Does size really matter for Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron?


 
 
 
 
 
 

It is Miguel Almiron v Bruno Guimaraes tonight (early hours of Saturday in UK time), Paraguay v Brazil, in their Copa America group match.

The tournament taking place in the USA and this Newcastle United face-off to be played at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

It is the home of the Las Vegas Raiders American Football team.

Indeed, 11 of the 14 Copa America venues are usually used for American Football.

Which has caused a problem.

FIFA’s standard is a minimum pitch size of 105m long and 68m wide, which is the case in the Premier League.

However, every American Football field is 110 metres long but only 49 metres wide.

So with the USA hosting Copa America this summer, CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body and the organisers of the tournament, wanted every pitch to be the same size to be the same size and compromised.

Some of the American Football stadiums could be made wide enough to fit FIFA specifications but not all, so they decided on a pitch size at all venues of 100m long and 64m wide, the smallest pitch size permitted for an international fixture: 100 metres long and 64 metres wide (109 by 70 yards).

So instead of a playing surface of 7,140 (105 x 68) square metres, the Copa America games are played on a surface measuring 6,400 (100 x 64) square metres.

So 740 square metres less, each pitch more than 10 percent smaller than would/should be the case, roughly the equivalent of a penalty area.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that a much smaller pitch, the size of which would normally be appropriate for under 13s, turns it into a slightly different ball game for the players/teams taking part in this Copa America tournament.

Far less space to work in, especially down the flanks.

With players bigger and more athletic than they were in past eras, space to work in is often cramped on normal size pitches, let alone these much reduced dimensions.

Ahead of the goalless draw with Costa Rica in their opening group game, Brazil boss Dorival Jnr said

“It will mean that the games are going to be more closely contested.

“A team defending its own box will be able to go on the counter-attack and reach the attacking half much more quickly.

“It will make it easy to get forward swiftly but also it will be more difficult to find a way past a [deep] defence.

“The distance between where you regain possession and the opposition goal is a lot shorter than matches in our country.”

Others have commented on how of course it is much easier to deliver long throws into the six-yard box (imagine that bloke who used to play for Tranmere! Or the shocking spectacle when you played Stoke!!).

However, when it comes to the 2026 World Cup, FIFA isn’t putting up with this nonsense, when the USA host alongside Canada and Mexico.

All American Football stadiums (and all other venues) will have to accommodate that usual 105m x 68m size pitch. Work is already underway at some American Football stadiums so they can comply with this in two years time.

Already in the group matches, Copa America participants are flagging up how much of a potential game-changer it is.

Defensive teams have less space to defend and so can double up easier on the most dangerous attacking players.

Those teams with a high press also benefit from the reduced pitches.

As mentioned earlier, long throws are much easier to deliver right into the danger area.

Overall, not exactly helping the better teams/players to play expansive football and stretch their opponents.

As I said earlier, with players these days generally bigger and more athletic than in the past, is there a case for actually increasing the size of pitches sanctioned by FIFA/Premier League, larger than the current 105m x 68m minimum?

A bit like the argument some use for having bigger goals, with goalkeepers now far taller and having a bigger reach than was the case back in the day.

The Premier League actually had a record number of goals on average per match this past season, more than at any time for over three decades of this PL era.

So I suppose the argument would be that if it doesn’t appear broken at the moment, no need to fix it.

However, if a more defensive mindset becomes prevalent once again throughout most teams in the Premier League, especially now you can bring on five subs to help keep the energy levels of a deep defence going throughout the 90+ minutes, they may need a rethink one day.