Los Angeles FC manager Steve Cherundolo has said it was “an absolute joke” that Saturday’s Major League Soccer game at Real Salt Lake was not abandoned.
Cherundolo’s LAFC side lost 3-0 on a snow-covered pitch in Utah.
Kick-off was initially delayed by two hours due to the adverse weather.
The match was then suspended after just four minutes of play because of lightning.
When play resumed an hour later, the pitch was fully white and snow continued to fall throughout the night.
“It was impossible conditions,” said Cherundolo in a post-game interview. “I feel terrible for the players that we put them through this.”
An action shot taken during Real Salt Lake’s 3-0 win over LAFC in Major League Soccer on a snow-covered pitch on Saturday night
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Cherundolo 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.”
Meanwhile, Salt Lake boss Pablo Mastroeni praised his team for getting on with it.
He said: “It’s about mentality. You don’t prepare by training in it, right? And I think the team that quickly adapts to the circumstances around them and controls the controllables has a better chance in it.
“It wasn’t easy for either team, so just a real credit to the players and the mindset to not allow circumstances beyond their control to affect them.”
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