The New York Red Bulls Onesie Squad invades section 104

If you were at Red Bull Arena for the playoff match against D.C. United, you might have seen a group of guys walking around in what looked like pajamas. You were more likely to see the group wandering the concourse if you were around section 104. For Tim Shaw, Dave Edgcomb, Brian Jacobi, Jason Berry, and Andrew White, this wasn't the first time of doing something special at RBA.

"The idea came to me on a random afternoon back in October. I saw online that you could buy fabric for a few of the MLS teams, and my first thought was onesies. The reason, I suppose dates back to last years playoffs. RBNY faced off against Sporting KC on Halloween weekend" says Dave Edgcomb.  "So, we took it upon ourselves to get into the spirit of things. I believe it was Brian (copied here) who originally started mimicking The Super Fans replacing their famous ‘Daaaa Bears' with ‘Daaa Bulls.' As the STH gift that year was a track jacket, all we needed were the mustaches\aviators\hats to bring it all together."

Photo Credit: Randy Black

Believe it or not, the onesies weren't even the first special thing they tried to do at RBA this season. A little known member of the staff in 2014 was Strength and Conditioning Coach David Alvarez. The group came up with the idea of wearing masks in support of him on opening day. They had come up with 40 such masks for the opener against D.C. United, only to find out that Alvarez was no longer with the team before they could put them to use.

"Our group is all about having fun at the game. So whether it means someone spontaneously creates a new song/cheer or some decides to make onesies, we all just go with it" explains Brian Jacobi.

Back to the onesies, they aren't something you can't just go out and purchase them. Like the team said during the town hall, if you want onesies, you need to show there is a demand. So how did the group go about getting these outfits? They made them of course.

The process wasn't easy. The group tried to enlist the help of Dave's mother, but she refused, citing how long it was take. Pleas of "thinking of how much fun we'll have" fell on deaf ears though. The group would have to rely on themselves if they wanted this done in time, and it was Dave would would step up.

"A mid-range sewing machine was acquired, and a lot of youtube videos were watched. I wound up free handing the vague shape I thought I would need, off of a pair of PJ pants, and a sweatshirt, and buckled down. I spent the week leading up to the game working on one, slowly and carefully, seam by seam. Then hit Friday night, realized I had 4 more to do, and quality control kinda went out the window."

So one good onesie, four rushed ones, and Sunday came around. The group headed to RBA to watch the New York Red Bulls beat D.C. 1-0 and take the series 2-0. The Red Bulls played well on the field, but how did the onesies play in the stands?

"It was incredible how much people loved them - from when we first stepped into the parking lot until we sat down in our seats, it was a constant stream of compliments, high fives, & picture requests. There was a crew taking pictures on behalf of Red Bull outside of the stadium who were super pumped to see them as well, and basically did a ten-minute photoshoot of us while we were tailgating. Simply put, they were a MASSIVE hit," says Tim Shaw.

It seems that every reaction was positive. "As for the day of the game reaction, it was amazing. I think k we took 50 pictures in the parking lot, on the way in, and inside. I was hoping people would appreciate them, if nothing else to validate Dave's hard work." said Brian.

Don't worry though, if you didn't get a chance to see them at RBA during the D.C. game, the outfits will absolutely be making a return for the game against Columbus Crew SC on the 29th.

"100% in for the rest of the playoffs. Will be wearing it at home when they head out to Columbus on the 22nd, and dressed to the 9's again on the 29th. Each one has it's own special fault, like the pockets on one being more or less at the knees, So there's some time, and room for improvement" says Dave.

"If other people do indeed follow through, it would be great to get as many of us as possible into once place, perhaps up above section Onesie-O-Four."