By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — With 30 days to go until its first match, Los Angeles is ready with transportation and food for the World Cup. The playing surface? Not just yet.
The U.S. men open at SoFi Stadium (to be known as Los Angeles Stadium) against Paraguay on June 12, the first of eight matches to be played at the NFL stadium in Inglewood.
The field was all dirt on Tuesday.
That changes Wednesday, when sod arrives after a 1,600-mile trip in refrigerated trucks from Washington state. It’ll be installed over two days.
“This surface is the players’ stage,” said Otto Benedict, senior vice president of facilities and campus operation for SoFi Stadium.
Construction on the field began April 13 after the stadium hosted a Monster Jam event in which 12,000-pound trucks competed in racing, skills and freestyle competitions.
The stadium modified the field shared by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers in two phases. Auxiliary space and wider dimensions were created by removing corner seats to meet FIFA specifications, and a sophisticated irrigation system was installed to maintain the grass.
“To be the place where the energy first ignites, where the home crowd gets to set the tone for the rest of the tournament is a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Benedict said.
Construction, landscape, grass and engineering crews were applauded by local World Cup organizers and community ambassador Magic Johnson, who pointed out his suite where he’ll be watching.
“When you think about the financial impact it’s going to have on Los Angeles, it’s going to be amazing,” said Johnson, who is a co-owner of LAFC in Major League Soccer and the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Already coming down was signage advertising the stadium’s usual sponsors.
Tours of the stadium during the tournament are being sold for $86.50. Still available are premium seating, suites and hospitality packages.
Fans can choose from a variety of food and drink options. Among the items on display Tuesday was salsa verde aguachile with lime marinated shrimp, kettle cooked crispy pickles, stone fruit panzanella, spiced lamb rack, smoked salmon mousse, petite beef burgers, tune poke and aged ribeye cap with bordelaise and mashed potatoes.
Desserts include a World Cup trophy made of chocolate mousse, raspberry, chocolate crunch and chocolate sponge and a soccer ball filled with vanilla mousse, peach, strawberry crunch and vanilla sponge.
Metro debuted special edition TAP cards featuring three FIFA-themed designs, 17 country-specific designs, four FIFA collector cards, including a light-up card, and a collector’s box.
“We want to provide a system that is safe, fast and fun,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said.
Metro is working with 11 other transit lines in the region to offer direct-to-stadium bus service for $3.75 roundtrip from 15 park-and-ride lots in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Reserved parking lots range in price from $55 to more than $100. Fans can access 300 dedicated buses to every match in an effort to avoid disrupting service to Metro’s regular riders.
The official FIFA Fan Festival will be held June 11-14 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with big screens showing games. Ten fan zones around Los Angeles County will host activities and watch parties.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer