I worked pretty hard to get tickets to this match. It had been five years since a World Cup Qualifier had been played in Colorado, and I had never seen the United States play in person. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get a group together and head to Denver.
The kids had a slumber party at Grandpa and Grandma's house, so we were able to leave around 4:30. We stopped for dinner and made it there comfortably. The weather was cold and there were a few flurries, but nothing to be worried about. The groundskeepers were able to keep with the snow.
The weather was poor, but not bad through the first half. Tottenham Hotspur's Clint Dempsey was fortunate to have a deflected ball land directly in his path for a tap in goal. Halftime came and so did the snow. The flakes started falling big and fast. Around the 55th minute the referee considered abandoning the game. While he talked to both teams and coaches with the ball in his hands, the crowd chanted "let them play!".
The game went on and the snow kept coming. Towards the end of the game you couldn't tell where the ball was on the pitch. Guys with shovels were running on to the playing area and shoveling the lines while the game was going on. You can see them in one of my pictures. At one point they delayed a goal kick for a few seconds until they could get off the field.
I don't know what the official rules are, but the players weren't in danger and the ball seemed to roll pretty well. Only towards the very end of the game did the ball really start to slow down because of it. I think because the game was so far along it was able to finish. At the end the snow was getting a little too deep, but it made for some entertaining falls, tackles, and saves.
I'll try to find some better pictures to show what the playing conditions were really like. This was a much needed win for us considering we lost our first match in Honduras. Speaking of Honduras, they played Mexico to a draw in 103 degree heat.
