On a hazy D.C. evening, the U.S. women’s national team took the field for its final friendly before the Olympics. The game against Costa Rica was a forgettable affair, a nervy, scoreless draw that was more one-sided than the scoreline implied, with the U.S. simply struggling to find the back of the net.
The evening’s biggest news, however, came before the match. USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle was a late scratch for the game, sidelined with what a spokesperson for the women’s national team described as “muscle tightness.” Lavelle, still wearing her match uniform, watched from a suite.
Large swaths of the field were discolored and both penalty spots and the center spot had been replaced a day prior to the match. The ball did not move cleanly on the pitch, which was particularly bumpy towards the sidelines.
Square replacement patches could be seen on the pitch. (Photo by Pablo Maurer)
After the game, head coach Emma Hayes said field conditions weren’t a factor in scratching Lavelle late. She just wanted to avoid “risks”. Hayes emphasized the need to have everyone healthy heading to France. This is especially important after U.S. forward Catarina Macario had to withdraw from the squad due to a “minor knee irritation.”
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During the game, U.S. forward Mallory Swanson seemed to struggle on corner kicks, with large chunks of the playing surface coming loose on more than one of her attempts.
“(The field) was fine,” Swanson said with a chuckle. “The corners, there’s no secret that it was definitely (like) I was kicking into dirt.”
Swanson took multiple corner kicks in rough patches of grass. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images)
The pitch has seen a ton of traffic in recent days. Audi Field is home to Major League Soccer side D.C. United, who played a match 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 just after a driving thunderstorm hit the D.C. area. This weekend, United returns to action at Audi again with a friendly against Scotland’s Celtic FC, providing even more wear and tear on the pitch.
A source familiar with D.C. United’s operations said on Tuesday that the turf, which had previously been scheduled for replacement in early June, would be replaced later this month.
The stadium will also host the two-day Broccoli City Festival at the end of the month.
“It was definitely a little bumpy,” midfielder Sam Coffey said of the field. “We noticed that in our matchday minus one training. I think there have been a bunch of other events on this field. Kind of like the heat, you can’t do anything about it. You can’t label it as an excuse or reason to not get the job done. It wasn’t the best field we’ve ever played on, but it wasn’t a factor in why we didn’t get the job done tonight.”
Audi Field is also home to the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, who won’t return to the stadium until mid-August, and the United Football League’s DC Defenders, who finished its season earlier in the summer. DC Power, the new USL Super League team, will begin play at Audi Field in the fall.
When asked about the surface on Tuesday, U.S. captain Lindsey Horan said, “No comment.”
This summer’s Copa America thrust U.S. pitch conditions into the spotlight. The men’s international tournament was marred by issues with playing surfaces. Players and coaches complained about the quality of the natural grass that was laid over some turf fields — others bemoaned the field dimensions, which were the minimum for a major tournament. Memorably, Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa blamed tournament organizers for the pitches, accusing them of lying to protect their own interest.
(Top photo: Pablo Maurer)
