How Red Bulls, NYCFC are trying to capitalize on World Cup buzz including some free tickets

While U.S.soccer fans and federation executives debate where the program and sport stand in the wake of the United States’ Round of 16 exit in the World Cup, another question is starting to come to the forefront as the event moves closer to its conclusion.How does Major League Soccer, and more specifically here in New York, the Red Bull New York and New York City FC, capitalize on the momentum the Cup has brought to the sport?It’s a question that executives from both clubs are hoping they have the right answer to coming out of the tournament, with soccer’s relevancy in the United States at an all-time high, hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994.“We think it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow the game, grow the fan base for New York City FC and I think the biggest moment for soccer in the U.S.

since 1994,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims told The Post.Both the Red Bulls and NYCFC have played major roles in local fan activities during the Cup, with NYCFC setting up shop at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to introduce soccer fans to the club’s future home in Willets Point.The Red Bulls’ stadium in Harrison, N.J., has been used as the official Jersey fan hub running through the length of the tournament.Executives from both clubs said being involved with World Cup fan zones opened them up to thousands of potential fans.

And as Katie Nahoum, the Red Bulls’ chief marketing officer, looks at her club’s strategy post-World Cup, she said it is a three-pronged approach.“We want to inspire current and new fans, we want to engage them, and then the one that was the most important for us was to invite them back, invite them to Sports Illustrated Stadium,” she told The Post.And one key component of that, according to Nahoum, has been providing free tickets to individuals through a program dubbed “First Match on Us.” It allows new fans to take in a Red Bulls match for free in order to hook them on the experience.NYCFC is run...