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Tim Nelson
Minneapolis

U.S. Bank Stadium's next milestone: artificial turf

U.S. Bank Stadium
Crews install the asphalt base for the field in U.S. Bank Stadium on April 13, 2016 in Minneapolis.
Courtesy Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority

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Updated 10:16 a.m. | Posted 6:06 a.m.

The new U.S. Bank Stadium will get a little closer to real this week when crews start installing artificial turf.

The new playing field will be state of the art — and a long way from the carpet in the old Metrodome. It will have inlaid Vikings logos at midfield and in the end zones.  At the Metrodome, grounds crews had to paint logos on before every home stand, and repaint between Gophers and Twins games.

"That inlaid logo of the Vikings can come out, so it's a removable piece, as well as the inlaid logos on the end of the field," said Michele Kelm-Helgen, who chairs the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.

There will also be a replaceable section of turf for the right foul line area when the stadium is configured for high school and college baseball, as well as an infield for the actual diamond itself.

The new turf will sit on a layer of asphalt that was installed this spring. Because the stadium is indoors and doesn't have a retractable roof, live grass wasn't an option — at least not permanently. The stadium authority has to make an exception for the very first big sporting event: an International Cup soccer game on Aug. 3 between A.C. Milan and Chelsea.

"We will be bringing in a real grass turf for that game," Kelm-Helgen said.

The Vikings and the stadium authority have purchased a hard floor cover to sit on top of the turf to accommodate chairs for a concert, a convention setup or a big dinner.

The artificial turf is scheduled to start going in Tuesday. It's made by UBU Sports, which has installed turf in 11 NFL facilities, including the Superdome in New Orleans and Met Life Stadium in New Jersey.

Artificial turf has drawn criticism from the likes of professional soccer players, but Mark Nicholls, UBU Sports CEO, says synthetic surfaces are always improving and made with safety in mind.

The turf installation is expected to take about a month. The grand opening for the stadium is scheduled for July 23. The Vikings will play their first home game there Aug. 28 before opening their regular home season Sept. 18 against the Packers.

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