The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. The team competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception in 1996 (though originally known as New York/New Jersey MetroStars and from 1998 to 2005 season as MetroStars). On March 9, 2006, the team was sold to Red Bull GmbH, leading to the team's current name. The team is one of two MLS franchises representing New York, along with New York City FC.