Mark Teixeira on NYCFC using Yankee Stadium: 'It’s terrible for a field'
Several New York Yankees players expressed concerns about the field conditions at Yankee Stadium after new MLS team New York City FC plays on it, according to The Wall Street Journal.
NYCFC recently began its inaugural MLS season and hosts its first home game on Sunday. Over the course of the season, 17 NYCFC games will be played at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are a minority owner of the soccer club.
"It'll definitely cause an issue, but it's nothing that we can control, so we can't worry about it," said first baseman Mark Teixeira. "It's terrible for a field."
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[daily_cut.MLB]
Teixeira told the WSJ that he expects the team to find the field's grass and dirt "messed up" when they play on it after a soccer game.
NYCFC president Tom Glick told the WSJ that the arrangement was tested out over the last two summers and that both clubs "believe the field will be able to handle both events."
Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009, hosted its first soccer match in July 2012 and has hosted five overall. In 2010, the stadium also began hosting an annual Pinstripe Bowl for college football.
New York outfielder Brett Gardner told the WSJ he doesn't think soccer matches damage the field as much as a concert or boxing match does, however he said his concern is about potential injuries when the grass needs to be replaced.
"Problem is the root system," he said. "After you put new grass down, there's no root system, so essentially you’re running full speed on top of AstroTurf that’s sitting on top of cement. And that grass will give way, and you blow something out—knee, ankle."
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