I hope things are better by Thursday, but the field in Philly was in dire shape. The NFL mastodons have turned midfield near the sidelines to dirt patches. And preparing for a world class event, the Eagles should have done a much better job erasing the lines and markings. It did not look like a World Cup pitch that's for sure. And I still think it's a little narrow, even if it meets FIFA standards. By comparison, RFK was pristine, and wide. Was it a mistake to think that NFL stadia could be made suitable for World Cup soccer during the NFL season? I hope Gillette does better than the Linc.
I saw the the pitch at Philly during the dighlights and it was ridiculous. I hope FIFA and/or USSF step in to take care of it for the other games. I also noticed the pitch at RFK was thin and uneven around the edges. Thought it would be in better shape. The shots from the field-level camera, it looked like the football lines weren't visible to the players.
They weren't happy at all with the field at all here in Norway, for the Norway vs. France match. But it was really only during the second game that the announcer couldn't shut up about it. Went on about how narrow it was, how ugly it was, how it was in such obvious bad shape. Mentioned that this was a world championship and that it deserved better than that crap field. I have to agree, it was a sham, embarrasing even as an American to see on t.v. that we can't be bothered to insure that every match be played on a respectable field. And I cringe at that thought of what is going through some folks minds who happened to notice that the U.S. opened on a compartively perfect field. These ladies deserve to play on the best fields possible, and that didn't happen on opening day. perhaps it had something to do with the hurricane hampering efforts to make the field presentable, perhaps not, but I can't imagine that it would have been TOO difficult to invest a couple of hundred bucks and a few strong backs to get some of those lines spray painted in the hours leading up to kick off.
Ugly Field in the Linc As an American I was embarrassed to see the shape of the field in Philly. I thought it was just showed the lack of respect they have for the game. It may be the lack of respect for the Women's game since there would be no way the field would be like that for ManU. As for the US playing on a nice field, the organizing committee wanted to have good show for the opening of the WWC on TV and would have to question a gridiron stadium. WRT spray paint I understand that the field is supposed to be a little slick and that may have made it worse. There should have been a requirement that there be more time to prepare the field. Lets see what the field looks like for the USA vs. Nigeria game