Liverpool plays Real Betis on Friday in Pittsburgh. Here's why they chose Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Soccer fans in Pittsburgh will fill the seats at Acrisure Stadium to watch Liverpool Football Club take on Real Betis.
"We wanted to make sure we found a city and a market that really resonated well with Liverpool, its fanbase, the iconic nature of both," said Hugh Nicholson, vice president, venues and commercial at TEG Sport. "And Pittsburgh really fit the bill for that."
English Premier League side Liverpool F.C. and La Liga club Real Betis kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday in a friendly.
"About two weeks out, we started to build the soccer pitch, which is about 60 feet wider than a standard football field," said Tom Goyne, sports turf manager.
Goyne was in charge of turning the historic football field into a pitch. After the Kenny Chesney concert on June 1, Goyne and his team got to work building the soccer pitch.
"Doing this with the playing field shows the flexibility of the stadium," Goyne said. "We can have concerts here, other special events, international soccer and we can go right back to American football."
It clearly took a lot of work to build the pitch. But the real question is, why Pittsburgh?
"Both cities are steeped in tradition," Nicholson said. "They really do represent the backbone of their community and country. I think people are proud to be from both cities."
It also helps that both cities have such historic sports teams.
"Liverpool is one of the most iconic brands in international sport, especially today, and you see the same with the Steelers," Nicholson said.
"To have matches like this come to markets like Pittsburgh and start to build up what soccer has been and continues to become in America is a huge opportunity," Nicholson said.
After Friday night's match, the pitch will be deconstructed for the Steelers' first preseason game.
Fenway Sports Group, the owners of Liverpool, are majority owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins.