France midfielder Adrien Rabiot raised concerns about the pitch quality at New York New Jersey stadium following his country's 3-1 victory over Senegal on Tuesday in Group 9 of the FIFA World Cup, echoing the frustration expressed by Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior over the dryness of the surface.
Rabiot, who provided an assist in France's opening match of the tournament, said the stadium — scheduled to host the World Cup final in July — did not feel like a real pitch so much as an artificial surface.
"The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt like an artificial surface, very hard and very firm," Rabiot told reporters.
France coach Didier Deschamps, when asked about the pitch at his press conference, said he considered it a different type of surface.
"I think there is probably a concrete layer beneath it — it has very short fibres," he added.
Deschamps noted that the pitch seemed different from what it had been during last year's Club World Cup, saying "the bounce is slightly different," but indicated that his team was adapting to the conditions.
Brazil's Vinícius Júnior had earlier expressed concern about the dryness of the pitch after his country's 1-1 draw with Morocco in both teams' opening match of the tournament.
"In the second half, because of the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very slow and we can't find our rhythm," Vinícius said.
Senegal will face Norway in the next match to be hosted at the stadium on 22 June.