Dale Mitchell Not Pleased With BMO Field

[Markham_RPB]

While Canada's National Men's soccer head coach Dale Mitchell was disappointed about his squads result, a one-goal draw with Jamaica in the 2010 World Cup qualifying round, he was more noticeably upset with the turf at Toronto's BMO Field.

Mitchell told the TEAM 1040 Sports Radio in Vancouver that he was happy that Canada's soccer squad won't be in Toronto again this year, as the ball bounced around too much on the artificial surface during the game.
"I'm pleased that we're not going to play on it again during this qualification around in 2008," he said. "I hope we don't in 2009, I don't think it's a good surface".

Mitchell went on to say that he has seen a lot of Toronto FC's games over the last two seasons and thinks that the MLS team doesn't play at the same quality as they do when they play on natural grass.

With the transfer of Maurice Edu to Rangers in Scotland, Mitchell hopes that they can put those transfer funds towards a better pitch at BMO Field.

"I'm hopeful over time they can change the surface in Toronto because they have everything else in place in terms of having a great MLS franchise," he added.



What are your thoughts towards Coach Mitchell's response ?

[Shakes McQueen]

Good on him. Does nothing but increase the pressure to do something about the problem.

- Scott

[werewolf]

http://tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=247509&lid=sublink07&lpos=headlines_main


While Canada's National Men's soccer head coach Dale Mitchell was disappointed about his squads result, a one-goal draw with Jamaica in the 2010 World Cup qualifying round, he was more noticeably upset with the turf at Toronto's BMO Field.

Mitchell told the TEAM 1040 Sports Radio in Vancouver that he was happy that Canada's soccer squad won't be in Toronto again this year, as the ball bounced around too much on the artificial surface during the game.

"I'm pleased that we're not going to play on it again during this qualification around in 2008," he said. "I hope we don't in 2009, I don't think it's a good surface".

Mitchell went on to say that he has seen a lot of Toronto FC's games over the last two seasons and thinks that the MLS team doesn't play at the same quality as they do when they play on natural grass.

With the transfer of Maurice Edu to Rangers in Scotland, Mitchell hopes that they can put those transfer funds towards a better pitch at BMO Field.

"I'm hopeful over time they can change the surface in Toronto because they have everything else in place in terms of having a great MLS franchise," he added.

[boban]

My thoughts are this should go in the Canada forum.

[dupont]

Good. The more people that make noise about it, the better. Everytime someone mentions it gives the media another chance to write about it. Then the media talking about it makes joe blow public hear about it. That is what's needed.

[flatpicker]

I'm all for the influential people in Canadian soccer for speaking up in favour of grass.
There more exposure it gets the sooner we will have the real deal in Toronto!

[James Oliphant]

Mitchell went on to say that he has seen a lot of Toronto FC's games over the last two seasons and thinks that the MLS team doesn't play at the same quality as they do when they play on natural grass.

Uhh....has he seen our record on grass?

Just sayin'...

[Markham_RPB]

I do want another Canada qualifying game to come to Toronto though !

[JDG]

Uhh....has he seen our record on grass?

Just sayin'...

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read the quote.

[boban]

Uhh....has he seen our record on grass?
Just sayin'...
Doesn't really mean anything.
Others teams play is dumbed down when they come here (Last night was a perfect example). When TFC is on the road it means teams that play on grass just pick up their game that much more.

[ensco]

Don't over-intellectualize this. He's supporting Mo, who is out on a limb on this.

Thank you Dale.

[ManUtd4ever]

Yes, thank you very much Dale!

[FluSH]

THANK YOU DALE!

That should be on the Front Page of this site...

[Hooligan69]

I highly doubt we will be getting real grass anytime soon.

[sully]

What are your thoughts towards Coach Mitchell's response ?

While I of course agree that BMO needs grass...this reminds me of the excuses following the U20 championships...

The fact is that Jamacia played on the same surface and any other opponent would too..so this sounds winy to me.

[Don Julio]

This would have been more meaningful if we'd (Canada) won.

[rocker]

i now hope we get grass soon just so we can stop hearing the complaints and excuses. it's this black cloud every week over the team. if course, then we'll get grass and it'll get worn out, and somebody will complain it's not good enough ;)

[loconet]

This would have been more meaningful if we'd (Canada) won.

That makes no sense what so ever. So just because we tied, our national coach's opinion is meaningless?

--

That our national coach (amongst many other key people in the sport) think this of our "National stadium" is somewhat embarrassing but it's good that he's speaking out. The more attention this issue gets, the better chances that it will get addressed.

[LucaGol]

this has nothing to do with the thread, but I really wish that Stephen Hart was Canada's coach and not Dale Mitchell.

I just don't get positive vibes from Mitchell.

But other than that....ya...field turf is bad....the ball just doesn't f'n sit....controlling passes without a bobble or a bounce is nearly impossible.

Just put grass in there....the community won't mind. Hell, the ppl that play there are probably all TFC fans anyways who want grass over community use 24/7, 365 days a year.

I mean, really what's the point of playing rec league soccer in a professional soccer stadium....its kind of stupid.

[Super]

Dale Mitchell will stay on as coach of Canada in this campaign, and there is nothing we can do to change that. Trust me, the CSA does not respond well to criticism. Mitchell is hired to bring us to the WC in South Africa, and if he fails to do that we'll likely get the new coach we want -- but not until then.

[RPB_Brantford_08]

Dale Mitchell sucks....he should have never been giving the job...he was 2nd/3rd choice, not the first..betcha that makes him feel good all over. Hes job length
will be short.

[Cadaren]

God could we beat this dead horse anymore? I'm pretty sure everyone and their brother knows the surface sucks.

[Limani_Ole]

where are all the turf supporters now?

[ilikemusic]

Trying to follow the bouncing ball at BMO is a disgrace to the beautiful game.

[LucaGol]

where are all the turf supporters now?

...they bounced.

[Beach_Red]

Trying to follow the bouncing ball at BMO is a disgrace to the beautiful game.

It bounces like a lacrosse ball - the first bounce is different from the rest.

[denime]

GOOD
This is exactly what we need PRESSURE from all sides.I don't want to discuss him as a coach but as long he and other CMNT players go public against turf,better chances we have to get grass and practice facilities for TFC Academy and Community use.

[DOMIN8R]

http://tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=247509&lid=sublink07&lpos=headlines_main

Thanks for citing reference source, W.

[professor]

Dale Mitchell sucks....he should have never been giving the job...he was 2nd/3rd choice, not the first..betcha that makes him feel good all over. Hes job length
will be short.

at the Canadian Soccer Association, the tail wags the dog

Example 1
BMO (Toronto) wasn't 85% pro Canada (and a sell out) because of anything the CSA initiatied - it was external groups that carved out that anomaly

Example 2
he was not 2nd/3rd choice he was on the short list as a courtesy
but he was BCSA's choice and their pressure around the table won out

Dale Mitchell's appointment to u20 coach way back when was an excellent practical example of the Peter Principal in terms of football

it defies logic that Dale Mitchell was promoted from u20 to National team coach.

The u20s were poorly prepared, their results demonstrated that
the fact that u20s from that program can't make it in the MLS is another telling feature of how poor our ynt program is/was

Dale Mitchell blaming the players for poor results during the 2007 u20 WC is another telling statement of the man's lack of character and integrity
never mind football ability

The fact that he's positioning himself now with ancillary comments related to venues - did Jamaica play on another field - is amusing.

Has he commented on his choice of tactics and alignment or his inability or lack of timeliness in adjusting HIS team's tactics in light of Jamaica’s willingness to play for a tie and not pressure our lads in our third of the park....

anyway, I digress.....

Dale Mitchell's opinion is nothing but preaching to the choir

Dale Mitchell should have been making those comments to the Toronto media - not waiting till he's home comfy cozy in Vancouver

the grass vs. turf issue, it's up to MLSE, TFC is their baby

[nfitz]

As much as I'd love to see grass - how seriously are his comments going to be taken when he says that he's seen TFC playing better on grass than at home?

He's clearly simply trying to protect his job, after losing a must-win game. That's what this is about, nothing more, nothing less.

[Cambridge_Red]

It's good ie. Bring in the fucking grass BUT...
shitty because I'm doubtful they will and I really enjoyed my first CMNT experience and would love to do it again.

[wzhxvy]

I am not too upset that Dale M. is giving this issue some exposure, especially given that he is employed by the CSA. So now we have 2 out of the 3 parties that need to agree to make this a grass field. Government is next.

HOWEVER, Dale, buddy ole pal, our National Team did not tie Jamaica because of the surface. Its because our goal tender was doing his best impression of an arabesque ! You left Friend out on his own with no support, and Gerba should have started. So do not dare blame the surface for that. Now go get them in Montreal, we want to go to South Africa.

And I agree with everyone, anyone who was there this Tuesday knows how special it is to watch our MNT play in a such a big game at home. I truly hope we see them again soon, and that grass is not too far in our future. Cheers.

[massive_magpie]

I hate grass as much as the next RPB, but if for some fucking reason it takes longer than anticipated to install grass and Toronto misses out on WCQ games I'm going to go fucking postal. Even with a plastic pitch we give our boys advantages on-par to other venues in the country.

It's just like proffessor said, did Jamaice play on a different field?

[MUFC_Niagara]

I hate grass as much as the next RPB, but if for some fucking reason it takes longer than anticipated to install grass and Toronto misses out on WCQ games I'm going to go fucking postal. Even with a plastic pitch we give our boys advantages on-par to other venues in the country.

It's just like proffessor said, did Jamaice play on a different field?

Exactly....I want real grass as much as the next guy but ffs Dale....talk about how many chances YOUR team missed.....or how about the mistake by Onstad on the corner, as far as i know the ball didn't bounce then? Jamaica played on the same pitch as us, as do other MLS teams that beat us at home...

[VPjr]

I just have to shake my head when I read DM's comments.

To say Toronto plays better on grass is ridiculous. We have the worst record on the road in the league. Other than the match against LAG early in the season, have we actually played WELL on any field other than BMO (and, before last night, when was the last time we actually played Above Average/Well at BMO?)

By its very nature, a ball control team that prides itself on keeping possession should have little issue with playing on FieldTurf. The roll is perfectly true and weighting a pass is not dependant on the height of the grass or any imperfections on the surface. Yes, the ball bounces a tad bit more on FieldTurf but that should not be an issue for a team that is supposed to be playing ball possession and attacking through the middle of the field. TFC's problem is that the team has so few players that can play a possession game consistently but it really doesn't matter if you are playing on FieldTurf, grass or gravel. if you can't make a pass, you can't make a pass, period.

For pure aesthetics, I'd like real grass (it looks better on TV).

To stop the constant bitching and moaning from brainless players and coaches, I'd like grass.

But if you ask me what surface i'd like to play on if I play possession style soccer, I'd take fieldturf over the crappy real grass pitches Canada is going to encounter when they travel to Hondura and especially Jamaica (their real grass is so bad their own coach bitched out the Jamaican Football Federation about it). Bad Grass will have a bigger negative impact on Canada's playing style than FieldTurf...trust me. I've spoken to lots of coaches about this issue. No one loves FieldTurf but they like it alot better than most grass surfaces they encounter.

If MLSE can guarantee that the grass will be PERFECTLY maintained (like at most top English grounds), and the pitch will only be used the day before a match and on game day, then real grass is the best. However, if the facility is going to get used constantly even with real grass, I'd rather keep the FieldTurf and give our team the advantage.

trust me, Mitchell has no pull over where Team Canada plays its games. the CSA is going to go where it can maximize gate receipts. They are obligated to play 6 times per year at BMO so if we are still in the hunt for qualification next year, you can be sure of at least 2 and maybe 3 dates in Toronto.

If they don't win against Honduras, you can bet DM will have a hard time getting his calls returned by his CSA colleagues. The CSA is still in bad financial shape and they have placed almost all their bets on winning entry into the WC2010 to fix those balance sheet woes. That $10 million cash injection would fix alot of problems. More than one CSA board member has told me that face to face, in pretty much exactly those words.

[denime]

Than I have to ask myself why the f*ck they hired coach like Mitchell if they need to win WC2010 qualifying and money?

[Rhapido]

I don't understand this guy. Never mind how ridiculous his statement is about TFC playing better on grass than on turf (we all know better). We gave the team unprecedented support in the stands last Wednesday and all he can do is bitch about the turf? Please don't tell me the turf is so bad that you'd rather go play in front of a docile Edmonton crowd that's half the size in a stadium twice as big. Or that you prefer that Swanguard stadium in Vancouver that fits 5 or 6K and has embaressing dirt patches worse than some of my local pitches. Give me a frickin' break!

[egoodwin]

lol if he hates BMO now, wait till the Argos move in

Hopefully, it won't get to that point though

[professor]

I'm sorry for this thread-jack

For the CSA & Cdn soccer supporters
South Africa = double–edged sword

qualify = $10,000,000.00 transfer fee from FIFA for qualifying

that transfer payment validates the current CSA infrastructure
- never mind that 95% of the current board was in place for the lead-up
and failure of 2006's trip to Germany
- and these are the same people that buried the D&T report
- these are the same people who hired Mitchell
- these are the same people that drove Bates back to England
- these are the same people who backed off of Pelerud
- these are the same people who hired, fired and rolled over for Nycamp
- these are the same people who have no expertise in football
management, administration, or operations from a full-time perspective
- these are the same people who spent CSA funds frivolously, capriciously
and without proper authority or controls
- these are the same people who advertised in Canadian newspapers for
candidates to staff very specialized positions related to football
( i mean get real - its the *ucking blind leading the blind @ Metcalfe)

fail to qualify = still leaves the same people in charge
- CSA = probably ends up as insolvent
- not one of directors will have the fortitude to resign
- yeah they'll fire Mitchell, Hart, Clarke, Montopoli, but these clowns aren't the real problem
- but the board of directors will still maintain the same control over the constitution and continue as if all will be resolved by 2014

either way that light at the end of the tunnel is OFF

end of rant, end of thread-jack, again, sorry.....

please return to discussion of Mitchell's superficial comments...

[VPjr]

Than I have to ask myself why the f*ck they hired coach like Mitchell if they need to win WC2010 qualifying and money?

Because the people who make these types of decisions at the CSA's Board of Directors are incredibly naive when it comes to elite soccer but are fairly good at playing silly political games.

Whether or not Simoes was the right choice for Canada, CSA President Dom Maestracci told me to my face that a big reason Simoes was not hired was because Simoes wanted his own physio on staff. Imagine that...a coach wanting to bring his own staff with him? Shocking stuff! Somehow, I doubt the English FA would have rejected Capello if he insisted on his own physio. Instead of being pro-active and insisting that Simoes must employ a certain number of Canadian coaches and trainers to work with his staff, they just rejected the hiring of an experience coach outright and handed the reigns to the coach who failed miserably at the U20s and who lacks the experience or personality for the job he was given.

[professor]

Because the people who make these types of decisions at the CSA's Board of Directors are incredibly naive when it comes to elite soccer but are fairly good at playing silly political games.

Whether or not Simoes was the right choice for Canada, CSA President Dom Maestracci told me to my face that a big reason Simoes was not hired was because Simoes wanted his own physio on staff. Imagine that...a coach wanting to bring his own staff with him? Shocking stuff! Somehow, I doubt the English FA would have rejected Capello if he insisted on his own physio. Instead of being pro-active and insisting that Simoes must employ a certain number of Canadian coaches and trainers to work with his staff, they just rejected the hiring of an experience coach outright and handed the reigns to the coach who failed miserably at the U20s and who lacks the experience or personality for the job he was given.


VP

I remember SW sharing that explanation to me when you and he had that meeting with Maestracci & Montagliani in downtown T-O

He was absolutely floored

Maestracci = a medical school doctor/instructor
Montagliani = an insurance man

[denime]

It's good to know that future of Canadian soccer is in good hands.:sad:

[professor]

It's good to know that future of Canadian soccer is in good hands.:sad:


here's the punchline

Maestracci = a medical school doctor/instructor
Montagliani = an insurance man

Maestracci = as President, his main CSA portfolio is Governance
Montagliani = as VP, his main CSA portfolio is the National Team Program (all teams)

Maestracci = was Quebec's head referee assessor
Montagliani = played intra-mural at university and low level league football during a summer trip to Italy

[boban]

If they don't win against Honduras, you can bet DM will have a hard time getting his calls returned by his CSA colleagues. The CSA is still in bad financial shape and they have placed almost all their bets on winning entry into the WC2010 to fix those balance sheet woes. That $10 million cash injection would fix alot of problems. More than one CSA board member has told me that face to face, in pretty much exactly those words.
But that $10M wouldn't fix all the problems because a good chunk of that money would have to be paid to the players. I am sure the players would want some kind of bonus for getting the team into the finals and the CSA would rightly have to pay it. But being the morons they are at the CSA they'll fuck this up too.

[boban]

Whether or not Simoes was the right choice for Canada, CSA President Dom Maestracci told me to my face that a big reason Simoes was not hired was because Simoes wanted his own physio on staff. Imagine that...a coach wanting to bring his own staff with him? Shocking stuff! Somehow, I doubt the English FA would have rejected Capello if he insisted on his own physio. Instead of being pro-active and insisting that Simoes must employ a certain number of Canadian coaches and trainers to work with his staff, they just rejected the hiring of an experience coach outright and handed the reigns to the coach who failed miserably at the U20s and who lacks the experience or personality for the job he was given.
If memory serves me correctly, out of the 5/6 members on Capello's team they are all Italian except for 1 Englishman. The English bit the bullet and accommodated a coach but the great soccer power that is Canada can't. :noidea: :rolleyes:

[ag futbol]

I'd post something longer but Professor has already covered most of the points. Listing to these guys on the board of directors speak is just as uninspiring as Dale Mitchell himself.

Everyone keep the torches in reserve, we can make these hacks walk the plank eventually.

[I_AM_CANADIAN]

This isn't a national soccer stadium if the national team won't play in it.

[Keegan]

Uhh....has he seen our record on grass?

Just sayin'...

What he means is that due to Toronto being so used to the turf practicing on it every day it affects their play on grass.

[NateDoGG]

tfc's pitch looks like it is pure crap
ive never been on it so i dont know, but it looks really bad, and i can see how players from europe would not want to play here becuz of it...

[VPjr]

tfc's pitch looks like it is pure crap
ive never been on it so i dont know, but it looks really bad, and i can see how players from europe would not want to play here becuz of it...


On TV, it definitely looks like shit. The light reflect differently on the more trampled areas (generally the 18 yard box) and always looks wet, for lack of a better description.

At the stadium, I think the pitch looks fine.

[denime]

Turf might look fine,but after playing on the field so many times I can tell you one thing.IT HURTS,every joint was sore after playing at BMO.Knees where killing me,now I can imagine how they feel , practice every day on that surface plus games,no wonder everybody hates it.
Turf as it is is good for youth soccer ,kids are not heavy,less impact on bones and joints and it is much easier for ball control,and if the coach is teaching the kids to play possession instead of famous "Route One" it's perfect for development.
For professional soccer players it's nightmare.

[boban]

On TV, it definitely looks like shit. The light reflect differently on the more trampled areas (generally the 18 yard box) and always looks wet, for lack of a better description.
It looks like its been shellacked. lol



At the stadium, I think the pitch looks fine.
I went to my first game on Saturday since the night game in May. I got there pretty early so I saw the field in daylight for the first time since last season. And let me say when you see the field with a long interval between visits you notice the differences. The Field looks like utter shit up close compared to last season. The wear and tear the socialists put it through really bring out the sad state the field is in. It looks shellacked, the black pellets are more noticeable more than ever before, and the green is totally faded.

[MrHawk]

I think KrazyKanadian was taking pictures and someone commented that the pitch looks grey?

[Roogsy]

Reading about the CSA hurts me more than playing at BMO Field on the turf.

[JonO]

I think KrazyKanadian was taking pictures and someone commented that the pitch looks grey?
The pitch was grey in that pic... Krazy editing ;)

[Juanito]

Although I agree with the fact that the grass would be the way to go at BMO, the fact remains that Canada were the superior team as far as individual ability but they could not play like a cohesive unit and that my friends IS THE COACH'S FAULT. Buddy can complain all he wants but the fact remains that regardless of the pitch, he is trying to take one of the best Canadian teams in recent memory to the World Cup .... THAT'S HIS JOB!

[ochos]

I'm not even going to pretend to know about the politics that plague our domestic association, but I can tell you this...

Our team clearly has a lot of skill, and I saw a lot of that skill going to waste.. it seemed like they were having a tough time keeping the ball down, not being used it's sporadic bounces.

Having played on the surface at BMO, and playing on turf every winter, I know first hand the drawbacks of a turf pitch (In actuality though, playing on turf is a dream for amateur players because all the pitches in Ontario are shite!)

Ever notice how TFC never manages to drill shots on net from outside the box? Aside from their lack of skill, it's hard to whip the ball around the perimetre and let loose like you can on a grass pitch.. unless you strike the ball super cleanly, without ground reaction force.. the ball likes to rise.

Couple that with having no walls/roof and being down near the windy lakeshore, and you've got a recipe for disaster...