ENGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — With 30 days left until the first game, Los Angeles Transportation and food are ready for the World Cup. Play aspect? Not yet.
The U.S. men’s opening game is SoFi Stadium The June 12 game against Paraguay (known as Los Angeles Stadium) is the first of eight games to be played at NFL Stadium in Inglewood.
The field on Tuesday was all dirt.
That all changed Wednesday when the sod arrived in a refrigerated truck from Washington state after a 1,600-mile journey. It will be installed in two days.
“This surface is the stage for the players,” said Otto Benedikt, SoFi Stadium’s senior vice president of facilities and campus operations.
Construction on the stadium began April 13 after the stadium hosted the Monster Jam event, where 12,000-pound trucks compete in races, skills and freestyle competitions.
The stadium, which is shared by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, was renovated in two phases. Ancillary spaces and larger dimensions were created by removing corner seats to meet FIFA specifications, and an advanced irrigation system was installed to maintain the turf.
“Being where the energy first ignites, where the home crowd sets the tone for the rest of the tournament, is a responsibility we cannot take lightly,” Benedict said.
Local World Cup organizer and community ambassador Magic Johnson applauded the construction, landscaping, turf and engineering staff and pointed out the suite where he will be watching the games.
“It would be amazing given the economic impact it would have on Los Angeles,” said Johnson, who is also co-owner of Major League Soccer’s LAFC and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit.
Signs advertising the stadium’s usual sponsors were already coming down.
Tours of the stadium during the tournament are sold for $86.50. Premium seats, suites and hospitality packages will also remain available.
Fans can choose from a variety of food and drink options. Among the items on display Tuesday were salsa ver de aguachile with lime-marinated shrimp, kettle-cooked crispy pickles, stone fruit panzanella, spiced lamb rack, smoked salmon mousse, petite beef burgers, tune poke, aged ribeye cap with Bordeaux sauce and mashed potatoes.
Desserts include a World Cup trophy made with chocolate mousse, raspberries, chocolate crunch and chocolate sponge, and a soccer ball with vanilla mousse, peach, strawberry crunch and vanilla sponge.
Metro has debuted a special edition TAP card featuring three FIFA-themed designs, 17 country-specific designs, four FIFA collector cards including a light-up card, and a collector box.
“We want to provide a system that is safe, fast, and fun,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.
Metro is working with 11 other transit agencies in the region to provide direct bus service to the stadium from 15 park-and-ride parking lots in Los Angeles and Orange counties for $3.75 round trip. Prices for reserved parking range from $55 to over $100. Fans will have access to 300 private buses for each match to avoid service interruptions to regular Metro users.
The official FIFA Fan Festival will be held from June 11th to 14th at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with matches shown on the big screen. Activities and watch parties will be held at 10 FanZone locations around Los Angeles County.
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