Yes, MLS fans, despite all that is right with this league you still get your opportunity to bitch and moan. Qwest Field will be Field Turf for the Cup Final, as the temporary sod would have been unsafe for players. - MLS worked very closely with the Qwest Field and Sounders FC staff to analyze [...] Click to continue reading...

Manchester United had innumerable reasons to be wary of Wednesday's trip to the Luzhniki Stadium. The most talked about, and with good reason as anyone who watched the game would attest, was the artificial pitch. People who have been brought up on playing in grass-less squares of hard mud and pebbles are of course going "What the heck are you complaining about, at least it's green!

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This is it. The entire world wraps up the group rounds of world cup qualifying. After Wednesday, there will only be 5 slots (4 in UEFA and the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL play off) left to fill. Who will handle the pressure? Who won't? Who will be the shock entrants, and who will shockingly miss out? Click to continue reading...

Finally. Toronto FC will no longer be regarded as that club with the terrible FieldTurf. The Toronto city council voted unanimously to approve the placement of grass at BMO Field in a vote held on earlier today.

The decision means there will be one less MLS team playing on artificial turf in 2010.

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Major League Soccer displayed an uncharacteristic sense of levelheadedness with its announcement to break for the 2010 World Cup and move next season's schedule to a balanced, home-and-home structure. With any other professional soccer league in the world, these moves would not have even registered.

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A sight that makes me want to drive to Toronto and buy everyone a beer:
What better symbol of what's wrong with MLS' expansion policy than sprinklers running, for the first time ever, in BMO?
Every sweep of those lovely arcs of water makes a mockery of MLS' illusions. Click to continue reading...

Adrian Hanauer isn't happy about the site of the Open Cup Final.
It would be easy to just say "The USSF is idiots", hit Post Now, and wait for the "This is your best blog post EVER!" comments.
But, just for fun, let's try to look at it from the Fed's point of view, if that's possible. Click to continue reading...

It was a promotional event for adidas, community outreach initiative MLS W.O.R.K.S. and FieldTurf to announce "Footprint Fields," a program to develop new fields in urban areas.

While the one in El Segundo was not part of the program, five fields similar to that one either are or soon will be built, including one in Inglewood.

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Toronto FC's rival to the north managed to put in grass at their new stadium from the beginning.
Way back on April 21,  loyal MLSR readers will remember this leak we received from someone within the Toronto FC organization wishing anonymity.
The latest report regarding putting grass in at BMO Field comes courtesy of Canada's SLAM! Click to continue reading...

The USA's match on Monday against Canada will be played on the FieldTurf, but the Americans should be somewhat used to it by now, having played two matches on the fake stuff in the latter part of 2008 and three games total on plastic last year. No soccer player likes to play on an artificial surface, but the U. Click to continue reading...

Looks like this Jamie Smith fellow is in Toronto right now. He's apparently had a terrible time with injuries in his time at Aberdeen. I'm not so sure fieldturf is the best remedy for that. If he's talented enough and our medical staff thinks he can stay fit, why not? We're currently playing without any natural wingers. Click to continue reading...

DeRo Goes Agro About BMO Turf
In an post-match interview following Toronto FC's 2-0 home loss to Chicago Fire, Dwayne DeRosario on CBC sports gave the strongest condemnation of the FieldTurf used by BMO Field to date:
"This turf has to go, I'm sick of it."Â
Indeed, one would think with the money that MLSE earned from their portion of the nearly $5 million Canadian dollars received for the transfer of US International, Maurice Edu to Scotland's Rangers, they would be able to install grass or at least a better grade of Fieldturf similar to what is in use in Seattle. Click to continue reading...

Background: BMO Field is the home of Toronto FC and I think it's the best venue in MLS. Why? Well, because (A) it's a modern marvel, (B) it's fan friendly, and (C) it's always filled to capacity with fanatics screaming their heads off. It's Canada's answer to the HDC and it is truly the finest field in MLS in my humble opinion.

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One of the constant criticisms of Seattle Sounders is that they do not play in a Soccer Specific Stadium. Which begs the question, what is a SSS? For me, it is simply a stadium designed with soccer in mind (hosting about 50% of all sporting events as soccer), with a low crown, with a full [...] Click to continue reading...

Edu with the USMNT/SI.com

Mo Edu's sale to Glasgow Rangers is more good news for US Soccer as we begin the 2010 World Cup qualifying cycle. While Edu was fortunate that in playing for Toronto FC he was led by one of the few outstanding MLS managers in John Carver, playing on the fieldturf of BMO Field as well as the general disjointed-ness of MLS would have stagnated his growth as a player.

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Edu with the USMNT/SI.com Mo Edu's sale to Glasgow Rangers is more good news for US Soccer as we begin the 2010 World Cup qualifying cycle. While Edu was fortunate that in playing for Toronto FC he was led by one of the few outstanding MLS managers in John Carver, playing on the fieldturf of BMO [. Click to continue reading...

That green stuff is FieldTurf. That black stuff is the rubber gunk they pepper into the FieldTurf to make it softer and give the blades more support. And that shiny circular thing? That is the "lucky quid" (a pound coin) that some traveling West Ham hid in the corner of BMO Field's pitch yesterday in their attempt to make there own luck tonight against the All Star team. Click to continue reading...

According to this report Scottish striker Paul Dickov looks set to continue his career at Toronto FC. Meanwhileh another guest of the Canadian club, Darren Huckerby appears to be more interested in San Jose according to multiple sources. A source known to MLSR stated that Huckerby had reservations about the artificial Fieldturf at BMO Field. Click to continue reading...

It's undeniable that the Revs have been better on the road this year than at home, but is it because of the playing surface? With 14 games played this season, the Revs have played 7 times on grass and 7 times on artificial surfaces. On grass, they've been a very impressive 6-1-0 with a +4 goal differential, while on turf the team has only been 2-2-3 with a +1 goal differential. Click to continue reading...

After Wednesday's Pan Pacific matches in Hawaii, every report and commentary, weather traditional media or blogger, wrote off LA and were ready to give Houston the title. I can't wait to see what they are writing today. You can't judge a team my only one match. Comparing the over all results, LA were the second best [. Click to continue reading...

After Wednesday's Pan Pacific matches in Hawaii, every report and commentary, weather traditional media or blogger, wrote off LA and were ready to give Houston the title.  I can't wait to see what they are writing today. You can't judge a team my only one match.  Comparing the over all results, LA were the second best [. Click to continue reading...

After Wednesday's Pan Pacific matches in Hawaii, every report and commentary, weather traditional media or blogger, wrote off LA and were ready to give Houston the title. I can't wait to see what they are writing today. You can't judge a team my only one match. Comparing the over all results, LA were the second best [. Click to continue reading...