‘Absolute disgrace’: LAFC coach condemns MLS for playing in blizzard
Real Salt Lake defeat LAFC 3-0 amidst blizzard-like conditions
Referee forced to mark lines in the snow for free-kicks
Andrés Gómez scores two goals and provides one assist as Real Salt Lake secure a 3-0 victory over Los Angeles FC in Sandy, Utah. Cristian Arango also finds the net as Real Salt Lake score three times in the first half.
The match faced a two-hour delay initially due to heavy wind and other weather-related concerns. It was then halted just three minutes into the game due to lightning during a snowstorm, leading to a further hour-long delay in play.
“It was impossible conditions,” LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo stated post-match. “I feel terrible for the players that we put them through this.”
How much snow does it take to postpone a game? 😄 pic.twitter.com/S7ykepHLOF
— Matteo Bonetti (@Bonetti) March 3, 2024
When the match resumed, most of the turf was covered in snow, and the snowfall persisted throughout the game. At halftime, workers cleared the center line, six-yard boxes, and 18-yard boxes to make them visible.
Despite the challenging conditions, Major League Soccer opted to continue the game rather than call it off. By the middle of the second half, visibility became an issue, prompting officials to switch to an orange ball.
As the snow accumulated, replacement referee Aleksandar Zhelyazkov had to carve lines on the field to indicate the distance opposing players should maintain from the ball during free-kicks.
referee draws a line in the snow to tell chicho arango to stand 10 yards back.
this is football heritage. pic.twitter.com/N2POGDi2G5
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) March 2, 2024
“We should never have had to play today. It was one of the worst professional sporting events I’ve witnessed in my life,” Cherundolo expressed. “The match could and should have been called off. In my view, it was a complete disgrace that we were made to play today.”
LAFC’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was visibly shaking throughout the match, with his facial hair freezing and snow accumulating on his head.
“It was simply absurd, there’s no other way to describe it,” Cherundolo concluded.
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