Argentina Criticizes Pitch Conditions At Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Copa América Opener

The Argentina national team didn’t hold back its criticism of the pitch conditions at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium following their 2-0 victory over Canada in last week’s inaugural match of the 2024 Copa América.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and manager Lionel Scaloni were particularly vocal about the state of the newly installed grass surface, which had been laid just two days before the match.

“The state of the pitch was a disaster,” said Martínez to ESPN, the Aston Villa goalkeeper. “Very bumpy. We must improve in this aspect; otherwise, Copa América will always appear at a lower level than the European Championship.”

Argentina’s victory, secured by goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, saw them take the top spot in the Group A standings. Scaloni took the opportunity to highlight the organizers’ poor planning and execution. “The game was like that of Saudi Arabia in the World Cup, except that one had a good pitch,“ Scaloni said.

Scaloni criticized the conditions, “We gave not necessarily a good game, but a game according to the pitch and what the rival proposed. We couldn’t do much more with the conditions of the pitch. Look at the speed of the passes that we did.”

The stadium, home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United FC, usually features an artificial surface. However, at CONMEBOL’s request, natural grass was installed for the tournament, a process that seems to have been poorly executed.

“Two days ago, it was fake, and then they patched panels of grass together. It’s painted to appear nicer than it is,“ Scaloni explained. “The weird thing is we knew months ago we’d play here, so maybe things could’ve been done about the pitch quicker.“

Despite the conditions, the opening match attracted a crowd of 70,564 spectators. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set to host the United States vs. Panama match on June 27 and will be a venue for eight games during the 2026 World Cup, including a semifinal.

On Tuesday, Argentina’s next challenge in Group A will be against Chile at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On the same day, Canada will face Peru at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.