The World Cup is less than a year away – but American stadiums are still being criticised for their pitches.
The standard of the surfaces has been a point of contention for some time and came under the microscope at last year’s Copa America.
GettyThere was a Premier League double header at the MetLife Stadium but the pitch isn’t winning many fans[/caption]That tournament saw several head coaches furious with the turf they were served up.
“They knew seven months ago that we’d play here and they changed the field two days ago,” fumed Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
“It’s not an excuse, but this isn’t a good field. Sincerely, the field is not apt for these kinds of players. We gave not necessarily a good game, but a game according to the pitch and what the opponent proposed.
“We couldn’t do much more with the conditions of the pitch. Look at the speed of the passes that we did.”
There were similar scenes at the Club World Cup earlier this year with Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique taking umbrage.
“I wouldn’t imagine a NBA court full of holes,” he said after a win over Seattle Sounders.
“What I really care about is the state of the field of play, and I say this on the day we’ve won.
“The ball bounces almost like if it were jumping around like a rabbit.
“Lumen Field is an example, it used to be artificial turf and now it is natural grass and they have to water it by hand – they did so at half-time but the field was dry again in ten minutes,” he added.
“For our game this a problem. It’s very different to European pitches. The grass is different and therefore it is not so easy to have the same smoothness to play our style – but we did adapt well and we’re very happy.”
GettyIraola and Moyes both gave their opinions on the pitch[/caption]At the time, FIFA responded via a spokesman to the BBC: “FIFA always values direct feedback from players and coaches.
“In some cases, this has led to adaptive measures, such as pitch irrigation during cooling breaks being introduced for the first time under FIFA protocol to support optimal ball movement in warmer conditions.”
But the problems don’t appear to have gone away.
Bournemouth’s 3-0 win over Everton and Manchester United‘s 2-1 defeat of West Ham were played as a double-header at the MetLife Stadium.
The East Rutherford location will host eight games – including the final.
But praise was hard to come by for the venue after Saturday’s friendlies.
GettyThe pitches in America are raising eyebrows ahead of the World Cup[/caption]Cherries boss Iraola said, per The Athletic: “The pitch is probably something we have to discuss. The stadium is amazing. But the grass is over the turf and the bounce is not the same.
“You have to adapt because it’s not the same as a (conventional) grass stadium where the ball goes more quickly. I don’t know if they will change everything or keep it like this. It changes the conditions a little bit.”
Toffees head coach Moyes added: “It’s not the Premier League. It’s American grass. You come here and you get used to it. The ball was a bit slow. The turf is different to what most clubs would have back in the Premier League.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said: “It was OK. It can be better. Everybody is talking about that, even for the World Cup.
“The pitch is really important to have really good games. I know they are going to improve in the future.
“My concern is more with injuries. If you cannot play (the pitch) well, it’s OK, but injuries are my concern.”
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