Stadiums

Next Monday, the Los Angeles Rams are set to “host” the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. However, the league is reportedly looking into moving the game back to LA because the field, quite frankly, looks like a case of hellfire diarrhea. 

Last May, the legendary stadium switched its pitch from natural grass to a hybrid surface, but with both Club America and Cruz Azul utilizing the Azteca, the grass has been a constant source of anxiety over the last few months.

There was no 42-pass team goal, but compared to today’s Manchester derby at the Etihad, the Boca Juniors-River Plate Copa Libertadores final seemed like it was being played on another planet entirely.

The MLS Playoffs are a lot of fun. I watched last Sunday’s nine-hour marathon of Conference Semifinal first legs, so you’ll have to trust me on that point. I say trust me because you did not. Don’t even lie to me. How do I know that? The attendance numbers have been dirt nasty so far (including season-low gate numbers at Toyota Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Rio Tinto . . . and yes, we’re talking about the playoffs vs. the regular season).

Minnesota United will move into its new soccer-specific digs in Saint Paul to start the 2019 Major League Soccer season, and Allianz Field is looking spectacular alongside highway I-94. The pitch was just recently laid, and the seats, supporters’ section and mesh oval exterior give us a fantastic idea of the atmosphere that’ll reverberate around the 19,400-capacity stadium. 

The MLS Cup Playoffs kicked off last night with matches at Toyota Stadium in Frisco and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and the attendance numbers were not good. It was, of course, Halloween night, which ruled out anyone with a kid, anyone attending a monster mash and anyone hellbent on finishing The Haunting of Hill House. 

Having watched Minnesota United on the turf field at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for the last two years — often complete with the white football field markings and the giant University of Minnesota “M” at the center — I could only laugh at those with any vested interest in a crucial Premier League encounter between Tottenham and Manchester City today.

While we all wonder what’s going on with Real Madrid not scoring, or Barcelona struggling to win or who will take the lead among Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, South America is heating up to unknown levels as the Copa Libertadores semifinals are approaching.