TORONTO, July 23, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- BMO Field, home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC, and the site of international soccer matches involving the Canadian national teams, will host the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game. The MLS all-stars will play against West Ham United of England's Premier League on the industry-best soccer specific FieldTurf pitch on Thursday, July 24.
The FieldTurf surface at BMO Field is the latest in synthetic turf innovation and was initially installed in April 2007. It first passed the stern FIFA testing procedures in June 2007 to earn FIFA 2-Star Recommended status. Having been the site for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 along with Toronto FC and national team matches, BMO Field provides the ideal setting for this historic 2008 All-Star game.
Top vote-earners David Beckham and Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy will be among the league's best that suit up for the MLS All-Stars, in addition to the two local Toronto FC players that will take part in the contest -- Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan, and Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario.
"I am delighted to welcome the MLS and the Premiership to 'Our House,'" said Toronto FC midfielder Jim Brennan. "I have played on FieldTurf many times and can say from experience that FieldTurf surfaces allow the game to be decided based on skill and strategy, and not poor playing conditions. This is one of the main reasons why I have no doubt that BMO Field will provide the ideal venue for the All-Star game. BMO Field is an amazing soccer atmosphere and we are looking forward to a great game with West Ham."
"We are honoured that some of the world's best soccer players will be competing in the Major League Soccer All-Star game on FieldTurf," said FieldTurf Tarkett CEO Joe Fields. "Our soccer-specific turf was built for high performance and it has shown its suitability for soccer over the years by hosting Euro qualifiers, FIFA World Cup competitions, and important league and international matches. The FieldTurf at BMO will allow the game to be decided on speed and skill without having to worry about the performance and consistency of the pitch."
The league's finest players are already familiar with FieldTurf. David Beckham's football academy in London, England had FieldTurf installed in 2005. As stated on the Beckham Football Academy website, "When you walk out onto the two full-size pitches you'll feel like a professional footballer."
Several North American professional soccer teams play their home games on FieldTurf. The New England Revolution (MLS), Toronto FC (MLS), Real Salt Lake (MLS), Seattle Sounders (USL), Rochester Rhinos (USL), and Atlanta Silverbacks (USL) have all opted to play their home matches on the industry's best soccer-specific turf system. From June 30th - July 22nd, 2007 the world's elite young soccer talents competed in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007. 24 teams from around the world made history as they participated in the first FIFA World Cup ever to be played on artificial turf. Almost half of the 52 matches including the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals were featured on FieldTurf.
The FieldTurf system has been proven to provide the same amount of energy restitution as natural grass. Athletes from all over the globe have continuously stated that it is much more pleasant to play on FieldTurf because it increases shock absorbency, provides a solid, grass-like "artificial earth" for proper bio-mechanics and safety, and delivers grass-like energy restitution so players do not tire or adjust their playing styles. Coupled with its revolutionary monofilament technology, the FieldTurf product provides ideal ball bounce and ball roll properties giving it a reputation as the industry's premier specialized football surface. With FieldTurf, a through-ball settles down like it would on natural grass instead of running away from the player.
For more information, please visit www.fieldturf.com