The Domed Gold Cup To Be Played On Real Grass

The US will face Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Ford Field Tuesday night. This game is significant not just because it brings the winner one step closer to the final in Pasadena, CA, but also because of the surface of the pitch. This game will be played on real grass…real grass within the domed home of the Detroit Lions.

The grass beneath the players’ feet was actually trucked in from Hammonton, New Jersey. It took 25 refrigerated trucks arriving over a three-day period starting last Friday. All four teams that will compete on this surface had the opportunity to practice on the field today. Canadian midfielder Dwayne De Rosario said of the field, “There's no bounce to the grass and it's slow…” Additional concerns have been raised questioning if the grass will stay alive and be rooted by Tuesday.

The US and Canada will be playing the second game on the field that night following the Guadeloupe-Panama game, so some worry the field may be badly ripped up in the first game. While tomorrow night may be the first time the teams compete on real grass in a dome, the US already had the opportunity to play on real grass-over-turf surface last Saturday. That friendly resulted in Spain defeating the US 4-0 at the open-air Gillette Stadium.

After the games, the field will be composted because transplanted turf has a low chance of surviving. Ref. Canadian Press, Detroit Free Press