Argentina’s National Team (National Team) coach, Lionel Scaloni, said that the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States had really bad field conditions. Even though in the end Argentina still won over Canada, Scaloni still felt that the field was not worthy of being the venue for a tournament as big as the 2024 Copa America.
Yes, the Argentine national team managed to achieve a 2-0 victory over Canada in the first match of Group A of the 2024 Copa America. The match took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States on Friday (21/6/2024).
Even though they were favored to win, Lionel Messi et al were unable to score a goal in the first half. However, Julian Alvarez (49′) and Lautaro Martinez (88′) ensured that Argentina got full points.
Despite winning, Lionel Scaloni criticized the condition of the field. According to him, the grass at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was only replaced two days before it was used to hold the Argentina vs Canada match.
“We have known for seven months that we would play here and they changed the grass two days ago,” said Lionel Scaloni, quoted from Goal International, Saturday (22/6/2024).
Furthermore, Lionel Scaloni said Argentina did not play on a proper pitch. According to him, the field in Saudi Arabia is better than the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We don’t play on a decent pitch. It’s similar to Saudi (Arabia), but the difference is we play there on a decent pitch. It can’t be like this,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Emi Martinez said the field was uneven and made it difficult for the Argentine players to control the ball. The Argentinian goalkeeper explained that the home of the Atlanta Falcons does not suit Argentina’s style of play.
“The pitch was not good – very bumpy – in other areas, it was very difficult for us. We like pitches that are slippery and fast enough for our style of play,” said Emi Martinez.
After beating Canada, Argentina will try to continue its positive results when facing Chile. The match will take place at MetLife Stadium, Wednesday (26/6/2024).
