With the 2015 Women’s World Cup in full swing – the US beat Nigeria last night 1-0 to advance to the round of 16 – there have been nearly as many stories done on the players as there have been on the pitch, or in this case, the turf. The Women’s World Cup is being played on synthetic surfaces for the first time, amid player criticisms and even a lawsuit.
When the Pittsburgh Riverhounds take on the D.C. United of Major League Soccer in Wednesday nights’ U.S. Open Cup match, they’ll be playing on the turf of Highmark Stadium.
The United’s home ground at RFK Stadium has a grass pitch, as do 15 of the 20 Major League Soccer venues. Could the playing surface be an advantage for the underdog host team?
“Absoultely,” said Riverhounds forward Miro Cabrilo. “I think the D.C. players won’t like to play on this field and especially the narrow field. It’s something they’re not going to be used to.
“I think most players, if not all, would prefer to play on grass, but we’ve gotten used to the turf and we like our home field.”
Riverhounds head coach Mark Steffens agrees that his squad could see – literally – a home-field advantage.
“I think a little bit,” Steffens said. “I don’t think it’s a huge advantage. I think more than the turf, I think the size of the field will play to our strengths a little bit.
They’re used to playing on a field 76 to 78 yards wide and Highmark Stadium is 70. Those tight spaces may throw them off a little bit, we hope.”
Regardless of whether it’s the turf or the narrow playing surface, playing at home clearly agrees with the Riverhounds. They are 3-1-3 in USL play at home and have won both home US Open Cup contests. In those seven league games, they’ve scored 20 goals at home and have scored five or more three times.
“We’ll have a packed stadium that will motivate our guys for sure,” Steffens said. “Being at home is key because we are familiar the size, we know how to play on this field a little bit, but being at home with our crowd is the biggest factor.”
Over 4,000 tickets have been sold for the first visit of an MLS club to the Riverhounds’ two-year old venue. The Riverhounds last hosted an MLS opponent back in 2001, when the Colorado Rapids visited Bethel Park High School. The Riverhounds are asking that fans wear gold to tonight’s game.
