How pitch conditions played a role in the U.S. women’s Olympic farewell

On a foggy evening in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Women’s National Team took to the field for their final warm-up game before the Olympics. It was a memorable match against Costa Rica, a scoreless tie that was more one-sided than the finish line suggested, as the U.S. simply struggled to find its way into the net.

But the biggest news of the evening came before the game. Women’s national team midfielder Rose Lavelle was ruled out of the game late in the match, with what a national team spokesman described as a “muscle strain.” Lavelle, still in her uniform, was watching the game from her suite.

Large areas of the pitch were covered in stains, and both penalty spots and the centre spot had been replaced the day before the match. The ball did not move properly on the pitch, which was particularly bumpy towards the touchlines.

After the game, coach Emma Hayes said the condition of the pitch was not a reason for Lavelle to be ruled out late in the game. She just wanted to avoid “risks.” Hayes stressed the need for everyone to be healthy before heading to France. That’s especially important after U.S. forward Catarina Macario was forced to withdraw from the squad with a “slight knee irritation.”

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During the match, American striker Mallory Swanson appeared to struggle to take corner kicks, with large sections of the pitch being blown away on more than one attempt.

“The field was good,” Swanson said with a laugh. “In the turns, I felt like I was kicking dirt.”

Swanson took several corner kicks into rough areas of the grass (Brad Smith/Getty Images)

The stadium has seen heavy traffic in recent days. Audi Field is home to Major League Soccer team D.C. United, which played against Nashville SC on Saturday. The night before, the stadium hosted an international rugby match between the United States and Scotland, part of which was played after a thunderstorm hit the D.C. area. This weekend, United is back in action at Audi with a friendly against Scottish team Celtic, adding to the wear and tear on the stadium.

The turf, which was previously scheduled to be replaced in early June, will be replaced later this month, a source familiar with D.C. United’s operations said Tuesday.

The stadium is also set to host the two-day Broccoli City Festival at the end of the month.

“It was definitely a bit bumpy,” midfielder Sam Coffey said of the pitch. “We noticed that on the day of the game when we didn’t have any training. I think there were a lot of other things that happened on that pitch. Like the heat, you can’t do anything about it.”

“You can’t use that as an excuse or a reason why we didn’t get the job done. It wasn’t the best pitch we’ve ever played on, but that wasn’t a reason why we didn’t get the job done tonight.”

Audi Stadium is also home to the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League, which won’t return to the field until mid-August, and the DC Defenders of Major League Soccer, which ended its season earlier in the summer. The DC Power, a new MLS team, will begin playing at Audi Stadium in the fall.

Asked about the surface on Tuesday, U.S. team captain Lindsey Horan said: “No comment.”

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This summer’s Copa America put the spotlight on the state of the pitches in the United States. The men’s international tournament was marred by problems with the playing surfaces. Players and coaches complained about the quality of the natural grass laid on some of the pitches — while others complained about the dimensions of the pitches, which were the bare minimum for a major tournament.

It is worth noting that Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa blamed the tournament organizers for the condition of the stadiums, accusing them of lying to protect their own interests.

(Top photo: Pablo Morer)