San Diego Wave's final home match moved to Louisville due to poor field conditions

Date:

Share post:


San Diego Wave FC announced Friday that due to poor field conditions at Snapdragon Stadium, their match this weekend against Racing Louisville FC will be played in Louisville, Kentucky.

“The safety and well-being of all players is our top priority, and the current field conditions at Snapdragon Stadium, which are the responsibility of a third party, have not met the standards required for a safe playing environment,” the club’s statement said. “A thorough review of the field was conducted and all alternative options within Southern California were exhausted; however, the league ultimately determined that moving the game to Louisville was the best solution.”

The match, set for 5:30 on Sunday, will now take place at Lynn Family Stadium. Racing announced ticket sales for the relocated match Friday, and due to the short notice, decided to make it general admission. The match will still air on ESPN.

The NWSL and players from the Wave evaluated the playing surface at Snapdragon Stadium early this week. The Wave made the call to move the game for player safety reasons.

The choice to move the match is significant for both teams.

For Racing, currently in ninth place in the NWSL standings and hoping to crash the playoffs on the final weekend, a home game could be a major momentum swing. But Louisville isn’t guaranteed a chance to play for a quarterfinal berth, with both the Portland Thorns (in seventh place) and Bay FC (in eighth place) each only needing a single point to clinch and keep Racing out. Portland plays Friday night at home; Bay FC is in Houston on Saturday.

For the Wave, it was set to be a fan appreciation night as the previously-eliminated team’s season came to a close. They also had planned a ceremony for Emily Van Egmond’s 100th NWSL appearance and giveaways among other activations. Alex Morgan was set to appear during the pregame ceremonies to honor her retirement, but a team spokesperson said that her official celebration will now take place during the 2025 NWSL season.

Field conditions at Snapdragon Stadium are not a new issue for the Wave. The stadium was the site of multiple season-ending injuries for NWSL players last year, including McCall Zerboni, Taylor Smith and Abby Smith of Gotham FC, as well as Seattle Reign’s Megan Rapinoe in the 2023 NWSL Championship.

GO DEEPER

Rapinoe after NWSL Championship: ‘I just rode it until the wheels came right off’

The NWSL club is a tenant of the facility and does not control the venue that also houses San Diego State University football and a professional rugby team. Things could get in 2025 with the addition of MLS expansion side San Diego FC.

Field conditions have been raised as a concern over the past month in San Diego, with interim head coach Landon Donovan telling reporters that “outside of replacing the whole field” there was not much that could be done to address it. Donovan also noted that there was a considerable amount of sand on the field, which slowed players down.

(Top photo: Ray Acevedo / USA TODAY Sports)





Source link

Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams is a writer and editor. Angeles. She writes about politics, art, and culture for LinkDaddy News.

Recent posts

Related articles

Kansas lands five-star guard Darryn Peterson, Jayhawks' first top-five commit since 2016

Five-star combo guard Darryn Peterson committed to Kansas on Friday night, he told The Athletic, and is...

Newcastle vs Arsenal preview: Storylines, odds, prediction as Gunners look to bounce back

Arsenal hoped to secure a statement victory over Liverpool last weekend, especially after leading twice. Instead, as...

Scenes from a Dodgers World Series parade: 'Best thing I've ever been a part of'

LOS ANGELES — At long last, a parade in Los Angeles. A city starved for one since...

American-owned Huddersfield Town lose to non-League side Tamworth in FA Cup first round upset

National League side Tamworth FC have knocked out League One side Huddersfield Town from the FA Cup...

Vikings' T.J. Hockenson to make season debut Sunday vs. Colts

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson will make his season debut in the team’s “Sunday Night Football”...

Mountain West Conference to add Grand Canyon University in 2026

The Mountain West Conference will add Grand Canyon University as a full non-football member in 2026, the...

Draymond Green, Steve Kerr and the Warriors are fixing their challenge problem

SAN FRANCISCO — When the Golden State Warriors’ decision-makers did an audit of their previous season this...

Heat Today: Can Tyler Herro's hot start keep Miami's offense afloat vs. the Wizards?

The Miami Heat (2-2) have headed west as they seek to move back over .500. In this...