In the eyes of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, the MetLife Stadium field was better suited for a round of golf than a match at the Club World Cup.
And the New York area's summer heat also was inappropriate for high-level soccer.
"It's more a golf green, so you can putt here," Kovac said after a 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid on Saturday. "It's very short. But this is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums."
Dortmund played its opening group match at MetLife, the site of the Club World Cup semifinals and championship, and of next year's World Cup final. The German team played two matches at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium and its round of 16 game at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"As you saw, the watering wasn't good enough, I would say, because you don't have the devices for that." Kovac said. "When it's too dry, it's unbelievable. It's sticking."