The USSF knew what they were getting into when they put a Hex match in Colorado in late March. At least, I hope they knew what they were getting into. The sell-out and record crowd at Dick's Sporting Goods Park was treated to an absolute snowy epic on Friday night, watching the USMNT overcome several inches of snow during a constant flurry to the tune of a 1-0 win over the flustered Costa Ricans.
That was all we needed. As the snow started to pile up, the chances started to come less and less frequently for both teams. Both had a shot or two that looked pretty good, but only two other balls found their way into the back of the net, and both were called off by the referee. The best chance that didn't involve an offside or a foul was in the 59th minute, when Dempsey had a beautiful scissor kick that was only inches wide of the goal.
Play stopped in the 55th minute, and the entire sellout crowd began to chant 'Let them play' as the two teams and referee deliberated — Jurgen Klinsmann running over to the referee with his hands six inches apart saying something that looked to me like, 'No, this much!' was one of my favorite things on the night.
After the game, the referee said that he never actually intended to postpone the game, so at least there's that.
Costa Rica is probably going to protest the game with CONCACAF, but they can whine all night about line visibility — they couldn't put the ball in the back of the net despite controlling the tempo the entire second half. As for us, bring on the very vulnerable looking Mexico.
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Matt Pollard 