Turf and Injuries: The Data Hurts
One of the most peculiar matches of the 2018 regular season occurred on
August 18th. The LA Galaxy were already stretched thin from injuries to
both dos Santos-es and Romain Alessandrini (their three DPs) and defender
Michael Ciani for Sigi Schmid’s return to Seattle. But when they showed up
in town, there was a huge name - perhaps the biggest name in MLS - missing
from the lineup. That name was Zlatan, and by all indication his absence
was voluntary.
By the end of the afternoon, the Galaxy really could have used one of the
greatest players ever to kick a soccer ball. They ended up suffering their
worst loss of the season and Seattle notched their best (5-0). Oh yeah, and
the Galaxy missed the playoffs by less than three points.
We all know why he missed that game. It’s because the Sounders play on
FieldTurf. There’s a perception out there that playing on artificial grass
increases the risk of injury, and Zlatan had hurt his knee not long before
(not on turf).
The superstar is not alone in his perception. I remember being disappointed
not to see Thierry Henry play at CenturyLink Field in 2013. In fact, a
group of Canadian researchers surveyed 99 MLS players back in 2011 and
found that the vast majority (93%) said they believe third-generation
artificial turf (FieldTurf) increases the risk of injury.
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