Chicago : They're faking it with next 3 on road

[georg]

Seems like some teams still thinks artificial surfaces are alot worse then Natural Grass. Read this Article

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/soccer/fire/372628,CST-SPT-fire06.article

They're faking it with next 3 on road

Fire | Sarachan: Games on artificial surfaces will take a bit of a toll on his players' bodies

May 6, 2007

BY LEN ZIEHM lziehm@suntimes.com

Soccer was meant to be played on grass. The unbeaten Fire's next three road games, however, will be played on artificial surfaces, and that's not a good thing.

''If we played on it a lot it'd take its toll on our bodies,'' coach Dave Sarachan said. ''The [artificial turf] product isn't as burdensome as it used to be, but it is different. It's harder, and we try to stay off of it as much as possible.''

The Fire, which has its own grass training field at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, didn't look for an artificial surface to prepare for today's game against the New England Revolution. That policy might change before the Fire visits Toronto FC, Major League Soccer's newest expansion team, on Friday and the New York Red Bulls on May 24. The run of games of fake grass will be interrupted by a May 17 home game against FC Dallas.

TODAY: FIRE AT REVOLUTION

The facts: 4 p.m. (tape delay at 7 p.m. on CSN), 1200-AM in Spanish, 1230-AM in Polish.

The story line: New England (2-1-2) has gone four games without a defeat since its 1-0 loss at Toyota Park in the season opener on April 7. The Revs weren't happy with Thursday's 1-1 tie against D.C. United on the road after Shalrie Joseph's controversial red-card ejection in the 63rd minute. That rules the stalwart defender out of today's game. The Fire (3-0-1) has an 18-17-6 edge against the Revs in all competitions since 1998.

Len Ziehm

Fire president John Guppy expects to add a practice field with an artificial surface to the Toyota Park complex sometime this summer.

''We'd all say grass is preferable,'' Guppy said, ''but the quality of the newer versions [of fake grass] is pretty good. Technology keeps getting better, but I doubt there will ever be 100 percent artificial fields. It still plays a little differently. There's a mental aspect to playing on it.''

NOTES: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who will join the Fire on July 1 when his Mexican league commitments are over, scored Club America's goal in a 2-1 loss to Morelia and assisted on the goal that produced a 1-0 win over Atlante in his team's previous game. The Mexican league is heading into its playoffs. Blanco also will play for Club America in the Copa Libertadores tournament before coming to the Fire.

• The Fire's new half-hour radio show, Chicago Fire Soccer Weekly, will make its debut at 6 p.m. Tuesday on WXAV (88.3-FM), the student-run station at Saint Xavier University. The show will be hosted by Angelo Bonadonna, the station's sports director, and Fire coach Dave Sarachan and captain Chris Armas are the first guests.

[VPjr]

this is a non-story as far as TFC is concerned. Our "fake" grass is as good as it gets. I think that players that complain about our surface are just whiners. Get used to it boys....one day, all the surfaces will be a Field Turf type of product.

[Richard]

These people are supposedly fulltime, professional soccer players. They cope with crappy, muddy, cambered natural grass fields with bare patches where the ball never bounces the same twice, they can cope with the superb quality and totally predictable FieldTurf pitches that are more constant, tolerant and forgiving than many natural grass pitches. Complaining about FieldTurf is just preparing themselves and their fans for a potential poor performance on the road that has nothing whatsoever to do with the field surface!

They had better get used to FieldTurf because it's the way of the future, at least in North America where few if any clubs can afford natural grass pitches in stadiums that are used for one or two games a week only and nothing else.

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

These people are supposedly fulltime, professional soccer players. They cope with crappy, muddy, cambered natural grass fields with bare patches where the ball never bounces the same twice, they can cope with the superb quality and totally predictable FieldTurf pitches that are more constant, tolerant and forgiving than many natural grass pitches. Complaining about FieldTurf is just preparing themselves and their fans for a potential poor performance on the road that has nothing whatsoever to do with the field surface!

They had better get used to FieldTurf because it's the way of the future, at least in North America where few if any clubs can afford natural grass pitches in stadiums that are used for one or two games a week only and nothing else.

I don't recall if it was Pele, Chinaglia, Beckenbauer or Cruyff who said something to the effect of ... I'd rather play on an artificial surface with a true bounce than a worn out, barren, uneven grass field.

Yes, obviously a perfect grass field is better than an artificial surface but how many of those are there out there and how much do they cost to maintain or replace (mid season in fact).

db

[Richard]

I am sure players the like of Pele, Chinaglia, Beckenbauer or Cruyff could put in an outstanding performance no matter what the surface. They made whatever adaptation was necessary if any and got on with the game instead of whining and complaining. Players who bitch and complain about FieldTurf are behaving like spoiled brats, they have no idea how lucky they are to have such luxurious facilities.

[dbailey62]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

I am sure players the like of Pele, Chinaglia, Beckenbauer or Cruyff could put in an outstanding performance no matter what the surface. They made whatever adaptation was necessary if any and got on with the game instead of whining and complaining. Players who bitch and complain about FieldTurf are behaving like spoiled brats, they have no idea how lucky they are to have such luxurious facilities.

I'll never forget watching Bruce Wilson turn his ankle at the Ex. I met him years later when UVic played in the CIAU soccer finals and we had a chance to chat about that incident. He said it was the only on-field injury he ever received that caused him to miss a match ... in that case several.

That crap carpet as the Ex was an attrocity .... yet Benfica, Juventus, Sporting Cristal, Aris, Notts Forrest and so many others did play on it. Heck. Even Mexico played a WCQ against Canada on that miserable excuse for a playing field.

If guys had to play on that crap now, they'd do exactly that ... and I wouldn't blame them. Yes, they don't know how good they've now got it.

db

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by dbailey62

I don't recall if it was Pele, Chinaglia, Beckenbauer or Cruyff who said something to the effect of ... I'd rather play on an artificial surface with a true bounce than a worn out, barren, uneven grass field.

Yes, obviously a perfect grass field is better than an artificial surface but how many of those are there out there and how much do they cost to maintain or replace (mid season in fact).

db

But we are talking about two completely separate things here. The carpet thats was laid over the cement that the NASL teams played on ( otherwise known as Astroturf). As opposed to what we are seeing today ( field turf) where you have to get down and look real close and prod it with your finger to distinguish it from from Natural grass.

Soccer should not ever be played on the surfaces that the NASL played on. It was terrible to watch the ball bounce all over the plave. But the criticism of the current surfaces is really just ignorance IMO.

[Grizzly]

Mo weighs in on the subject

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/TorontoFC/2007/05/09/4166009-sun.html

Johnston in turf war

Coach not happy with Fire boss

By DEAN McNULTY -- Sun Media

Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston is not pleased over comments by Chicago Fire boss. (Sun File/Michael Peake)

Toronto FC items a hot seller

The coach of the Chicago Fire has expressed fear that his players might get hurt playing on the artificial turf at BMO Field this week.

The Fire will meet Toronto FC Saturday in a Major League Soccer match at the new stadium but coach Dave Sarachan told the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday he would just as soon not play on the TFC pitch.

Sarachan said the concern comes from having played just three days ago (in New England) on an artificial surface and will do so again when his team meets New York Red Bull May 24.

"If we played on it a lot it would take its toll on our bodies,'' Sarachan said.

"The (artificial turf) product is different. It's harder, and we try to

stay off of it as much as possible.''

TFC coach Mo Johnston yesterday scoffed at Sarachan's comments about the BMO field turf.

"I think Dave is really more concerned about having to play in a stadium with 20,000 screaming fans," Johnston said. "This is an absolutely safe turf. Our players play and practise here and none have had any complaints."

The Fire practises and plays on real grass at Toyota Park in Chicago.

Even Chicago team president John Guppy got in on the turf dispute.

"We'd all say grass is preferable,'' Guppy said.

"(Fake grass) keeps getting better, but it still plays a little differently. There's a mental aspect to playing on it.''

Johnston said the Chicago brass should not have any complaints about BMO.

"I would think they would be more concerned about playing in front of only 7,000 or 8,000 fans (in Chicago), than our turf in Toronto," Johnston said.

SALES PITCH

Not only has TFC sold out its season-ticket base of 14,500 seats, it also has sold out of team replica adidas products.

"(TFC) has created record demand for adidas designed team products three times higher than any other MLS team launch in history," adidas rep Steve Ralph said.

But the firm said even though orders have far outdistanced original estimates, a fresh supply will be in kiosks in time for Saturday's game.

[amacpher]

The only valid complaint they have is playing 3 in-a-row on the road. Who's responsible for making up the MLS schedule?

[Soju]

I am and I hate Chicago.