5,280. That’s how many feet above sea level Dick’s Sporting Goods Park stands. It’s the highest elevation of any MLS stadium, Salt Lake City’s Rio Tinto Stadium coming in second at 4,436 feet.
That’s where the Impact will find itself this weekend, to take on the Colorado Rapids at 9pm EDT (TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690).
“It’s a factor,” said head coach Rémi Garde, speaking to the media Thursday morning at Centre Nutrilait. “1,700 metres of elevation isn’t something to be taken lightly. We remember Salt Lake City, where we were less elevated, but it was still difficult for the players regarding oxygenation. We live with it, because we don’t really have a choice. It’s an important factor, one we’ll face head on.”
The team will travel to Denver on Thursday, a day earlier than it usually would for a Saturday game, giving the players two days to get used to the change in altitude. Rémi Garde’s men will even get a training session in on Friday in Colorado, in order for their bodies to become accustomed to the strain of physical activity in places where the air is thinner.
“I guess you can translate it to suffering a little bit,” said goalkeeper Evan Bush. “It’s different for sure. It’s something we’re prepared for. The guys that have played there before understand what the conditions are like, but sometimes the newer ones don’t. They think it’s no problem, and 20 minutes in they’re huffing and puffing.”
Issues in high-altitude stadiums aren’t anything new to the world of soccer. In 2007, FIFA introduced a temporary ban on international matches at more than 2,500 metres above sea level, citing an unfair advantage to home teams. Because it meant that countries like Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador wouldn’t be able to host FIFA World Cup qualifiers in their own capital cities, the ban was revoked in 2008.
But the elevation won’t be the only thing on the Impact’s plate this Saturday. Despite sitting last in the Western Conference, the Rapids have turned things around as of late, going 5-3-3 since Conor Casey took over as interim head coach in mid-May, a sequence that includes impressive shutout wins against both Los Angeles sides.
“It’s not an easy place to play in, but it also isn’t impossible,” said midfielder Nacho Piatti. “We’ve had good games there before. We need to make sure we’re prepared and solid defensively, like we’ve been in the last two games.”
