New England Soccer Today

Grass Installed Ahead of Revs-Orlando City Clash

Gillette-1

Photo credit: sportsofboston.com

It’s about to get real when it comes to playing surface this weekend at Gillette Stadium.

For the first time in nearly two years, the Revolution will play host on a grass pitch when they face Orlando City on Saturday. The natural surtface was installed earlier this week in preparation for Tuesday’s United States-Brazil international friendly.

While the prospect of playing a 90-minute match on grass in front of the Foxboro Faithful may be something of a novelty, veteran Revolution left back Chris Tierney doesn’t foresee any major issues with the temporary pitch.

“It’s a small thing that we’ll make adjustments to,” Tierney told the media on Tuesday. “We’ve all obviously played on grass before so it’s not going to be a factor for us. We’re confident that, in front of our fans – on grass, turf, or whatever it may be – we’re going to get a good result.”

Gillette Stadium originally featured a grass pitch when it opened in 2002, made the switch to an artificial surface prior to the 2007 season. The surface was upgraded during the early part of the 2014 season.

The last time the Revolution hosted a match with grass beneath them came in a Sept. 5, 2013 clash against the Montreal Impact, a game which the locals lost 4-2 after Matt Reis was sent off in the fifth minute.

Of course, the Revolution are well-acquainted with playing on the real stuff: their training ground features a grass surface.

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