Weather, soccer match has Panthers grounds crew working OT

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The grounds crew at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium will be working overtime this weekend to transition the field from a Major League Soccer game on Saturday to the NFL regular season opener between the Carolina Panthers and visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Because heavy rains are predicted in the Charlotte area throughout the weekend, the organization will be painting the lines for both sporting events — soccer in yellow and football in white — on the artificial surface before the weekend. The lines will not impact the NFL game as the yellow MLS lines will be removed immediately after Saturday’s soccer match between Charlotte FC and New York City FC. However, having yellow and white lines prove confusing for the soccer match.