"There is absolutely zero chance of natural grass being installed." Kevan Pipe, fired former head of the Canadian Soccer Association. 

                                               
       ----------------------------------------

"It [FieldTurf] kills the culture of the game." - Julian De Guzman, midfielder, Canadian national team and Deportivo La Coruna.

"The best salesman in the world couldn't sell me on it [FieldTurf]. I hope in my career I never have to play on it." - Paul Stalteri, defender, Canadian national team and Tottenham Hotspur.

"If they get grass in there instead of an artificial surface, it would be easier to draw better players and teams from Europe to play exhibition games."  - Dwayne De Rosario, midfielder, Canadian national team and Houston Dynamo.

"Every game, every team, should have grass -- without a doubt. You can't ask any soccer athlete to perform at a high level on FieldTurf." - David Beckham, midfielder, English national team and LA Galaxy.

                                               
      -----------------------------------------

Reality has set in for Toronto FC. With their playoff chances dropping as quickly as their players are to injuries, the focus has turned from their on-field play to the actual field they play on.

Here in Toronto, the synthetic playing surface of BMO Field has been subjected to an ongoing series of critical comments that started before the stadium was built, escalated by players and coaches who participated in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and hit new heights when it was a factor in keeping David Beckham from making his MLS playing debut on August 5.

The past week has seen articles appear in Toronto media where some of Toronto's many injured players, fearful of being openly critical, have taken gentle swipes at the playing surface.

A series of injuries that has stripped Toronto of it's best attacking players - Danny Dichio, Jeff Cunningham, Ronnie O'Brien and Marvell Wynne - has left the club starved for goals and losing sight of a playoff berth. Without a goal in 462 minutes of play, the club is in danger of setting a dubious record should they fail to score on Saturday against visiting Chivas.

Manager Mo Johnston raised eyebrows before season when he responded to criticism of the plastic pitch by saying: "Any player who doesn't want to play on FieldTurf is not someone who we would be interested in having on our team." Given the lack of depth and the glaring absence of a high-quality designated player, those words could come back to haunt him.

While no one can actually prove that the turf is responsible -  club and stadium officials have been almost strident in their defensive tone about the playing surface -  the players are beginning to hint around that playing on grass would be preferable.

Fans are also wondering if artificial turf is keeping the club from attracting a quality designated player. At first glance, you'd think not, since New York has been able to sign Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna despite playing on plastic. But the club will begin play next year in a new stadium that will have a grass pitch. There have been suggestions that certain European clubs will not loan out players to Toronto for fear the plastic pitch will take its toll physically. The summer visits of Aston Villa and Benfica have done nothing to allay that.

It's not like the club can act alone about changing the playing surface. The stadium is owned by the city of Toronto, its construction jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments, which gives the Canadian Soccer Association a say in its operation, but if Canadian national team players have anything to say about it, they want to see the pitch changed.

With funding supplied from three levels of government, one of the stadium's mandates was to allow community access. For $75 per hour, any bunch of weekend warriors can rent the place and act out their dreams. This wouldn't be possible on grass.

Nor would the installation of an inflatable dome in winter. The club plans to operate indoor winter soccer clinics on their home turf, giving some of their younger players a little off-season employment while helping to strengthen emotional ties with youngsters from Toronto's massive recreational soccer community.

On paper, this business plan involving the year-round use of the turf surface must have looked like a bureaucrat's dream. Too bad the core business of this great new stadium, the games that matter most, those of Toronto FC, aren't played on paper.

 The choice of turf over grass made some sense this year, given the amount of play it received from both MLS and FIFA's under-20 World Cup. But after watching this season's games so far, there is a certain sterility to the play.

The ball rolls well on it and generally rewards quick technical play. But neither TFC or Canada's national teams have ever played that style. Being hockey fans, we kind of enjoy a bit of biff and wallop. This current TFC squad would be much better rewarded playing all its games on a less pristine surface, something that maybe sees the odd rugby game.

You can see players shy away from making certain plays - slide tackles, cut backs in certain situations - because the turf simply has too much bite. When something has to give, instead of grass getting torn, it's a part of someone's body.

One solution that has been debated on fan forums is to install grass at BMO Field and have the FieldTurf surface transferred to nearby Lamport Stadium, where all the practicing and community access mandates can still take place. It's an older 10,000-capacity facility long past it's prime. Given that it sits in a lower-income area crying out for additional recreational facilities, it would be hard to imagine the city opposed to the move.

It's also hard to imagine the provincial or federal governments objecting if it proves to be a move that also benefits the national team and creates a new playing surface for local or regional youth competitions.

By selling out it's 20,000 seats for every game, fans in Toronto have made it clear that this will be one of MLS' best-supported teams. The two-years-and-growing waiting list for season's tickets has already prompted talk of expanding the stadium capacity.

That would have been hard to conceive of a year or two ago in this very discerning soccer market. There's an appetite for the game here that still has a long way to go before it's satisfied. Many fans want to see TFC take on the glamour clubs of Europe when they visit North America.

A grass pitch would remove the biggest obstacle to seeing those sort of lucrative, image-enhancing games take place. The sort of match-ups that would seal the deal on seat sales in an expanded stadium and possibly make the team look more interesting to a marquee player, which would only add to their already-massive merchandise sales.

Put down real grass and players and management alike will be rolling in the green stuff.

Poised to end a turbulent time at Real Madrid by winning a championship, David Beckham prepares to depart the grand stage of European soccer in the best way possible - leaving them wanting more.

It's a departure that will vastly overshadow the quieter and more dignified Bernabeu exit of teammate Roberto Carlos, the stellar Brazilian left back whose thunderous left foot has produced some of the game's finest long-range goals.

And it's a departure in style and tone from the soap-opera mayhem that now engulfs Thierry Henry, as speculation wildly swirls about his playing intentions for the coming season. Boardroom sparring and a media-fuelled fire has begun to consume the dignity that embodied Arsenal's gifted striker, it's elegant manager Arsene Wenger, and even the club itself.

Admittedly, the announcement that Beckham was leaving Real Madrid for L.A. Galaxy came amid a similar media circus to that surrounding Henry today. But Beckham has shown a master's touch in handling a tricky situation that could have left himself and Real Madrid surrounded by wreckage. Henry and his prickly agent could take a lesson.

After a tearful ending to the 2006 World Cup and the apparent conclusion of his days playing for England, an awkward start to the current season for both player and club had delivered Beckham to the low point of his career. His decision to move to America was met with widespread derision and scorn, with some of the worst comments coming from Real president Ramon Calderon. Real manager Fabio Capello gravely announced that Beckham would never play for the club again.

Despite an ability to be as manipulative with the media as any sports or showbiz star, Beckham never rose to the bait. He simply returned to the place where he surely must be most at ease, the training ground, and continued to be a complete professional by preparing himself for a possible return to the playing field, should the opportunity arise. And he did it quietly and earnestly.

No one knows a player like teammates do. They see the work put in on the training ground, they know the quality of a character through daily contact in the change room.

It gives them the keenest insight into what that player can offer on the playing field and if it's talent that can't be matched by a replacement, or even a change in tactics, it's not going to sit well with them for long. Especially a team with the pedigree and expectations of Real Madrid.

It spoke volumes when their immedate reaction to the statements from Calderon and Capello was one of total support for Beckham. They wanted him back.

Beckham's eventual return sparked Real on a drive to the top that should end this weekend with yet another Spanish league championship and this could be one of the more storied titles Spain's greatest club has ever earned. That run also forced England manager Steve McLaren to think again and Beckham's re-instatement to the England midfield has revived his country's chances of qualifying for the 2008 European championships.

Throughout the process, Beckham has refused to gloat or speak ill of anyone who misjudged him or his abilities. He's let his play do the talking and once again the highlight reels are filled with goals created by his tantalizing delivery of the ball.

Again, the strongest endorsement he could receive is that of teammates, as prominent England players, such as captain John Terry, have had nothing but the highest praise for his attitude and his play. Terry has vowed to return the captain's armband to Beckham when he plays his 100th career game for England, something that could happen in October or November.

Which means his impending transfer to the L.A. Galaxy is now one of the world's most eagerly anticipated sports events. He's made the step across the Atlantic a short one indeed, arriving still at the top of his game, with some of Europe's most prestigious clubs clamouring for him to reconsider.

 He won't play in front of an empty seat throughout his abbreviated Major League Soccer season and, considering the time he's had off earlier this season while recuperating from injuries, he should still be feeling fresh and energetic. Motivation under these circumstances will not be an issue. This is a man at ease under the hottest of spotlights.

Really, the only concerns facing his arrival involve his new club and the league it plays in.

 Will Beckham's arrival be enough to rescue the Galaxy from their poor start to the season? And will his involvement with England hamper the club at a critical stage in the late season, or possibly in the playoffs?  It's a valid concern given the fact that Beckham could become only the third player to reach 100 games for England late this fall, when playoff concerns could become paramount for the Galaxy.

And will MLS be able to retain some sensibility in the early stages of Beckham's MLS career? It's going to give the league it's highest-ever global profile. Can they resist the giddy temptation to abandon a salary cap and allow the sort of wild spending that brought the demise of the late, lamented North American Soccer League?

All in all, nice problems for MLS to have. Beckham will arrive with his image restored, his dignity intact and a world eager to watch what he will do next. We're in for a treat.