The US used Austin's training facility: Feels 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 to be back! The 15 players that arrived in Austin yesterday took part in today's training session ahead of #USAvJAM on Thursday.We get the full group on the field tomorrow. #OnlyForward 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VYmn0dFzAG— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) October 5, 2021
American universities have some of the world's best athletic training facilities, so they could very well be used in 2026. The 2026 bid book listed a set of training facilities in or around every possible host city, though I'm sure teams could go outside that list to find their own choices.
Thanks! "Barnstorming" for critical home qualifiers must be getting a bit easier. ...Though fewer of our players might be familiar with some of the new venues?
In 1994 training centers were chosen by USSF based on proximity to venues. But I think teams would prefer training at altitude if they have a choice. Obviously if they're playing in Denver or Mexico City that's a must.
================ Your summary of the field surfaces matches mine exactly. Couple notes: Charlotte goes to the top of sucky list with PSL's and PULLING THE GRASS. I can't believe the NFL players are happy with that. I think Paulson or the Timbers have kicked around putting grass in. I know people always talk about the stream under the stadium, but you don't always have to dig down, why not build up? I think it can be done and you might attract players who prefer grass to turf. I think NE if they even get their own place would be grass, why make all the efforts for a better location and go cheap on the field. Too bad VAN was forced into the dome as I believe at one point, the private stadium option facing the bay and mountains was/could have been grass. STL coming in has too much history and class to be anything but a grass field. I hope whoever is #30 will feel the same way. I am worried Vegas is in the running, but its at least like Phoenix dome, they slide the grass in and out, I am just worried the stadium is too big for the soccer market in Vegas. Sacramento is currently grass at the temp and would have been grass in the new place. Too bad.
Yes, St. Louis will be Grass. On Vegas though, has anyone actually said that the Raiders would be ok with MLS using the grass? I know UNLV plays on a turf field (their choice, I believe) that the grass tray rolls in over.
It would be sort of pointless to bring soccer to Las Vegas if the team wasn't allowed to play on the grass surface at the stadium. Maybe the Raiders want some minor compensation for vestigial soccer lines on their grass. But it should be part of the rent discussion.
You’d have to think the Raiders would be a part of the ownership discussion to avoid the mls 1.0 situation of being renters in an nfl stadium. As a raider fan, however, I haven’t seen any hints indicating interest. I guess that assumes the Raiders own the stadium which may not be the case.
I would think Portland could use the hybrid grass system the Quakes use. NEWS: New SISGrass hybrid field coming to Earthquakes Stadium | San Jose Earthquakes (sjearthquakes.com) From what I can tell, the field this year at PayPal Park has held up the best it ever has. In previous years, the grass would have many divots and be really slick. This year I see much less of that. If managed properly, I think it could stand up to the weather in Portland. As for the other turf fields, it is going to be a while before MLS will be able to determine the field surfaces in Seattle, Atlanta, NE, Vancouver & Charlotte. Not sure that the NFL/CFL teams there would be open to the hybrid option.
Sucks that Charlotte was allowed in the league with a football stadium, then said "We're going to replace the grass with plastic."
Sucks that they're playing in a football stadium. I guess for $325 million you can get away with anything.
Chris posted a new flyover at the STL stadium. No flyover on the training center south of the stadium though.
Some other recent photos: https://www.audacy.com/kmox/local-s...-to-the-pitch-level-ckvvivuwg004c3e7jecrk0cqa and https://www.stltoday.com/business/l..._55ea4fef-52a5-5847-b7ef-57f52e6ba4ca.html#11
Bump. Dec 3rd weekly update from Nashville: https://www.nashvillesc.com/news/weekly-stadium-update-december-3-2021
Not MLS related per se (yet ), but the Birmingham Legion of the USL Championship will be playing at ~45k seat Protective Stadium starting next season: Protective Stadium to Serve as Home of Legion FC Starting in 2022 (bhmlegion.com) Think I'm going to get Dallas at the Cotton Bowl or Wizards at Arrowhead vibes but we'll see....
Found some interesting things in this local STL thread about the stadium. https://urbanstl.com/mls-stadium-and-district-t11794-s950.html?sid=a09d79f18cbaabf1c942045856cd2eea Page 38, has a post with a link to construction cams at the stadium. Page 39 has a link to a public accessible planroom if you want to see the stadium plans. On phone, or would copy /paste links for you all.
They're going to get swallowed up by that stadium, just like UAB football does. Even for Legion's big matchup against Memphis at Legion Field, they only drew 10,000 fans. And Protective is fake grass. If there's any place in America that can grow grass, it's Alabama. Also, fake grass in the summertime in Alabama is just awful to play on. That stuff absorbs and radiates heat a lot more than real grass. Why not just put in a grass field? I suspect that Legion had a better money deal at Protective, though. Better parking, better concessions, and the BJCC is "low rent" in more ways than one.
Yeah definitely not ideal due to the size and turf, but I think that's the best they were going to do with them not wanting to play at UAB's soccer field anymore (and probably for the best, it got waterlogged with even the slightest rain shower). I guess they could have went the suburbs route and used the Hoover Met, but I think their schtick has always been about supporting the city proper so I don't think that was ever really in play. Another option was Regions Field (the baseball stadium for the Birmingham Barons AA team), but I have a feeling their owners balked at the idea of having to convert the field after every match. Not sure what you mean by low rent, but that Uptown district has really been transformed with the stadium, Top Golf moving in and the Legacy Arena refurb; putting in a grass field would be nice, but I wouldn't get my hopes up (there's a reason they didn't go grass to begin with).
Hoover, unless huge changes have been made since the 2011/12 Men's College Cups were there, is a horrific place for soccer.