BMO Field has new grass but playing in February still a groundskeeping challenge

Toronto FC players and coaches like to have the grass field at BMO Field watered, so they can fizz the ball over a slick surface.

"That's still a conversation," Robert Heggie, Toronto FC's head groundskeeper, said Monday. "We'll see. It's up to the team as always, but if it's minus-19 I'm not sure how effective that water's going to be at making the surface slick ... Because it's not going to remain water, it's going to turn to ice."

"I was hoping ," he said, "because we are a team that wants to move the ball fast. We do a lot of stuff on one- and two-touch and guys making quick decisions. The speed at which the ball moves is a big part of how we unbalance teams. The forecast calls for -10 C on Tuesday for the return leg of the CONCACAF Champions League round-of-16 tie between Toronto FC and Club Atletico Independiente de la Chorrera. Toronto lost the first leg 4-0 last week in the Panama heat on a dry artificial turf surface.

After a 2018 season full of complaints over the BMO Field playing surface, Toronto laid new sod in November . It also upgraded the drainage and heating system. Plus the club, which has a variety of covers for the playing surface, added to its supply of grow-lights.BMO Field already has underground heating, meaning snow should not be a factor Tuesday.

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