MerahWhite.com – Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni was furious with the state of the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States, where the first Copa America Group A match will take place on Friday 2024 against Canada. 21/6). Despite the 2-0 victory, he said the condition of the pitch was not suitable for a football match.
This was confirmed after the victory thanks to goals from Julian Álvarez (49′) and Lautaro Martínez (88′).
“Luckily we won, otherwise it would be a cheap excuse to sit here and complain about this,” Scaloni said. AFP Friday.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is the home of Major League Soccer (MLS) club Atlanta United, uses artificial turf. After just two days, the artificial turf field surface was covered with real grass.
Organizers have been installing the turf layer since June 15, a day after Atlanta United played its last home game.
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Scaloni believes that the turf surface is not suitable for most footballers and even makes it difficult for players to implement tactics.
“It’s not good to look at. Sorry, it’s not an excuse, but it doesn’t look like a (football) field,” Scaloni complained. “Honestly, it’s not good. It’s not player-friendly,” he said.
“They didn’t feel confident with the poor pitch conditions, they couldn’t provide the passes they wanted,” said the former Deportivo La Coruna and Lazio player.
“Given the poor state of the land, there is not much we can do,” he said.
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also said he was disappointed with the state of the pitch. According to him, these conditions caused the ball to move as if it were being “thrown and spun.”
“In a field full of disasters, this made it a little difficult for us,” said Emiliano Martinez.
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