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Fans typically love to watch a snow game, when an outdoor non-snow sport like soccer or football is played during a snow storm. Players and coaches, however, aren’t usually as enthused.
Saturday’s match between Los Angeles FC and Real Salt Lake is a textbook example of that dynamic at play. LAFC was in Salt Lake City, which was experiencing what could charitably called a snow event. Kickoff was originally postponed two hours due to the weather. Then, just four minutes after getting underway, the match was then postponed again due to lightning.
A two-hour snow delay and a subsequent lightning delay could be interpreted as a sign to abandon the match. But MLS wasn’t intimidated by vaguely biblical weather. Despite the field being covered with pure white snow after the lightning delay, the match went on. The pictures and videos from the match are pretty incredible. A note for MLS: If a referee has to draw a line in the snow to indicate where the ball should be placed, you may want to consider postponing the match.
LAFC lost 3-0, and head coach Steve Cherundolo was not happy about it.
He added: “It was an absolute joke we had to play today. It was one of the worst professional sporting events I’ve ever seen in my life.
“The game could have and should have been called [off]. In my opinion, it was an absolute disgrace we had to play today.”
The tone of the MLS feed on X (formerly known as Twitter) was strikingly different from Cherundolo’s postgame comments.
The MLS feed on X isn’t meant to represent the serious player’s or coach’s point of view. It’s meant to emulate the fan’s point of view. Which explains the difference in tone between the LAFC head coach and the MLS social media feed. (Though LAFC fans probably didn’t want to see their team playing in the snow any more than Cherundolo.)
The tone of RSL’s social media feed was also pretty celebratory, but the club led 3-0 at the half and shut out LAFC for the rest of the game. Fans even danced shirtless after the victory.
If RSL had lost, it probably would have posted something similar to what LAFC did.
There’s always next match, guys. Hopefully that one will be snow-free.