Cliff Notes – Dortmund coach Kovač: MetLife Stadium field more suited to golf

Niko Kovač criticised the MetLife Stadium pitch, likening it to a golf green and unsuitable for high-level soccer.
He expressed concerns over the extreme summer heat, suggesting later kickoff times to enhance player performance and spectator experience.

Dortmund coach Kovač: MetLife Stadium field more suited to golf

In the eyes of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač, the MetLife Stadium field was better suited for a round of golf than a match at the Club World Cup.

And the New York area’s summer heat also was inappropriate for high-level soccer.

“It’s more a golf green, so you can putt here,” Kovač said after Saturday’s 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid. “It’s very short. But this is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums.”

Dortmund played its opening group match at MetLife, the site of the Club World Cup semifinals and championship, and of next year’s World Cup final. The German team played two matches at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium and its round of 16 game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“As you saw, the watering wasn’t good enough, I would say, because you don’t have the devices for that.” Kovač said. “When it’s too dry, it’s unbelievable. It’s sticking.”

On a sunny afternoon, the temperature at the 3 p.m. kickoff was 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Similar temperatures or higher are expected for next year’s World Cup, where 11 venues are in the U.S., and most do not have roofs or air-conditioning.

During the 1994 World Cup, 28 of 52 matches had kickoff times from noon to 2 p.m. EDT, better for European viewing. Kickoff times for next year’s 104-game tournament are likely to be set after the draw in December.

“We played two times in Cincinnati. The first time it was 12 o’clock. The second time it was 3 p.m. and the pitch we had temperatures of around about 45 degrees (113 degrees Fahrenheit),” Kovač, who has lamented the warm weather throughtout the Club World Cup, said. “When the temperature is 45 degrees, this is not amazing. This is very hard for someone, and the players, they must play these games.

“Today, we had 35 degrees (95 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s also not much better, to be honest. But, OK, this a tournament we need to play. And I would suggest — my suggestion, that the kickoff time will be a little later. … So the intensity is also much higher. And as a supporter, as a spectator, you would like to see intensive, aggressive, up-and-down football. So when it’s too hot, then it’s difficult to play this kind of football.”