RagingBullNation, formerly known as MetroNation, is a

supporters group A supporters' group or supporters' club is an independent fan club or campaign group in sport, mostly association football. Supporters' groups in continental Europe are generally known as ultras, which derives from the Latin word ultrā, mean ...

for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. It is a New Jersey non-profit corporation. MetroNation was founded on February 21, 2005http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20050221&content_id=22668&vkey=news_met&fext=.jsp&team=met in

Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York ...

by Marc "Chief Metro" Bernarducci as a way of fostering support for the predecessor to the Red Bulls, the MetroStars. The MetroStars were purchased by the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n beverage company

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

on March 9, 2006 and were rebranded as the

. The club continues to exist under its new RagingBullNation name. RagingBullNation encourages its members to become the " 12th man" for the Red Bulls by leading creative chants and encouraging players on the field. RagingBullNation's section at

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

on gameday was 115 in the lower bowl. This section is referred to as "Citizens Corner" or "The Corral" as it is positioned in the corner by one goal. Raging Bull Nation was not granted a sideline supporters section when the team moved to Red Bull Arena in 2010 and disbanded. Many of Raging Bull Nation's members united with numerous ex-Empire Supporters Club members to form a new group known as the Viking Army Supporters Club.

Charitable activities

In its first year of existence, MetroNation raised $1015 in donations for the

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1949, is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer in the world. The LLS's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's l ...

. MetroNation also raised funds for victims of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. When evacuees from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

resettled temporarily in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

area, MetroNation hosted them at a MetroStars match on September 17, 2005 – a wild 5–4 MetroStars victory over

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

Group culture

RagingBullNation is known for their "RoadSide Roundup" (formerly "MetroGate") game day tailgate parties, located in parking lot 15 outside the South Tower entrance of

. On the occasion of USA international matches being scheduled on the same day as Red Bulls matches, Raging Bull Nation has organized watch parties in the parking lot using portable satellite equipment. Raging Bull Nation organizes its away game road trips to

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

and New England Revolution in coordination with other Red Bulls supporters clubs, such as

Empire Supporters Club The Empire Supporters Club, or ESC, is one of the oldest supporters clubs in Major League Soccer and the largest supporters club dedicated to the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. History The club was founded in 1995 by members of the New ...

and First Row Idiots. Raging Bull Nation has an official theme song written by Mike Apple. On Red Bulls home opening day 2006, Raging Bull Nation unveiled its tribute entitled “From the Stars and Stripes to the Red and Black.” It will be a tribute to the MetroStars who played in the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

and it will be kept at the Pride and Passion Pub at Giants Stadium until its move to the new stadium pub at Red Bull Arena. The players honored include Hall of Famer

Tab Ramos Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and current head coach of Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship. Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, ...

and future Hall of Famers

Tony Meola Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola (; ; born February 21, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the United States national team at the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. From 1996 to 2006, he p ...

and

Alexi Lalas Panayotis Alexander "Alexi" Lalas ( el, Αλέξης Λάλας; born June 1, 1970) is an American retired soccer player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his participation with the United States men's national soccer te ...

Recognition

MSG Network The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable provider ...

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

Shep Messing Shep Norman Messing (born October 9, 1949) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster who works as the lead analyst for New York Red Bulls matches on the MSG Network. In 2021 he took the position of chairman of the Major Arena ...

has taken to referring to all Red Bulls supporters as ''The MetroNation'' after noticing MetroNation scarves held aloft at games. However the largest and most influential Red Bulls supporters club is the

. MetroNation member John "Johnny Metro" Russo was named 2004 MetroStars Fan of the Year. It has become tradition for all newly signed MetroStars players to sign Johnny Metro's shaved head.

References

External links

Raging Bull Nation official websiteMetroNation is born
{{New York Red Bulls Major League Soccer fan clubs New York Red Bulls Ultras groups 2005 establishments in New Jersey