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Construction for the Monterey Bay F.C. pro-soccer team home stadium is wrapping up and will be ready for their first home game on May 7. In less than two weeks, the sound of cheering fans and referee whistles will fill the new Cardinale Stadium— a historic stadium that was once called the Freeman Field home to the Fort Ord Warrior in the '50s.

"The beauty behind the stadium is there’s not a bad seat here and in any way shape or form. We’ve been at this for a couple of years now and battling through getting all the supply chain problems in and working through this but it’s pretty special. When you sit in the stadium and I’ve sat many nights in the stadium and it’s just a warm comfortable place," said Mike Digiulio, president of the Monterey Bay F.C. team said.

The stadium will seat 6,000 fans, which the president and head coach, Frank Yallop said is intimate enough for fans to be involved and big enough to be loud and electric. It also has pro lighting with a FIFA-approved turf. Yallop said it took him 2 to 3 months to consider different types of fields and companies since the surface of the field is critical.

"The surface is fantastic. What’s good about it, it’s not natural grass, this is the turf field. It’s not natural grass, natural grass could be bumpy. So it gives an advantage, every time we come out to play a home game we have the same surface, the same sort of feel to it,” Yallop said.

A stadium for fans to celebrate their team and for athletes to play their hearts out and leave it all out on the field.

"You’ve got a put exciting team that you know is trying their best to win for their home fans and I think it’s just great for everybody so I’m very excited about it," Yallop said.

Next week, the team plans to do a run-through on the field to make sure the lights and surface of the field are ready to go for their home opener on May 7.

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