Merlo Pitch

I know practically nothing about sod-laying, but I am surprised that it would take root and be ready to be stressed by spring soccer. Or, do they play elsewhere? My high school team had a new sod field made, and I seem to remember that it was something like a year from being laid until normal use.

I think sod can be ready pretty quickly. I remember when they did World Cup matches on sod laid over artificial surfaces. There were a lot of worries that the sod would be unstable, but it didn't turn out to be a problem even though it had only been in for a short time.

Spring games can be played on Pru Pitch or on the recently flattened and re-vamped practice field... I very much doubt they'll be playing on Merlo any time soon.

SoreKnees wrote:I think sod can be ready pretty quickly. I remember when they did World Cup matches on sod laid over artificial surfaces. There were a lot of worries that the sod would be unstable, but it didn't turn out to be a problem even though it had only been in for a short time.

The sod for the World Cup games was only expected to last for a couple of weeks, so it's apples and oranges.

They won't sod. They will most likely plant grass.

Sod is too expensive and Turf people will tell you it doesn't yield as good a pitch. But they played on the practice fields by the sesaon ticket holder's picnic, and that grass was planted in May.

So it might be possible to play on Merlo's pitch for the u23 game if they planted soon and it germinated (weather), but The field woud get trashed a little. The good thing is that they could still have 3 1/2 months to get the field back in shape.

It seems fairly certain the early spring games will be on other fields.

I'm sure they've thought this out, and don't want to lose money by not playing on Merlo Pitch. Does anyone know if we will still have the flattest playing field of college soccer when this is all done?

I'm also sure they have thought it out so that they will have all fall games in the stadium. This is like anything else on our site - we don't pretend to necessarily know, we just like to shoot the breeze and offer opinions, and ask questions.

Now that I reflect on it, I am pretty sure we planted seeds for our new field here rather than laying sod. I would guess it takes a little longer to be ready for serious use from seed, but, as Geezer said, you get a better and longer-lasting finished product, and cheaper.

onetouchfutbol wrote: Does anyone know if we will still have the flattest playing field of college soccer when this is all done?

Last I heard, they will use a laser to make sure it's flat.

It will be flat.

Personally I hope it has a big fat crown on it, just like all those football fields we got to play on in high school. It's so much more exciting if you are on the wing and look across the field and can only see the torso of the guy you are trying to pass it too.

Not to mention you get the x-treme factor of an accurate pass on the floor getting ramped up in the air like that snowboarding tomato character and your perfectly simple pass turns into a test of reflex and skill!

I want our men and women prepared for the worst possible scenario, not spoiled by perfect conditions

DaTruRochin wrote:
I want our men and women prepared for the worst possible scenario, not spoiled by perfect conditions

Those TBD games on the Spring schedule?

They are at New Mexico.

Looks like sod is on the schedule after all.

http://www.portlandpilots.com/news/2010/3/12/GEN_0312103036.aspx

and the article says no games on it for three months.

A crown? I would much rather have it sloping at a two percent gradient from one end to another. That way the coinflip is the most important part of the game, so you can be sure to go downhill during the second half.

A downward sloping gradient with a nice tailwind can make for some fantastic assist and goal tallies for a goalie with a long, accurate drop kick...

Better yet maybe they should put the field on a gigantic hydraulic version of one of these so we ALWAYS have the advantage:

the knob on the right is where I sit.

Well clearly.... Not everyone realizes the perk for the 4K post mark is control of the lengthwise pitch mechanism at Merlo...