Mike Magee didn't mince words.
He may not have been able to play on Saturday at Toyota Park as the Chicago Fire tied the record for draws in a single season in a wild 3-3 match, but Magee certainly didn't have anything good to say about the field surface, which was marked by large patches that appeared to have been recently re-sodded.
You can see a photo of the field here. Magee, the reigning MLS Volkswagen MVP, underwent season-ending hip surgery earlier this month.
Teammate Bakary Soumare chimed in in support, as well.
Magee certainly isn't the first to notice the state of the surface, though. Prior to Chicago's home match against Toronto FC last Saturday, Fire head coach Frank Yallop issued the following statement.
“The field is in bad condition. This has been an ongoing issue this season, which is frustrating to all of us at the club and our fans alike,” Yallop said in the statement. “As you know, the Village of Bridgeview is responsible for the field, the upkeep of the grounds and the groundskeeping staff. The Village of Bridgeview knows the severity of our concerns, and we will continue to work with them as they make the needed improvements.”
After that match, a 1-1 draw, Yallop once again addressed the quality of the field, admitting it likely had an effect on the match, especially in the attacking third.
“It's not great, to be honest," Yallop said. "If you look at the two chances in the first half, when Quincy [Amarikwa] had a chance, I think Alex had a really good chance right before halftime; if the surface is a really clean, tight-knit surface, it's a little bit easier to concentrate on the actual finish rather than where the ball is going to bounce.
"It's not great, not great at all," he continued. "They play football games, high school soccer games, and all that stuff on our field. We have no control over that. The stadium has control of it. We rent the field, so they do whatever they need to do on it to make money. We're at the mercy of that, and that's what we get, not a great surface.”
Although Yallop and Fire players weren't asked about the Toyota Park pitch on Saturday night in the wake of Magee's tweet, D.C. centerback Bobby Boswell downplayed its importance on the result.
“It wasn’t awful. I never like to blame the field because both teams have to deal with it," Boswell said. "It wasn’t like anyone slipped and gave up a goal that way, it just wasn’t the most ideal. I don’t think it changed the game too much.”
