Really?
Didn’t realise they didn’t have a proper grass pitch. There are a few Universities there (UBC I think) that do.
Really???
Do you recall the WWC held in Canada?
The 2015 tournament used goal-line technology for the first time with the Hawk-Eye system. It was also the first World Cup for either men or women to be played on artificial turf, with all matches played on such surfaces, even though there were some initial concerns over a possible increased risk of injuries.
Controversies[edit]
All of the tournament’s venues had fields composed of artificial turf, which some players believe results in a higher risk of injuries to players. More than 50 players protested the use of the surface instead of grass on the basis of gender discrimination. They filed a lawsuit challenging FIFA’s decision to play on artificial turf, claiming FIFA would never allow the men’s World Cup to be played on “unsafe” artificial turf and thus the organizers had violated the Canadian Human Rights Act.[111][112][113] 2012 Women’s World Player of the Year Abby Wambach noted “The men would strike playing on artificial turf.”[114] The controversial issue of gender equality and an equal playing field for all sparked debate in many countries around the world. An application filed on 1 October 2014 with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal by a group of women’s international soccer players against FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association noted that, in 1994, FIFA spent $2 million to plant natural grass over artificial turf in New Jersey and Detroit.[115][116] Some celebrities and prominent players showed their support for the women soccer players in defence of their lawsuit, including United States men’s team keeper Tim Howard. Even with the possibility of boycotts, FIFA’s head of women’s competitions, Tatjana Haenni, made it clear “We play on artificial turf and there’s no Plan B.”[117][118] In January 2015, the lawsuit was withdrawn by the players.[119]
Fox commentator Julie Stewart-Binks measured the turf temperature at several games. On 21 June at the Canada vs Switzerland round of 16 game in Vancouver, she reported that her thermometer was “officially broken”. Her thermometer appears to max out at 120 °F (49 °C).[120]
During the tournament, Australian striker Michelle Heyman slammed the playing conditions, saying the turf is like “walking on hot coals” and the players feet “just turn white, your skin is all ripped off”.[121]
Prior to the start of the Australia vs Japan quarterfinal in Edmonton on 27 June, Fox commentator Kyndra de St. Aubin measured the air temperature at 82 °F (28 °C) and the turf temperature at 150 °F (66 °C). Despite such dangerous conditions, officials decided against taking cooling breaks during the match because the air temperature was under 32 °C (90 °F). As the game wore on, players appeared noticeably exhausted due to the playing conditions.[122]
Or, how about the Olympics in 2010, opening and closing ceremonies held indoors (retractable roof) where the soccer team now plays?
Also, Beckham notably was absent at several away matches.
Six MLS stadiums have artificial turf.
Two have hybrid grass, similar to EPL stadiums.
The rest are, thankfully, grass.
How is this going to work for the World Cup?
I assume only the grass venues will be used then.
He might but Vancouver is replacing the turf in advance of the 2026 World Cup. Messi might be able to accelerate that action as there should be an Inter Milan match before then. Has been a few years since Vancouver and Miami last played. Would be a guaranteed sellout here (54,000 fans) if he played.
The men’s? Of course!
For 2026, there are several turf NFL stadiums on the list, and they will add grass for the occasion. ATT in Dallas area, actually has to raise the surface, as the current surface isn’t wide enough. Raised surface will take out a few rows of seats. SoFi, in LA area, has the same issue, in the corners. Both want The Final match. It’s Billionaires vs Corrupt Sports Organization. Who will win? Spoiler: Not the fans, not the players.
Selected Turf fields as of now:
MetLife (NYG/NYJ)
AT&T (DAL)
Mercedes Benz (ATL)
Lumen (SEA)
Gillette (NE)
BC Place (Van)
Selected Grass Fields, as of now:
Arrowhead (KC)
Lincoln Financial (PHI)
Levi (SF)
BMO (Toronto) (hybrid)
All three Mexico stadiums
Also note that several large and currently grass fields have been rejected for some reason or other, including FedEx Field (WAS), Rose Bowl (UCLA), State Farm (ARI), LA Memorial (USC), Allegiant (LAS). Yes, two grass fields in the LA Area rejected and the turf one selected.
Yeah, I went to several Vancouver matches. It was great seeing the sellouts for women’s soccer but the field should have been turf. Not sure how much the Canadian Football League factors into the decision as they may prefer artificial.
Since you don’t know much about The MLS (first, its fans hate when you put a “The” in front), here is what awaits Messi. Note: none of this is news to anyone who has been complaining about The MLS for 20+ years.
I have season tickets because I like going to matches. I probably miss one regular match per year, usually due to some family commitment. I sometimes give those tickets to friends and sometimes sell them.
For the first time, I’m tempted to sell a match for profit. Messi mania is driving ticket prices for my section way up. Players go to/from the pitch via the club area that my seats can access, so you have the chance to get autographs, pictures, get a high five,… I’m sure it will be pandemonium to get close to Messi, and I am not interested in joining the scrum. I’d still enjoy the match, but for a regular season match would I enjoy it so much to forgo the potential income? Tickets in my section are selling for more than $800 each now. Selling just this game would cover a huge chunk of total season cost.
I’m hanging onto them for now, but if they go up a lot more I’ll reconsider.
Wow!
And you could still go to the match by buying nosebleeds.
Are you allowed to resell at a profit in the US if you are a season ticket holder?
We are not allowed in the UK (just face value).
Yes, it’s permitted. I understand some clubs may revoke your season tickets if you do it frequently, but a game or 2 here or there won’t cause an issue.
It’s called “Capitalism.” Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It is also called “scalping” to those who don’t want to spend an exorbitant price.
I think the difference is in who the society has decided owns the ticket.
In some places, the person buying the ticket doesn’t own it. They are merely renting it from the entity allowing entry to the person who spent the money. No subletting allowed in those cases.
In other places, the buyer owns the ticket and can do whatever they want with it.
In the case of AI above, he has some risks. The person who buys the ticket could make some public scene, to the point that they find out who the season ticket holder is and de-privileges AI from having the privilege of renting those tickets.
All tickets are digital these days, so the club is aware of any ticket transfers to other people. The app used to display the digital ticket includes options to transfer or sell the tickets to third parties.
“Scalping” is allowed in the UK if you simply bought a ticket to watch an EPL match.
Its a big no-no if you have season tickets because it opens up a whole touts ecosystem of “sell your season tickets at 2X face value or more for each game”. So people would simply buy season tickets as an investment, never show up for games, and simply resell them for a profit for each game.
Not a good idea over here in the UK because people would absolutely try to exploit that.
Of course they would, but, again, the club might get complaints from those nearby those seats regarding opposing fans that are in them, then the club revokes the season ticket holder’s privilege. And, that is the risk that I just noted above.
I’m guessing plenty of season ticket holders already do this. One has to get caught breaking a law, which means snitches.
For most soccer matches in ATL, they close and curtain off the upper deck. Regular match capacity is 42,500, with season ticket holders having somewhere in the 34-35k range. They open the upper deck for several matches a year, increasing capacity to 71,000. They are doing that for the MIA match, so even though capacity is much higher it still isn’t anywhere close to meeting demand.
There are tickets still available for the MIA match in the upper deck? Hmm…
I notice that ticket prices for the LAFC match went up 500% or so, according to the internet. Should be on the TV or streaming somehow. Do I need to watch Messi maybe play? Eh.
Get in the door price for upper deck tickets is $135. Come on down.
It is Labor Day weekend…