MetLife Stadium's field is still getting absolutely slammed by World Cup players like Brazil's Vinícius Júnior and France's Adrien Rabiot, who called it "dry" and "too hard" respectively. This is wild because the stadium finally ditched its much-criticized synthetic turf, which NFL players constantly blamed for major injuries, for natural grass, as FIFA requires. Yet, the complaints just keep coming.
Player Frustration Mounts Before the Big One
Beyond being dry and too hard, players are also buzzing about the pitch being patchy. France manager Didier Deschamps even weighed in after his side's June 16 match versus Senegal, saying through an interpreter, "It's a special surface. It's different for sure. We'll get used to this, I guess." That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? MetLife has already hosted seven World Cup games, and now only one remains: the final on Sunday, July 19. You'd think for a World Cup, especially the final, the field would be in prime condition.Can FIFA Fix This Mess in Time?
The good news, if you can call it that, is FIFA had a two-week window between the stadium's penultimate game and the final to try and sort out some of these problems, including issues with the watering system and the surface's hardness. FIFA's senior pitch manager, David Graham, has been on site, overseeing the newly laid sod that went down back on May 7. Turfgrass experts are weighing in too. Mike Hahn, a researcher from the University of Oregon, noted there's "always should be room for improvement," but he doesn't think there's been an "increased risk of injury or a dramatic change to the actual flow of the games." Frank Rossi, who directs the Agricultural Sciences program at Cornell, has a "gut sense" they'll fix it "if there is some sort of inconsistency with the way the irrigation system is working." Let's hope his gut is right, because the biggest game in soccer is just around the corner, and the world will be watching to see if MetLife can finally get it together.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.