WASHINGTON -- D.C. United and Houston Dynamo did their best to play a soccer match on Wednesday night, but a nasty summer storm front had other ideas as constant, heavy rain and intermittent thunderheads forced a rare postponement at soggy RFK Stadium.
After waiting more than half an hour for the weather to clear, both teams took the field at 8:01 pm and gamely tried to play on the saturated field -- but match officials suspended play after just 16 minutes as the rain and lightning refused to depart. A reschedule announcement was set for Thursday, when the MLS Cup champion Dynamo will hope that their visit to the White House is able to proceed as planned.
The evening got off to a late start due to the severe weather enveloping the Washington metro area, as RFK was hit with heavy thunderstorms in the hour before scheduled kickoff, prompting a half-hour delay to wait out the lightning and give the sodden field a bit of extra time to drain.
When the match finally kicked off, the wet conditions made a mockery of any attempt at cohesive play, as standing water stopped the ball dead across large expanses of the pitch. With dribbling and combination play out of the question, both teams had little choice but to resort to a direct style while defenders did their best just to stay on their feet.
In the 15-plus minutes that were played, United had the best chances, both from Marcelo Gallardo. In the third minute, he whipped a free kick on goal that Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad chose to punch over the bar. Then he later sent a well-hit shot on target from outside the box, with the same result.
By the 12th minute, RFK looked to have been hit by a monsoon as the field's puddles spread and deepened, with visibility markedly reduced. But the die-hard fans in attendance -- already soaked to the bone -- reacted with glee, cheering louder as the rain worsened and lightning flashed.
Four minutes later, referee Ricardo Salazar had seen enough and halted play, herding both teams into the locker rooms to wait out the storm after having officially deemed the field unplayable. But the skies would not clear and the RFK surface, which was relaid less than a year ago with high-tech features designed to promote quick drainage, simply couldn't dry out quickly enough and at 9:40 pm, the match was officially postponed.
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