If there’s one thing I really like about Dominic Kinnear, it’s that he is quite firm in his convictions.
The peanut gallery can whine all they want, but he’s going to do what he thinks is best for his team and what will deliver more wins.
There is only one man who has won more MLS titles than Dominic Kinnear, who has led the Dynamo to two championships and three MLS Cup appearances. So for all those folks whining about the small dimensions at BBVA Compass Stadium, rest assured that Kinnear isn’t going to change them.
There are few things you cannot find in Wikipedia, but as I write this blog, you cannot find the dimensions of the pitch at BBVA Compass Stadium anywhere.
So here you go: The pitch is a little more than 70 yards wide and 115 yards long. According to Wikipedia, and I hate citing them but have no other choice because I’m still waiting for an answer, only Portland’s Jeld-Wen Field’s pitch at “110 by 70 yards” is smaller.
Portland is coached by Kinnear’s protege. Kinnear loves to see action in and around the mouth of the goal. He also has one of the most dangerous weapons on set pieces in the history of Major League Soccer, so rest assured the Dynamo won’t apologize for increasing their odds on set pieces with Brad Davis. Every corner kick at BBVA Compass Stadium with Davis is a tremendous scoring threat, so why change what works?
I checked with MLS communications, and they emailed back: “The playing field will be at least SEVENTY (70) yards wide by ONE-HUNDRED AND TEN (110) yards long. The preferred field dimensions are SEVENTY-FIVE (75) yards wide by ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY (120) yards long.”
In the same manner that the Dynamo won’t request that MLS get rid of all the pitches with turf around the league, they won’t alter the dimensions at BBVA Compass Stadium either. If anything, the pitch at the new stadium is a bit bigger than it was at Robertson Stadium.
“I like to see goal-mouth action,” Kinnear said.
If you expect Kinnear to apologize or give a bigger explanation, you might want to sit because it will be a while.
