The New York Red Bulls came out with a 2–1 win over Real Salt Lake on Sunday in Major League Soccer action, but their head coach, Sandro Schwarz, wasn’t pleased for other reasons.
For years, Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey has been the pinnacle of MLS playing surfaces. Since opening in 2010 as Red Bull Arena, it operated as one of the premier MLS soccer-specific stadiums and had a luscious grass pitch at a time when many teams played on artificial surfaces.
On Sunday, though, Schwarz may have rather had an artificial pitch, with the field peppered with brown grass and rough patches, which impacted the flow of the game.
“With this pitch, it’s more difficult,” Schwarz said after the game, which saw Eric Maxim-Chuopo Moting score the winning goal in second-half stoppage time after his side trailed 1–0. “For 1.5 years, we had one of the best pitches in the league, but now it’s the worst... This is what everyone has to understand. It’s more difficult when you have a home game.”
“I’m sorry to say that... when you have to control the game, you want to play dominantly or you have to play against a deep opponent. But then you need a better pitch.”
MLS action returns to Sports Illustrated Stadium as #RBNY look to get back to winning ways against a talented #RSL side.
— James Birle (@jbirle9) August 10, 2025
Pitch still suffering from the Rufus Du Sol concert, AJ Marcucci in goal, Wiki Carmona back in the starting XI - should be a good one.@MagazineTheShot pic.twitter.com/OLomC9zWEc
Both teams struggled to find their flow throughout the match, and it was evident that the pitch played a significant factor. The Red Bulls finished with 85 percent passing accuracy, while Real Salt Lake finished with 81.
However, the summer heat in the Tristate Area and other weather conditions likely played a factor into the field’s quality, as well as the amount of use it has had in the last two weeks—three Red Bulls games, two New York City FC matches and a Gotham FC NWSL match all since July 29. The venue also recently hosted electronic music artist Rufus Du Sol.
Things won’t slow down much either as the Red Bulls and Gotham continue their seasons, and the stadium also prepares for both the U.S. men’s national team and Canadian men’s national team for friendlies later this fall against South Korea and Colombia, respectively.
“When we have a home game, it has to be a big advantage for us, but it’s not possible to play on this pitch very well, very clean, and this is what we have to learn,” Schwarz continued. “This was not good today.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New York Red Bulls Rip Into MLS Field Quality After Win vs. Real Salt Lake .
