It was more of a “goal” than a “GOOOALLLLLLLLLLL,” but Atlanta’s first match in the Club World Cup went off without a hitch Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was the first of six matches the city and the stadium will host in the 32-team tournament.
Though the crowd was a stadium-low 22,137 in a venue that seats more than 70,000, the game was entertaining, the field held up very well, and there were no security incidents.
“No concerns,” Dietmar Exler, chief operating officer of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, said after Chelsea defeated LAFC 2-0.
Things went more smoothly than in last year’s Copa America opener between Argentina and Canada because the city and stadium had more time to prepare.
The grass put in for the tournament had a six-day period to take hold, compared to two to three days before last year’s match.
There were a few slips by players, but there were no gashes, tufts, divots or trampolining effect.
As soon as the match ended, workers were out mowing and repairing small spots. Three push mowers were run up and down the field before the grow lights were brought back out.
“Biggest focus was on the field; we’re pretty happy,” Exler said.
LAFC’s Mark Delgado said short passes would stick and long passes would skip because the grass was dry in some places as the halves continued, but overall, it was good. The strain was developed by FIFA to be used by all of the stadiums. The subflooring was switched to metal from plastic to reduce the bounciness.
Chelsea has played on grass the past two times it has played in Atlanta. Those fields were OK. This time …
“The pitch was good,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “We didn’t have any problem with that.”
The reviews were better than those of MetLife Stadium, which drew complaints after Sunday’s match between Porto and Palmeiras because of its dryness and how it affected play.
While the field was good, the announced attendance was the smallest non-COVID era soccer crowd in the stadium’s history.
Atlanta’s first match was the sixth held in the tournament.
Among the comparably sized stadiums that have already hosted a match, Miami opened with 60.927 at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. Palmeiras and Porto drew 46,275 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Rose Bowl, featuring Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid, drew 80,619 on Sunday.
Unlike the other three, Atlanta’s attendance was hampered by the day and 3 p.m. start. Exler said he thinks the attendance will be higher for Thursday’s match between Porto and Inter Miami because it is a holiday.
Of those who were there Monday, LAFC’s fervent supporters, known as the 3252, dominated the atmosphere with drums and chants throughout. Chelsea’s fans, spread throughout the stadium, were given reasons to cheer when Pedro Neto scored in the first half and Enzo Fernandez scored in the second.
There were even a few fans of Mexico’s Club Leon, which qualified for the tournament but wasn’t allowed to play by FIFA because of a dual-ownership issue. Some who had bought tickets showed up anyway.
“Was a good match, a good performance,” Maresca said. “I think the environment was a bit strange. The stadium was almost empty, not full.”
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