For a Women's FRIENDLY match between USA and Canada in Portland. When are they going to host a match for the Men's squad???? They deserve it!
Well, they probably do. Seattle deserve more than they receive too. Hopefully the NW isn't alienated by the USSF.
I think Portland would be a more intimate setting. Many say it is the best place to watch a match because of that factor. I would not mind if either city hosted a match really. Hopefully they both can host WCQ's.
They'll probably get one when they get rid of the turf, which will be................. a long time to never.
And given that one of Guatemala's biggest teams, Comunicaciones, regularly plays on turf, more of their national-team players would be used to the surface than ours.
They would probably be able to schedule a CONCACAF team or a smaller CONMEBOL team like Ecuador on it. But not major team is every going to play on it. Plus several of our own national team players, Landon Donovan among them, have openly expressed that they hate turf, and they hate grass on top of turf.
Is the turf really that bad? Seattle was able to get Mexico and Ecuador up there for a friendly and they have hosted numerous Gold Cup matches, international matches, and Club friendlies (Barca, Man U, Chelsea). Is their turf better than Portland's?
Good question. I am not sure. More than half maybe? Still think the Pacific NW should host some games in some capacity. Those are some solid fans up there.
You know, growing up we played only on a hard dirt that was more like concrete. We got one turf field when I was about 14 or so, and we thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Heck, we even liked it better than many of the grass fields we played on, being that many high school grass fields are even and not well taken care of. So I've never got the hatred for turf. It was a life saver for us. But the fact is, most players absolutely hate it. As someone originally from the region, I agree.
JESUS ********ING CHRIST. How many times do we have to go over this? Your chances of getting a meaningful USA game, in other words a WCQ, drop off significantly if you don't have a natural grass playing surface. In the last three cycles one stadium with fake grass has hosted a WCQ and that was Rice Eccles in Utah. With the infusion of Soccer Specific Stadiums with grass surfaces this limits your chances even further. If the Fed is going to go for a money grab qualifier they'll host it at Soldier Field in Chicago or RFK Stadium in DC: Large capacity stadiums with FIFA regulation dimensions and a grass field. If they're looking for homefield advantge they'll host it at RBA, Columbus, Home Depot, or Kansas City. As long as Portland and Seattle play on fake grass they are unlikely to get a World Cup Qualifier. Get. The. ********. Over. It.
There's always the off-beat Gold Cup. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ2IGNMKBrY"]USA vs Granada 4-0 Copa Oro 2009 (The CONCACAF Gold Cup) SKY SPORTS - YouTube[/ame]
damn dude. Either fired from work/bad day at work, divorce, financial issues something else? Not really contributing to the discussion. Anyway Costa Rica used to play on Turf at ole Saprissa and yet i didn't hear the Yanks btich about that. As long as the turf in Portland has a Two star rating from Fifa it is totally fine. Once they get a turf inspection and retain it, the teams won't have alot to worry about.
I think it matters. Every time I've watched Portland games the field creates a game that's congested and doesn't allow any team to receive the ball in space. More often than not, games in Portland are won via set pieces. If you want to see a sloppy game played in extremely tight spaces with lots of foul, the Portland is a great location for the usmnt.
I am actually contributing plenty, if you bothered to read the rest of my post. This topic has beaten like a dead horse. Seattle and Portland have fake grass as well as dimension issues. Meaningful games won't be played in those conditions and history as our guide proves that. 1 game on turf in the last three cycles.
I actually did read your post all the way smart one No meaningful games coming to foxboro anytime soon But if we want to get that new attacking style going, then yeah, let's go with a wide field and grass surface.
I don't think any qualifiers should be held at large capacity stadiums. They should be held at soccer specific stadiums with grass fields. It gives us an home field advantage. The bigger the stadium the more hostile the crowd.