Why did the USWNT-Canada match go ahead? Explanation of the rules regarding postponing matches

American soccer has suffered two high-profile cases of extreme weather in the past week that disrupted professional matches. In both cases, the matches continued despite conditions that made it impossible to play in a normal manner.

The most recent of the two occurred on Wednesday, when persistent and heavy rain flooded the field at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Caif. before the U.S. Women’s National Team’s Gold Cup semifinal against Canada. Conditions prevented the ball from traveling more than a few yards along the ground in most parts of the field, which played a direct role in the United States’ opening goal.

JAEDYN SHAW RIDING THE STORMMMM 🔥🤩 pic.twitter.com/0gq2tkR2sa

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“It was absolutely crazy,” Shaw said. “We had such a good warm-up… the ball was moving really fast, and we were excited to just play and play a really intense game, and then we came back and we were like, ‘What’s going on with the hand?'”

When asked if the game should have been played, USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore said: “Probably not.”

Last Saturday, an MLS match between Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles FC was similarly affected, but by a different form of precipitation. That game, held at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, was first postponed by high winds and again by lightning shortly after kickoff. Once the game started in earnest, snow began to fall, resulting in as much as four inches of accumulation and whiteout conditions near the end of Salt Lake’s 3-0 victory.

“It was one of the worst professional sporting events I have ever seen in my life,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said after the match, for which he was fined $10,000 by the league this week for violating the league’s public criticism policy the competition. “I feel terrible for the players that we did this to them. The match could and should have been cancelled. In my opinion it was an absolute shame that we had to play today.”

Why were these games allowed to continue?

In North America, football matches are usually only canceled or postponed if there is lightning within a certain radius of the field or if there are weather conditions that affect the structural integrity of the stadium. While baseball and tennis (which saw a recent competition postponed due to rain) are at the more delicate end of cancellation, football is generally as likely to experience bad weather as American football.

There are numerous examples of professional and international soccer matches being played in poor conditions, with perhaps the most prominent example being the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica in Commerce City, Colorado, just outside Denver (called by many American fans ). as the “Snow Clásico”). In the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle, the U.S. hosted Honduras in St. Paul in February, with temperatures hovering around 2 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 degrees Celsius) at kickoff. That match was also played as planned.

The fact that Saturday’s match was still being played came as a surprise to new RSL signing Matty Crooks, who has spent his entire professional career in Britain.

“Back in England I’d probably say it would have been called off after about 10 minutes,” Crooks said. “But to be honest, no one in the locker room even said it was canceled, so it was like, ‘Okay, we’re going to play through it.'”

USWNT forward Alex Morgan pointed out how conditions on Wednesday turned a match played largely on the ground into something completely different.

“It’s hard to even call it a football match tonight, especially the first half,” she told the media afterwards. “Your instinct is to dribble, and if you can’t dribble anymore, you lose the ball. Your instinct is not to go long when you have shorter options, but we saw from the goal that Jae scored… that it’s anyone’s game and you just have to put your instincts aside and just really get this win.

What are the rules for W Gold Cup matches? Is that different from NWSL?

Many professional games around the world are generally overseen by an individual whose job is to ensure that all the logistics needed to play are in place. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring the timely arrival of both teams and crew on duty, inspecting the playing field, ensuring safety arrangements are met and acting as a representative of the organizers on the ground. In CONCACAF, that person is called the match commissioner and is usually located on the sidelines between the benches.

The CONCACAF rules for the W Gold Cup state that the decision on whether to play a match in bad weather is up to the match referee (except in the case of lightning), but in practice it is the match commissioner who has the final decision . participation.

“Technically and practically, under the law, it is always the referee’s final decision to make that decision,” professional referee and CBS rules analyst Christina Unkel said during the halftime broadcast. “That said, practically speaking, there is a match commissioner at each of these CONCACAF matches. As we saw in the opening minutes of this match, the referee demonstrated that the ball was not rolling as she walked to the fourth official station, where the match commissioner stands. Her demonstrative performance made it very clear that she does not necessarily think this is a safe situation, but that she is being told by the competition commissioner that she must continue this competition.

CONCACAF did not respond to questions from The Athletics about the decision-making process that led to the continuation of Wednesday’s match.

In the NWSL, decisions on weather delays are made by a weather delay committee, according to the league Rules and Regulations for 2023. The committee consists of the referee, representatives from each team (usually the head coaches), and stadium staff.

What are the rules for MLS matches?

According to MLS Policy“Competition may be postponed or postponed where circumstances are such that the commencement or continuation of play would pose a threat to the safety and well-being of participants or spectators.”

“The decision as to whether a match will be deemed ‘postponed’ or ‘postponed’ will be made by the League Office in its sole and absolute discretion,” the policy reads. The league typically makes that decision with input from meteorologists, site personnel and both competing teams.

MLS says it will first consider safety for players, officials, staff and fans, followed by competition-related factors such as the playability of the field. The league also takes into account logistical factors such as the availability of the venue and match officials if the match is played the following day. Broadcast implications and other commercial aspects are considered based on the above factors.

When rain flooded the Los Angeles area last February around the start of the MLS season, the league moved the highly touted El Trafico between LA Galaxy and LAFC due to “safety concerns due to inclement weather” – factors including flooded parking lots around the stadium. The match was rescheduled for months later on July 4. LA had recorded the fourth highest average rainfall totals (6 inches). In February of this year, LA received 12 inches of rain – one centimeter less than the 1988 record.

How was the reaction?

After the match between Real Salt Lake and LAFC, LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said the MLS Players’ Association would be notified of the players’ complaints.

“My lower back hurts,” he said. “It’s like trying to run on an ice rink. You’re slipping and sliding all the time. The whole goal is not to fall over and hurt yourself. It will definitely be taken to the players’ association. I know our representative will have that conversation immediately.

Reached Thursday, an MLSPA spokesperson said The athletic: “We continue to discuss things with the players and the league that need to be improved. We have no further explanation at this time.”

The reactions on social media to the playing conditions were unanimously negative. Former USWNT player Julie Foudy posted“This is so insane. STOP THE MATCH.” San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney, whose NWSL team plays at Snapdragon Stadium, expressed concern for the players on the field — including several Wave representatives — to write“So dangerous!! Make the right decision for player safety!”

“Why are the players put in this situation? There is no chance that these are safe playing conditions.” former USWNT player Sam Mewis posted.

(Top Photos: Getty Images)