Pitch not perfect: World Cup players find weirdness underfoot on innovative grass

As soon as Switzerland and Bosnia were off the pitch after their World Cup match on Thursday, another team were on it. But instead of tearing at the grass with studs this team were mowing, brushing, seeding, and repairing it. After being battered by some of the world’s best and most physically abusive (to grass) players for two hours, the surface was getting some tender loving care - a necessity in this World Cup, which is often being played atop grass pitches placed on a sub-surface that usually supports artificial turf. It has not all gone well. French coach Didier Deschamps, after his side’s 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, said his squad had to alter their boots for the New York-New Jersey pitch, which was not great. “Let’s just say it’s … it’s different. It’s unusual, so you have to get used to it,” said Deschamps. “It’s different, so the bounce is different too.” None of his players used screw-in studs “even though boots today are a bit more adaptable.” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot added: “The pitch … I don’t even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface quite hard and quite rigid.” Commentators, reporters and TV viewers have also been worried about the state of that pitch, the most important stadium because it is where the final will be held on July 19. To some, patches seem discoloured, with the area in front of goal a bit ragged. The Vancouver stadium has, however, received some rave pitch reviews from players, allaying the worries of the groundskeepers, the farmer who grew and supplied the turf, and the local community, which is taking great pride in hosting the World Cup and wants to impress the world. Australia player Aiden O’Neill praised it after his side’s 2-0 win over Turkey on Saturday. “I think they’ve done such a good job to have it in the condition it’s in,” he was quoted as saying by the Globe and Mail newspaper. “The ball moved well. It wasn’t too hard. I think they’ve got it perfect, to be honest.” Across North