Argentina criticizes ‘terrible’ pitch conditions for Copa America opener in Atlanta

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After Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Canada in the opening match of the Copa America, head coach Lionel Scaloni and several of his players criticized the playing surface at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta .

The 73,000-capacity NFL arena is shared between MLS’s Atlanta United and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. It is an artificial turf surface which, on occasion, is replaced by a turf field placed on top of the turf.

Atlanta United played a home match on grass on Saturday June 15 and the pitch was laid the next day, five days before Thursday’s match. But the end result was not satisfactory, according to the Argentine national team.

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When asked what the difference was between Argentina’s World Cup clash against Saudi Arabia at Doha’s Lusail Stadium in 2022 and the match in Atlanta on Thursday night, Scaloni did not resist.

“The difference is that against Saudi Arabia we played on a beautiful pitch,” he said. “With all due respect – and it’s a good thing we won because otherwise it would feel like I was giving a cheap excuse – they knew seven months ago that we were going to play here and They changed the surface two (sic) days ago. It’s not good for the show.

” That’s not an excuse. The stadium is beautiful and the artificial turf they use is magnificent. But this pitch was not up to par for these players.

Scaloni added that Canada forced Argentina to adjust their tactics and that the playing surface forced his team to play differently.

Scaloni was unhappy with the pitch in Atlanta (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

As Argentine players spoke to the international press, the pitch remained a common complaint.

Captain Lionel Messi, who provided the assist on Lautaro Martinez’s 88th-minute goal in the 2-0 win, said the pitch “didn’t help but the boys put in a lot of physical effort” .

“We came into this game having played a few friendlies against lower level opponents,” goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said. “We faced a strong Canadian team this evening on a pitch that was a disaster, honestly it was complicated. The pitch was a disaster. He jumped on you while you were running. Martinez later described the field as “a trampoline.”

“If we don’t improve things like this, the Copa America will always be below the European Championship,” added the Aston Villa player.

Argentina defender Cristian Romero had an equally scathing criticism of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium surface. “The conditions on the ground were terrible,” he said. “It’s a shame that we have to play this tournament on a pitch like this. It affected us, but these are not excuses.

Despite Martinez’s comments, the pitches at this summer’s European Championship in Germany have also sparked complaints from players and managers. The grounds of the Frankfurt Arena and the Dusseldorf Arena in particular have attracted criticism.

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Scaloni was asked if he had any additional concerns regarding the other courts Argentina will play on throughout the tournament. “No, I hope the pitches are not a problem because it is the only one that was an artificial pitch two days ago,” he said.

“I imagine the other grounds will be fine, but it’s strange that we knew six months ago that we would play here. I think changes could have been made sooner and not at the last minute. We can’t do anything about it.

The United States will play their second group stage match next Thursday against Panama in Atlanta. Argentina’s second match, meanwhile, will also take place on grass court when they take on Chile at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday.

(Top photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)