wine and liquor) and a all-you-can-eat burrito buffet! This year's guest of honor will be our very own Jack Harrison. 

We've set three donation amounts of $10, $25 and $50. Those of you who donate $50 will receive a double entry into the event ticket lottery. Please remember that the selected attendees must be age 21 or older. We will only be collecting donations until we reach our goal. 

Please help us reach our target and click the button below to donate now!

"South Bronx United, Inc. is a nonprofit youth development organization, founded in 2009, that serves more than nearly 1,000 boys and girls each year through programs on the soccer field, in the classroom, and in the community.  South Bronx United (SBU) combines academic enrichment, college prep, mentoring, leadership development, health and wellness programs,  immigrant legal services, and other family and youth supports with recreational and travel soccer.  SBU participants range from ages 4 to 20 years old and primarily come from low-income, immigrant families.  The SBU Academy, the organization's highest-touch program, aims to provide a path from middle school to high school to college and careers.  Within the past five years, 100 percent of SBU Academy seniors have graduated high school and 94 percent have enrolled in college."

Donate