Yankee Stadium’s temporary soccer pitch drew ridicule and criticism from fans and Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, who called it “absolutely the worst field ever” before Sunday’s win over New York City FC.

The field at Yankee Stadium, which mostly hosts baseball, has long been problematic for Major League Soccer matches. Grass is laid over the infield dirt of the baseball diamond, which is often still visible.

But it looked especially grotesque on Sunday evening. Significant chunks of the temporary grass — near second base on the baseball diamond, and near the sideline at midfield of the soccer pitch — looked dead.

“Look how patchy it is,” Bedoya said in a video that he later posted to Instagram.

There was also a solid strip on the field of play near one corner flag that wasn’t covered with grass. It appeared to be the first-base coach’s box.

“Look at this, rock hard,” Bedoya said in his video as he stomped on the solid surface. “This is terrible.”

The video was taken during pre-game familiarization, a time when players stroll the pitch in sneakers and casual clothes before changing into their boots and kits. In the background, one of Bedoya’s peers said: “MLS. S***!”

Bedoya then turned his camera to show a dark line — which appeared to be an outfield portion of the first-base line — intersecting the six-yard box.

About the pitch…

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— Jonathan Tannenwald (@jtannenwald.bsky.social) 23:13 · Aug 16, 2026

“I cannot wait for the new stadium,” Bedoya continued, “because, yeah, Yankee Stadium, it’s cool for baseball. For soccer? Never.”

The “new stadium” that Bedoya referenced is Etihad Park, which will open in July of 2027. It is the soccer-specific stadium that NYCFC has been seeking for more than a decade, ever since it launched as an MLS expansion franchise in 2015 and even beforehand.

While the club explored potential sites and pursued various stadium plans, Yankee Stadium has been its primary home. The stadium, located in the Bronx, is owned by the City of New York but operated by Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, whose holding company also owns a 10 per cent stake in NYCFC.

Throughout its decade-plus as a soccer venue, Yankee Stadium has drawn consistent derision, both for the narrowness of its pitch and the playing surface.

“It’s not a good pitch,” Montreal Impact coach Remi Garde said after a game there in 2019. “It’s a shame that good players, like there were on the field today on both sides, cannot play good football.”

It is not always as bad as it was on Sunday, though. The reasons for the pronounced issues weren’t immediately clear. An NYCFC spokesperson declined to comment. The Yankees had played there on Thursday, but were out of town for a weekend series and will remain on the road until Friday of the coming week — a relatively standard cadence.

After Thursday’s baseball game, a reporter on site captured a video of the field-conversion process beginning.

The pitch did not significantly impact Sunday’s match between the Union and NYCFC in any major moments, though all five goals were scored at the other end, where the outfield grass generally makes for an OK soccer surface.

NYCFC led 2-0 at halftime, but the Union came back to win 3-2, with striker Bruno Damiani scoring both the equalizer and the winner.

The Athletic has approached a MLS spokespeople for comment.

PHILADELPHIA — Sights for sore eyes were plentiful on Monday.

The starters for the Philadelphia Eagles were back on the field after Saturday’s uninspiring performance by the reserves. Better still: DeVonta Smith practiced with limitations after missing nearly two weeks with a hamstring injury. The team’s No. 1 receiver participated in stretches and individual drills, but did not take part in team drills. (Players wore helmets, shoulder pads, and shorts in Monday’s practice).

It is not yet certain if Smith will be a full participant in Wednesday and Thursday’s joint practices with the New England Patriots. Smith’s availability in Week 1 is primary, and his Monday return suggests that is more than plausible.

Still, the Eagles seem closer to full strength against the Patriots. Cooper DeJean (groin) and Quinyon Mitchell (glute) both participated in team drills after missing Thursday’s practice. Saquon Barkley, who had his left foot/ankle checked on before exiting Thursday’s practice, also took part in team drills. Rookie safety Cole Wisniewski (hamstring) even made his training camp debut — and had a few snaps with the first-team rotation.

Their collective participation in joint practices, along with the rest of the first-team members, could go a long way toward cleansing the palate after the dismal debut of first-time offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system. The bottom of the offense’s depth chart fielded seven three-and-outs, which did not echo progress from the top. However, the starters have yet to play, and Mannion has yet to assemble a true in-season game plan with the full playbook available.

Mannion said the Eagles “kept things pretty close to the vest” schematically. He said that game planning was “secondary” to evaluating depth players within fundamental concepts. Still, he acknowledged the Eagles “have things that obviously need to be corrected” — most notably, eliminating the sort of penalties that killed their drives. The Eagles totaled five holding penalties, all on first or second down.

Otherwise, Mannion said there “weren’t a ton of mental errors” against the Baltimore Ravens. He was also “very happy with the process” of calling plays for the first time. He said his operation on the sideline was “smooth” and “comfortable.” There were no substitution issues. No jacked-up play calls. No rushed moments against the play clock. The Eagles did not have any plays in which the ball was snapped with one second left on the play clock, per TruMedia. The Eagles led the NFL with 150 last-second plays in 2025.

Mannion confirmed he will move from the sideline to the booth for Saturday’s preseason game in New England “to get a feel for both” vantage points. Mannion, 34, is a former quarterback who spent his college career at Oregon State and his nine-year NFL career on the sideline. He spent his first year coaching in the booth as an offensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers in 2024, then moved back to the sideline as their quarterbacks coach in 2025.

“I just kind of want to experience it once,” Mannion said. “I think it will offer good perspective.”
The Eagles have a closed walkthrough scheduled at their team facility on Tuesday. Their first joint practice with the Patriots begins at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

Top takeaways from Day 12 of Eagles training camp

• Michael Carter II recorded his second interception of training camp. He picked off Jalen Hurts in team drills on a deep pass over the middle intended for Quez Watkins. Marcus Epps still appears to have the edge in the position battle at safety opposite Drew Mukuba. Epps did not suit up Saturday and went first with the first-team unit in team drills on Monday. But defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has said Carter has been “progressing nicely” at safety. It is worth remembering Jalyx Hunt led the 2025 Eagles with three interceptions. Carter is only helping his cause by forcing another turnover.
• Rookie safety Cole Wisniewski made his training camp debut after being sidelined with a hamstring injury. The seventh-rounder out of Texas Tech practiced under limitations, but still had reps with both the first- and second-team units. Wisniewski must make up for lost time and challenge Andre’ Sam, J.T. Gray and Maximus Pulley for reps.
• Linebacker Chance Campbell returned to practice after watching Saturday’s preseason opener from the sidelines. Campbell practiced four times under limitations last week with a groin injury. Those who did not practice on Monday: Jakorian Bennett (knee), Tank Bigsby (toe), Grant Calcaterra (back), Jonathan Jones (shoulder), Makai Lemon (hamstring), Mac McWilliams (groin), John Ojukwu (pectoral), Dameon Pierce (hamstring), Jose Ramirez (hamstring), Shaun Wade (eye/shoulder), Johnny Wilson (knee).
• Rookie tight end Eli Stowers totaled 19 offensive snaps against the Ravens. He totaled 10 plays in 12 personnel packages, according to TruMedia. His usage in two-tight end looks is notable. Blocking is not the rookie’s strength. But the Eagles are using the preseason to develop those skills. “We’re going to ask all of these guys to be productive players in both phases,” Mannion said. “And the preseason is a great opportunity to push these guys, evaluate what they can do, give them things to work on every day in practice, and see them take it to the game. I know Eli has put in a lot of work in improving as a blocker, and in that entire position group there is a huge commitment to be productive in both areas.”

Manchester City are faced with an Enzo Fernandez premium, Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has no shortage of potential suitors, and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is offered a huge salary increase.

Manchester City will have to pay Chelsea more than £120m to land Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez if they try to complete a deal in the final two weeks of the transfer window. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Chelsea want close to £100m if they are to sell Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, this summer with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal linked with a move. (Mail – subscription required), external

Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham are all also interested in Neto, who joined Chelsea for £54m from Wolves in 2024. (Metro), external

Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Spain midfielder Marc Casado, 22, who Barcelona have put up for sale. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Despite Manchester United‘s reluctance to sell, Galatasaray have offered Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes £18.3m per season – double his current salary – to tempt him away from Old Trafford. (Telegraph – subscription required) , external

Liverpool are still keen to sign Paris St-Germain duo Bradley Barcola, 23, and Ibrahim Mbaye, 18, with a combined fee of £155m being mooted for the France winger and Senegal forward. (Teamtalk), external

Bayern Munich are confident of agreeing a new deal with England forward Harry Kane, 33, who is entering the final year of his contract. (Bild – in German), external

Como have made an offer to take Fiorentina and Italy forward Moise Kean, 26, on loan with an obligation to buy in a package worth £25m. (La Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Leeds have given Suriname striker Joel Piroe, 27, permission to travel to West Ham for a medical. (Sky Sports), external

AC Milan have agreed a £34m deal to sign Belgium winger Diego Moreira, 22, from Strasbourg. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Sao Paulo and West Ham are among the clubs taking an interest in 39-year-old former England forward Jamie Vardy, who is a free agent. (Talksport), external