A much-anticipated semifinal between Canada and the United States at the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup turned into a bizarre sporting scene on Wednesday night.
After a downpour in San Diego, the teams played on a field that can best be described as brutal.
The ball regularly slowed to a crawl after being kicked on the waterlogged pitch.
The Americans opened the scoring when Vanessa Gilles’ back-pass to the Canadian keeper got caught in the water, leading to an easy strike for Jaedyn Shaw.
There is precedent for Concacaf postponing a game because of a bad field.
A men’s Nations League match between Canada and host Jamaica last November was pushed back a day.
Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports asked Concacaf why the Canada-U.S. game was being played.
“It is solely at the discretion of the referee as to whether the field is safe and playable,” a spokesperson said.
Here is a look at how some reacted on social media to the decision to play.
