One of many Premier League’s prime gamers has already criticised the pitch at MetLife Stadium forward of the 2026 World Cup.
and England defender performed a number of video games at MetLife Stadium within the Membership World Cup final summer season.
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The Blues received the match following a 3-0 victory over within the last, however James nonetheless shared some criticism.
The correct-back was not impressed with the pitch and admitted he hoped it will be totally different for the upcoming .
What Reece James stated about MetLife Stadium a yr earlier than the World Cup
beforehand described the pitches in the US as “not so good” through the Membership World Cup.
“The venue is prime, the pitches are usually not so good,” he informed reporters in New Jersey. “Hopefully there’s some modifications for the World Cup subsequent yr.”
James then defined why the pitches within the USA didn’t really feel the identical as in Europe, though he didn’t have an answer.
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“I don’t know [how to improve them],” he added. “There’s astro beneath and perhaps grass on prime. It’s not the most effective for the physique, for the joints, for the muscle mass.
Photograph by Alex Grimm/Getty Pictures
“You lot will see increased high quality video games and better high quality soccer if we performed on surfaces that we play on in Europe.”
The captain was not the one participant to complain concerning the pitches, as Porto star Ze Pedro made comparable feedback.
“I do really feel just like the pitch brought about us to be a bit imprecise,” Pedro stated. “This was significantly once we needed to speed up the sport. Some errors occurred [as a result].”
Fortunately, MetLife Stadium has made an effort to enhance its pitch by implementing a special floor for the World Cup.
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Whereas a brief pitch was put in on prime of the prevailing turf final summer season, the World Cup floor can be a lot deeper.
A thick layer of sand beneath the Bermuda-grass pitch ought to forestall the ‘deadened bounce’ gamers complained about.
In the meantime, the groundsmen anticipate their pitch to indicate much less noticeable put on on the World Cup than on the Membership World Cup.
MetLife Stadium is about to host 5 group stage matches and a number of other knockout video games, together with the World Cup last.
The venue will quickly come below scrutiny from the world’s greatest gamers, and hopefully, the suggestions can be optimistic.
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