The new pro soccer team NYCFC has started to look silly with regularly repeated public denials that the grass field it uses for home MLS matches at Yankee Stadium is smaller than what the rest of the league plays on.<\/p>\n
Every MLS franchise in the league except NYCFC conforms with the \u201cinternational match standard\u201d for field dimensions set out in the FIFA Laws of the Game. That widely-recognized rule book says the playing surface must be a minimum of 70 yards wide and 110 yards long.<\/p>\n
The Bondy Boys at the Daily News (Filip and Stefan) have written about NYCFC\u2019s field skimpiness since the home opener two weeks ago but the team\u2019s consistent retort has been to shut down consideration of the subject with either a denial or a refusal to discuss it.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s unfortunate is that the father-son Bondy duo have long covered soccer both locally and internationally with the purest of intentions. They surely want NYCFC to succeed without saying so but are viewed as villains by NYCFC because they keep harping on the field size.<\/p>\n
The story blew wide open last weekend when Sporting KC came to town. The Bondy Boys have been unable to independently verify the field\u2019s size beyond eyeballing it. NYCFC won\u2019t let \u2019em near the surface for an official measurement. So, Fil Bondy worked around the dumb stonewall by NYCFC and simply got the info directly from KC\u2019s head coach Peter Vermes. \u201cIt\u2019s 68 by 106,\u201d said Vermes.<\/p>\n
What made the field\u2019s shortcomings even more of a flashpoint was that the lone goal in the match came on a throw-in by KC\u2019s Matt Besler from the sideline. Because the field\u2019s width is pinched relative to the goal mouth, the Besler toss reached uncharted territory and found the head of teammate Ike Opara for the score.<\/p>\n
A throw from the sideline wouldn\u2019t normally threaten the danger zone but NYCFC\u2019s field yields such opportunities. Vermes acknowledged advanced knowledge of the short field and said his squad prepared for ways to exploit it.<\/p>\n
I would think it\u2019s just a matter of time before MLS commissioner Don Garber intervenes and forces NYCFC to acknowledge that the field it plays on fails to meet minimum standards. The league could adopt a temporary measure allowing for an exemption in this case. The alternative would be to rotate the rectangle but that\u2019s not gonna happen given the extra work involved with transitioning between soccer and baseball and the dirt portions of the setup.<\/p>\n
NYCFC simply needs to be up front. The organization should coordinate an announcement with Garber that says Yankee Stadium is a temporary home and this is a temporary arrangement.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that the National Women\u2019s Soccer League puts a caveat on its field-of-play regulations by saying the 70 by 110 minimum is required \u201cexcept where stadium design deems it unreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the perfect exception to apply in NYCFC\u2019s case. Instead of being coy and evasive as an organization about a franchise-related fact that isn\u2019t tops on the list of fan concerns, just acknowledge the truth. It looks rinky-dink to handle it as the team is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new pro soccer team NYCFC has started to look silly with regularly repeated public denials that the grass field it uses for home MLS matches at Yankee Stadium is smaller than what the rest of the league plays on. … Continue reading