St. Thomas and Minnesota United FC announced Tuesday that next year’s Tommie-Johnnie football game will be held at Allianz Field.

The game will be the first-ever American football game played at the soccer field, which is scheduled to open early 2019.

“This game popped up right away as one of the great local events in the Twin Cities,” Bryant Pfeiffer, Minnesota United’s chief revenue officer, said after a press conference announcing the game. “It’s going to continue to create noise and friction in the rivalry, which is what makes great rivalries.”

For a second-straight time, the Tommies won’t host the rivalry match at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. St. Thomas hosted the game in 2017 at Target Field in front of a Division III-record crowd of over 37,000 people.

Pfeiffer said Allianz Field can hold just under 20,000 people, and officials are planning to host a viewing area outside the stadium on the main plaza to accommodate as many fans as possible.

“It’s special because of the proximity to St. Thomas,” Pfeiffer said. “One of our strategic goals was to bring as many big events as we could to this stadium.”

MNUFC has close ties to the Twins organization and consulted with the team about hosting the game. Pfeiffer said he heard nothing but positive feedback of the Target Field game.

Next year’s match will be the third time in three years that a St. Thomas sporting event was held at a major league arena in the Twin Cities. In addition to the football team playing at both Target and Allianz fields, the men’s basketball team recently played a nonconference game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“When a student athlete can do what they do in front of that many people … it provides a unique experience that no one else in the country can replicate,” football coach Glenn Caruso said. “It also reminds us of the importance of pride in an institution. Football is an extension of that pride; it’s just pride on display.”

One of the main components of bringing the rivalry to the new stadium was the on-field success of both programs. In 11 years, Caruso has led the Tommies to eight national playoff berths, two Stagg Bowl appearances and has won six of the last nine MIAC titles.

St. John’s coach Gary Fasching’s has led the Johnnies to a 56-11 record and five-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his six years with the team.

“Our rivalry is one of the best in the country at any level,” Fasching said. “It’s going to be a chance to showcase what these two schools are all about.”

Even with the allure of two nationally recognized teams with storied histories, Caruso said these kinds of games are a testament to more than on-the-field accolades.

“A move like this speaks more to the experience of the student-athlete,” Caruso said. “Our ultimate job as coaches … is to provide the best experiences for our student athletes so that, in a very wholistic way, they can become a great version of themselves.”

Caruso said the support of the administration has helped the football team provide unique opportunities like the Allianz Field game to student-athletes.

“It’s one thing for a football coach to be idealistic in what he wants, but it’s another thing when your president and administration have that same vision and mission,” Caruso said. “I think it’s amazing that President Sullivan has the foresight to put something like this together.”

Coming up on the 89th year of the storied rivalry, both schools continue to find ways to further enhance the legacy of the game.

“We think the field will be the perfect venue to enhance this rivalry,” Pfeiffer said. “We really look forward to carrying on the tradition of this great event.”

Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu.