The arrival of Lionel Messi has been a game changer not only for Inter Miami, but for US soccer. With the Argentine star on board, Major League Soccer is reaching unprecedented levels of popularity.
It makes sense, since we’re talking about one of, if not the greatest player of all time. Besides, Messi decided to leave Europe when he still had a lot left in the tank, having led Argentina to World Cup glory only a few months ago.
While the South Florida team is the biggest winner of Leo’s arrival, it’s safe to say Messi’s presence is positive for the entire league. Even so, another MLS team is refusing to help Inter Miami field Leo for a specific game.
Charlotte FC reportedly refuses to change artificial turf for game vs. Inter Miami’s Messi
Even though Lionel Messi is reportedly reluctant to play on artificial turf, Charlotte FC seem to have no intention of installing natural grass at the Bank of America Stadium to welcome Inter Miami on October 21.
“All of our Major League Soccer matches are scheduled to be played on turf. There is no plan to change to natural grass,” a spokesperson for the club told The Charlotte Observer.
There are currently six MLS teams that play on artificial surface, but league commissioner Don Garber suggested he expects these franchises to make changes for the Argentine superstar.
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“That’s going to be the decision of every club when they do travel to those stadiums that don’t have natural grass. My expectations are that that’s what they will do, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to figure all of that out,” Garber told The Athletic. “MLS promotes a lot of international games and we have been able to bring natural grass into those stadiums, but we’ve never done that for a regular season game.”
