Argentina slams Mercedes-Benz pitch: Higher that we received

The Argentina nationwide workforce slammed the pitch at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the inaugural match of the 2024 Copa América, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez calling the newly-installed grass floor a “catastrophe” and supervisor Lionel Scaloni saying it was “higher that we received.”

“The state of the pitch was a catastrophe. Very bumpy. We should enhance on this facet, in any other case, Copa América will at all times seem at a decrease stage than the European Championship,” mentioned the Aston Villa goalkeeper.

La Albiceleste triumphed 2-0 over Canada on Thursday night time as targets from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez secured the workforce the highest spot within the Group A standings. However supervisor Lionel Scaloni used the victory as a possibility to name out the circumstances on the house of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons — an artificial floor that was coated with pure grass two days in the past — criticizing the group’s poor planning.

“The sport was like that of Saudi Arabia within the World Cup, besides that one had a superb pitch,” Scaloni mentioned, referencing his workforce’s opening sport loss in Qatar in 2022. “Higher that we received, or else it will have appeared as an excuse, however they knew seven months in the past that we might play right here and so they modified the sphere two days in the past. It isn’t an excuse, however this is not a superb area. Sincerely, the sphere will not be apt for these gamers.

“We gave not essentially a superb sport, however a sport in line with the pitch and what the rival proposed. We could not do far more with the circumstances of the pitch. Have a look at the velocity of the passes that we did.”

Along with the Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium can also be the house of MLS facet Atlanta United FC — each groups play on the factitious floor. At Conmebol’s request, the stadium put in grass for the match.

When Atlanta United confronted the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, the venue nonetheless had a man-made floor.

“Two days in the past it was pretend, after which they parched panels of grass collectively. It is painted to seem nicer than it’s,” Scaloni mentioned. “The bizarre factor is we knew months in the past we would play right here, so possibly issues might’ve been carried out in regards to the pitch faster.”

Subsequent up for Argentina in Group A is a match in opposition to Chile at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 25 earlier than ending round-robin play in opposition to Peru on June 29.