The 2016 USL champion New York Red Bulls II begin their home schedule this Saturday, and the environment of their home matches will have a much different feel than the past two years.

NYRB II (0-0-1, 1 point) hosts the Richmond Kickers (1-0-0, 3 points) on Saturday at Montclair State University (4 p.m. ET | Match Center), and the club is undertaking a number of efforts to make the venue a part of its own fabric.

The move away from the 25,000-seat Red Bull Arena, home of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls and previously the USL side, was a conscientious decision to improve the Red Bulls II environment and connect closely with a base to support the club.

“The thought was we wanted to build a little more of an intimate setting where people get to know the players before they become the superstars that we hope they become,” NYRB II General Manager Shaun Oliver recently said during a Montclair State-produced episode of Carpe Diem. “Part of it was we were looking for an area where we could make a positive impact on the community. Our relationship with Montclair State over the last 10 years made it an ideal spot to land, and we’re really hoping to bring the New York Red Bulls brand out to the community.”

MSU Soccer Park is in the midst of a number of enhancements, from increasing seating to 5,000 to Wi-Fi upgrades so spectators on the move can use his or her mobile device to not miss one bit of the action on the pitch.

“We put together a two-phase deal with Montclair State University where in the first phase we’re going to add 3,500 seats to their existing MSU Soccer Park, as well as a press box, camera towers, and do some ticket enhancements and some electrical enhancements,” Oliver said. “The first phase is almost 100 percent complete. We’re going to open up April 1. The second phase involves locker rooms and adding a few more seats to the stadium to bring it up to 5,000 as part of our USL capacity.”

MLS Commissioner Don Garber, a Montclair, N.J., resident, became the first season ticket holder during a ceremonial event in mid-December. As someone who knows MSU community, he reiterated the importance of refining NYRB II’s local base.

“These are the things that we love in our sport, establishing the permanent roots for the game, so people here from the local soccer community, from the university and obviously lots of Red Bull coaching staff,” Garber said to NewYorkRedBulls.com. “I just want to show my support. We want to make our game accessible. … Here, particularly in northern New Jersey, the support at the grassroots level is really, really high.”

NYRB II Head Coach John Wolyniec is hopeful that this improved environment will provide the perfect backdrop to watch a Red Bulls II side that has already established a championship-winning product.

“Playing at Montclair, getting some fans there and creating an atmosphere there is important,” Wolyniec said. “That atmosphere can affect the way the game is played. We’re hoping that there’s a good atmosphere and environment that promotes our players to put a lot into the games, and for them to realize that there’s a bunch of people watching us. So we better play hard.”