Field Conditions at MetLife Stadium Cause Discussion After Match
After their second match ended in a draw, the focus shifted to the pitch at MetLife Stadium. Dortmund’s head coach, Nico Kovac, remarked, “The ball wasn’t travelling that fast,” following a 0-0 tie against the Brazilian team, Fluminense, in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage.
Estevan from Palmeiras voiced concerns about the field on Sunday. Although Kovac didn’t seem overly worried, he echoed some of the same sentiments later. “It feels different from European grass. It seemed a bit soft and dry,” he noted. “But, you know, that’s just my impression. Everyone plays under the same conditions, and I’m not looking for excuses.”
Typically, MetLife Stadium hosts artificial turf for NFL games, but it has been replaced with natural grass for the upcoming World Cup.
The recent drop in temperatures in the New York/New Jersey area may have affected the playing conditions further.
Pascal Gross from Dortmund shared, “This pitch is completely different from what we are used to playing on. However, I’m not a fan of using that as an excuse. We need to adapt quickly and be able to handle various playing surfaces.”
Though Fluminense and Dortmund came away with a draw, the Brazilian side made Dortmund work harder defensively. This marked the second consecutive scoreless match at the Giants and Jets’ home ground.
Fluminense had more attempts on goal than Dortmund, with a tally of 14 shots to Dortmund’s 8. They also managed to get more shots on target, forcing Dortmund’s goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, to make crucial saves throughout the match.
FIFA reported an attendance of 34,736, although the number felt less than what organizers might have hoped for. Fans, however, did their best to invigorate a lackluster atmosphere during the humid afternoon clash.
Kovac described the ambiance as “OK,” suggesting that drawing fans in is a different challenge during the Club World Cup compared to international tournaments. “It was noon. If the timing were different, perhaps more fans would have shown up without being tied to specific teams,” he said. “Scheduling is tricky, with four matches happening in a day, but, overall, it was fine for me.”
