Argentinian Scaloni dissatisfied with pitch after victory over Canada in Copa opener

ATLANTA – Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni expressed his dissatisfaction with the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after his team’s 2-0 victory over Canada in the Copa America opener Thursday, saying it was unsuitable for this level of competition.

The venue, which hosts games for Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, usually has an artificial turf field, but a temporary grass field was installed ahead of the tournament opener.

Argentina lacked their usual fluidity in the first half and looked vulnerable at times, much like their 2022 World Cup opener in Qatar, where they were defeated 2-1 by Saudi Arabia.

“The start was similar to the match against Saudi Arabia, with the difference that that time we played on a more decent pitch,” Scaloni told reporters.

“With all due respect, thank God we won. Otherwise it would have been a cheap excuse. We have known for seven months that we are going to play here and two days ago they changed the turf.

“It’s not good for the show. It’s not an excuse. The stadium is beautiful and with artificial grass it should be spectacular, but with the current grass it is not suitable for these types of players.”

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez echoed his manager’s sentiments, telling TyC Sports: “Coming here against a strong Canada, with good attackers and on a pitch that is a disaster, made it a bit difficult for us.

“We have to improve in that area. Otherwise the Copa America will always remain at a lower level than the European Championship.”

Canadian captain Alphonso Davies was not satisfied with his team’s performance against the World Cup champions.

“We have to change our attitude towards the game,” he told Canadian broadcaster TSN.

“We played well in the first half, but in the second half we bounced every long ball. It was a disappointing result, we have to look at everything we did wrong in the match and fix it as quickly as possible.” REUTERS