Players and coaches have fielded a lot of questions about the pitch in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before and after World Cup games there. Opinions have varied.Brazil’s Vinicius Junior was not a fan. France coach Didier Deschamps called it special — and not in a good way. Norway’s Ståle Solbakken was asked several times about the surface before coaching his first game on it and came away more pleased about it than he expected.While entirely different than the turf surface at the stadium that has been maligned by NFL players, the grass field with synthetic fibers stitched in to reduce the risk of divots and tears has drawn mixed reviews through the first seven games of the tournament there. After a nearly two-week break for staff to get it in the best condition possible, the most important game takes place there Sunday when Argentina and Spain meet in the final.Neither team has played at the Meadowlands stadium yet, adding another element of uncertainty to the matchup.
Players and coaches say the turf plays fast — and better when it’s wetBefore Norway faced Senegal in New Jersey, Solbakken compared the Meadowlands pitch to AstroTurf. He said the short, firm grass could be good for teams who like to possess the ball. Torrential rain fell before and during the game on June 22, changing the complexion of how it played.“The pitch was much better because of the rain, because the rain made it (so) that the ball doesn’t hang on your foot,” Solbakken said. “It’s going faster, smoother, and that made two good teams could play to their strength, so the pitch, due to the rain, was better. I’m more suspicious if there’s no rain because then it’s dry and short and then it could be more difficult, but with the rain today it made the pitch much, much better.”It was dry when England met Panama in each team’s final group play game. England coach Thomas Tuchel also likened it to artificial turf for the shortness of the blades of grass — very different from the field in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
