NEW JERSEY. Sweden faces France at MetLife Stadium’s controversial pitch.
The surface is clearly a different experience, says Thomas Tuchel.
– It is very fast, a bit like artificial grass, says the England captain.
One who was certainly not happy with the pitch in New Jersey was Didier Deschamps.
After France’s group stage meeting with Senegal, the national team captain claimed the stadium’s grass was of low quality.
– The pitch in New York was really tough to play on. It tore hard on the players’ muscles, said Deschamps.
Sweden’s upcoming opponents must therefore be anything but happy that Tuesday’s round of 16 will also be played at MetLife Stadium.
“Differently”
The arena is shared by the NFL teams New York Jets and New York Giants, who usually play on artificial turf.
When the arena is used for soccer, for example during last summer’s Club World Cup, a natural grass field is grown elsewhere and then laid on top of the artificial grass.
Thomas Tuchel, who saw his England beat Panama 2-0 on Saturday night, gave a detailed description of the plan to Sportbladet.
– You could see the different layers of grass, so it’s quite an active field. Quite fast, says the national team captain.
– It is very different from the one in Boston, which had tall grass and was much slower. But it was playable so I’m not complaining.
The WC final is also played in New Jersey.
