Argentina coach Scaloni angry at Atlanta pitch

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has criticized the temporary turf surface installed for Thursday’s Copa America opener against Canada, saying it was not suitable for a game of a major tournament.

The world champions beat Canada 2-0 to open their title defense, but Scaloni was far from happy with the conditions his players faced.

The field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United, is made of artificial turf, but organizers installed turf on top for this tournament.

“Thank God we won, because otherwise it would have been a cheap excuse to sit here and say this, but we knew we were going to play here for seven months and they changed the surface two days ago,” said Scaloni.

“It’s not good for spectacle. I’m sorry, it’s not an excuse, but it’s not a pitch. The stadium is beautiful and with the artificial turf it should be spectacular, but with the grass (turf) today, honestly, it’s not suitable for these kinds of players,” he said.

The turf was installed after Atlanta United’s final home match on June 15.

Scaloni said the surface made it difficult for his team to play their normal game and adopt the tactical approach he prefers.

“They didn’t feel confident with the bad state of the pitch, they couldn’t make the passes they wanted.

“Given the poor state of the land, there was not much we could do,” he said.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also took aim at the box in his post-match comments.

“Coming here, against a strong Canada, which has good attackers, good players, on a field which is a disaster, it made our task a little difficult,” declared the goalkeeper.

Martinez He said the ball was swinging on the surface and said it was a matter of prestige for the tournament.

“We need to improve in this aspect. Otherwise, the Copa America will always be at a slightly lower level than the European Championship,” he said.

sev/rcw