When the U.S. faces Paraguay in the World Cup in Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium on June 12, the teams will play on a natural-grass surface that, a month earlier, was carefully stitched together atop an underlying artificial-turf field. This "hybrid turf" installation was part of a broader effort in advance of the World Cup to ensure the world's best soccer teams played on predominantly natural-grass surfaces.

FIFA, the organization that oversees the World Cup, has prohibited the use of synthetic turf in World Cup games for years, mainly because of an increased risk of player injury, which has been well established. Synthetic turf is also notorious for causing nasty turf burns, as the material is a poor solar radiator and can reach up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius).