I remember that defender from Celtic was set to come to Toronto FC but his doctor told him not to go because they played on turf (or whatever it is called). Then Beckham had his high profile complaints about the turf. Now I see O'brien is out for the season and Dichio might be out and they've had several other injuries. Is this at all related to the turf or is it mere coincidence and bad luck?
Toronto are not the only team that plays on turf. If it was the turf causing all these injuries, we'd see new york, RSL and new england full of injuries as well.
Actually RSL and New York have some injuries too. I am not sure if it is worse or better than other clubs but they do have some key injuries.
i would say i the case of pulling something turf surely is worse..... its so much faster and your cleat cant dig into dirt so the traction isnt as good as grass.... then if wet its awful...... i know they have the newer grass turf but the only advantage to turf is that u get a consistent smooth surface with no divets or bare spots.... but soccer needs to be played on grass
Grass would be better. The problem is that BMO is owned by the team and the city of Toronto and the field is used for youth and rec leagues almost everyday. Then in the winter they're gonna put a bubble over it so it can be used all year as well. If TFC wants grass (the fans sure do) they are going to have to pony up the bucks to replace the turf at the end of the season and somehow maintain it during the season, even with all those little feet stomping around on it day in and day out. I'd prefer good turf over bad grass. The stadium deal was struck when there were still a lot of question marks surrounding the feasibility of pro soccer in Toronto, and MLSE (owners of TFC, Raptors, Maple Leafs) hedged their bets by getting TAXPAYER dollars put into a new SSS. It bugs the hell outta me that MLSE managed to get this sweet deal, but in the end it's likely that if there was no such deal, there would be no such team. But now TFC has taken off in popularity in the city. MLSE has the bucks to buy the whole damn facility if they wanted to. Heck, they're saving millions on the NHL salary cap alone. But there's been no official announcements regarding grass or expansion. Maybe if TFC provides another field for the city (at the yet to be built youth academy, maybe) they can make a deal to have the run of the pitch, but who knows. About injuries, during the u-20's when you compared the number of ouchies on turf (Toronto, Montreal) compared to incidents on grass (everywhere else), the turf actually had a slightly lower incidence of injuries. It was a short tourny though, so who knows. TFC play and usually train at BMO, so if turf does take a toll, they'll feel it. Every team has injuries at some point though. My best guess at when BMO gets grass is when the entire rest of the league has it and MLSE is shamed into spending money. Or, say they're all set to land a DP and nobody wants to come because of the turf. Perception is reality in that regard. Anyway, that's it.