Andrés Gómez had two goals and one assist to lead Real Salt Lake to a 3-0 win over Los Angeles FC in blizzard-like conditions in Sandy, Utah. Cristian Arango also scored as Real Salt Lake found the net three times in the first half.
The match was initially postponed for two hours due to heavy winds and other weather conditions. Once it started, it was stopped just three minutes into the game due to lightning during a snowstorm. The game was postponed for almost another hour.
“It was impossible conditions,” LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo said after the match. “I feel terrible for the players that we did this to them.”
By the time the match resumed, snow covered most of the turf and continued to snow heavily throughout the match. During halftime, workers cleared snow to reveal the center line, six-yard boxes and 18-yard boxes.
Major League Soccer opted to continue play rather than abandon play.
Midway through the second half, visibility was a problem, despite the referees switching to an orange ball.
As the snow piled up, stand-in referee Aleksandar Zhelyazkov was forced to draw lines on the pitch to indicate how far away the opponents should be from the ball during free kicks.
“It was an absolute joke that we had to play today. It was one of the worst professional sporting events I have ever seen in my life,” Cherundolo said. “The match could and should have been refereed. In my opinion it was an absolute shame that we had to play today.”
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LAFC’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was seen visibly shaking throughout the match, while his facial hair froze and snow piles up on his head.
“It was just ridiculous, there’s no other way to say it,” Cherundolo added.