Ireland Captain Robbie Keane does not like AstroTurf

Robbie Keane claims even the best artificial surfaces in the world reduce the quality of football by 30% but doesn’t foresee the Major Soccer League resolving the problem.

A long-time critic of “turf” since he arrived in the United States in 2011, the Ireland captain says the pitches need to be scrapped if the MLS is to prosper.

Another of the League’s marquee imports, Thierry Henry, favoured grass pitches to the extent he waited until his final game in November before finally bringing himself to play on New England Revolution’s Gillette Stadium astro surface in Massachusetts.