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Soccer’s biggest participant says he doesn’t care if soccer is performed on actual or synthetic grass.
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And that will probably be music to the ears of the operators of B.C. Place, the followers of the Vancouver Whitecaps — and sure the Whitecaps’ finance division too.
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Lionel Messi informed reporters Thursday in Florida that he has no points enjoying on turf and received’t be going out of his strategy to keep away from enjoying in MLS away matches that will probably be performed at stadiums which function synthetic surfaces.
“I’ve no downside with turf both,” Messi mentioned in Spanish, earlier than noting that when he was developing via Barcelona’s academy, he performed on loads of plastic pitches.
“I performed my total youth profession on artificial grass. It’s been some time since I performed on it however I’ve no downside on adjusting once more,” he added.
And that’s simply actuality for Messi, since B.C. Place is hardly the one stadium in MLS to have a man-made floor both: Atlanta and Seattle, residence of two of the league’s greatest golf equipment, each play on synthetic surfaces at their big stadiums, which they share with their native NFL groups.
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The Whitecaps and Inter Miami have by no means performed in opposition to one another — Miami joined MLS in 2020 — and the 2 groups aren’t scheduled to face one another this season.
The Caps haven’t confronted a Florida crew since 2019, after they travelled to play Orlando Metropolis.
And it’s been 5 years since Orlando made a go to to Vancouver.
With the league persevering with to develop and clearly devoted to its unbalanced schedule, the percentages appear slim that Inter can be scheduled to face the Whitecaps in 2024, not to mention journey the 5,000-plus kilometres to play at B.C. Place.
Miami additionally has by no means confronted Actual Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas Metropolis, the Colorado Rapids, plus this yr’s enlargement squad, St. Louis Metropolis.
But when Inter had been scheduled to play in Vancouver, you understand that Messi would draw an enormous crowd to the sport.
MLS stars who’ve come from abroad have at occasions maligned the B.C. Place floor — Robbie Keane mentioned the pre-2015 floor was guilty for a hip harm he suffered whereas enjoying there for the LA Galaxy — however usually they haven’t averted it, even when gamers like ex-Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore insists enjoying on grass is healthier on the joints.
The present B.C. Place pitch was put in final yr and a brief grass floor will probably be put in forward of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which can see the Vancouver stadium host a handful of video games.