In MLS, you’ll find artificial playing surfaces in Portland, Atlanta, Foxboro and several other cities across the country. And from coast to coast, you’ll find players who refuse to play on anything but pristine, natural grass.
Earlier this week, ESPN highlighted this truth in its MLS Confidential report. When asked the question, “If a stadium had an artificial surface, would it impact your decision to join that team?” a confident 63 percent answered “yes.” One anonymous respondent said, “I don’t like turf, plain and simple. The times I played on it, it takes a day or two extra to recover.