Los Protagonistas sendend Andre Marin to Houston to cover the game and he said that everything of the stadium was great except that the field had a lot of problems because they had been using it for rodeos and the field had a bunch of holes and was in bad conditions. They showed the field and it looked real patchy and bad. This could affect both teams and maybe the games because the players will be taking care of themselves as not to be injured. Has anyone heard reports of this??
Not that I am a rodeo expert, but I have never seen one on grass before(the rodeo, that is). I thought the reasoning behind the grass tray system that they have was to be able to move the grass surface in and out for rodeos and concerts. there is a thread somewhere(MLS Expansion?) with links to info about the stadium.
Still, I was a little disappointed to read this: "Although the soccer configuration is a relatively snug fit for the stadium, the 110-by-70-yard size is well within guidelines for the sport, which require the field to be from 100 to 120 yards long and from 60 to 80 yards wide. The corner sections were designed to be removed for soccer matches." Only 70 yards wide, eh? And it requires removing seats to get to that size. Makes me wonder about how great a stadium Reliant might be for MLS. Beggars can't be choosers, of course, but I come down on Bradley's side when he says in his most recent column that all this buzz about MLS maybe landing in new NFL stadia in Seattle, Philly and/or Houston worries him.
The field is only 70 yards wide. Not the biggest, not the smallest, but adequate. With regards to removing the seats, there is nothing wrong with the removing of the seats. That was the way it was configured. You remove these corner seats from the football field and you have a soccer pitch. There are a couple of considerations regarding MLS in Houston. It might be held at Robertson which would be very Lockhart esque as a stadium (25K capacity I believe). I am not saying that I wouldn't prefer a 20K SSS for Houston. That being said, using either Robertson or Reliant are both fine. The long term goal will be to get into a SSS. It isn't going to happen tomorrow. Reliant or Robertson will be the first stop.
it says the seats have to be removed only in the corners right ?, maybe if they removed seats all around could go bigger. But clearly this stadium was not built with soccer in mind, what a waste. Crew Stadium with soccer in mind 115 x 75
I can't remember where I heard this, but I think they removed the seats in the corners to allow for a longer pitch. I don't think the width was the problem, but the length.
Los Protagonistas is a TV show from TV Azteca. They also went today and said that the field was still lousy and bumpy and that the players said so. Also that they painted some areas green to cover up the holes.
I'm also curious what the width of the tray system pitch is. The 70 yard figure is for this temporary pitch. They wouldn't be installing a temporary pitch for every MLS game. Are the dimensions of the tray system the same as what we'll see tomorrow?
Right, but if you take into consideration the space behind the goals for the photographers, ball boys, and ad boards, you'd have to shorten the field quite a bit. I'm not trying to justify anything...this is just stuff I've heard in the past.
I agree. They spent $400 million dollars on a stadium marketed in the election campaign to include soccer (with the promise of being able to lure World Cup games). They started with a freaking clean slate of a blueprint, and they couldn't build it wide enough for a world-class soccer field. I think it's almost criminal, unless there's something that's not being told here.
Great. This anticipated game will be played on a bumpy, narrow field on which paint has been applied to hide dirt patches. This is exactly the kind of crap that drives me nuts. Well, at least we'll have that game with Wales to look forward to on the vast carpet of San José. What are the people at USSF thinking? Why does the spectacle always have to be tarnished and the importance and credibility of a result diminished because of inadequate playing surfaces? And such pitches we'll never see anywhere else so we can't even make the lame argument that they offer preparation. This is US-Mexico, not Luton versus Oldham or Weston versus Sherborn girls U14. I was hoping to enjoy the game and the specatacle. Now, I suppose, I'll just put up with it and wonder how great it could have been if played in a suitable venue. Someone at USSF deserves a Northland or Victoriaville to the nuts.
You have my sympathy, my friend. What a waste. And what a handcrank they sold. And the bozos at USSF reward them with a Mexico game. Madon'.
can someone tell me why everyone thinks that every other country in the world plays all of their matches on 75 yard fields? i'm going to have to say that simply isn't the case and that the real case is that fields come in all shapes and sizes why don't you guys worry about getting friends into soccer instead of crying about spilt milk jeebus
Benefits MLS Armas, Beasely, and Bocanegra play on a smaller field in Naperville. Donovan plays at Spartan, which is pretty small. I think the slightly smaller field will be more suited to the Americans.
Field woes U.S. coach Bruce Arena was concerned about the condition of the field at Reliant Stadium when he got a sneak peak Tuesday, but he felt better about things following Wednesday night's 90-minute workout. "It's better than it looks," he said. "It will not be a factor in the game. I think it will be fine. If you watched our practice, you could see the ball rolls fine." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/soc/usmex/1901204
Televisa deportes also reported that the field was bumpy and interviewed Bravo, Carmona and Mastroeni who all said that it was a little hard and that may cause trouble in their movement but that it wasn't serious.
Because they do. And we're not just any country. And by the way: Highbury was hardly the permanent home for the English NATIONAL TEAM. And, if Arsenal have their way, it will be torn down. And, furthermore, it was built in the early TWENTIETH century, not in the year 2000. I'll piss and moan all I want. The fact is, the field at Reliant is not suitable. And that pisses me off. Because, as I had mentioned, I looked forward to the spectacle. And that very spectacle would win new fans over. Not a kickabout on a cowpatch. Face it guys: the USSF screwed up again by scheduling a promising, high-profile match on a crap field. And the people who designed the joint are dopes. Se acabó la huevonada.