SI:AM | A Wet and Wild USWNT Win

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I thought San Diego was supposed to have the best weather in the country.

In today’s SI:AM:

⛈️ The USWNT triumphs in the rain

🏈 One free agency move each team should make

🇯🇵 Newfound fame for Dodgers players

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A soaked mess

The U.S. women’s national team advanced to the final of the Concacaf W Gold Cup with a win over Canada last night in a game that you could barely call soccer.

It was clear from the moment the match began that it was going to be a total drenching. Heavy rain had turned the pitch in San Diego into a swamp. Puddles gathered all over the field and made it impossible for players to control the ball. No matter how hard the players kicked the ball, it would screech to a halt. This video sequence, just 10 minutes into the game, shows how absurd the conditions were.

Some of the biggest names in women’s soccer called for the game to be postponed.

“Why are the players being put in this situation?” former USWNT player Sam Mewis tweeted. “No chance these are safe playing conditions.”

“Call the game,” Lauren Holiday, another former U.S. midfielder, posted. “Don’t wait another minute.”

“This is so insane. STOP THE MATCH,” former player and current commentator Julie Foudy wrote. “Why isn't CONCACAF calling this match? Play it [tomorrow]. Someone is going to get hurt.”

The horrendous conditions led directly to the first goal of the match. In the 20th minute, a Canadian defender attempted to play a routine back-pass to the goalkeeper, but the ball became mired in a puddle and was left sitting unattended in the middle of the box. U.S. forward Jaedyn Shaw was able to reach the loose ball first and fire it into the net.

The rain stopped eventually, though, and the pitch was slightly less waterlogged in the second half, allowing for more normal play. Canada was able to equalize in the 82nd minute on a header from Jordyn Huitema, and the game went into extra time. Sophia Smith put the U.S. ahead in the 99th minute, but then Canada was awarded a penalty in the final minute of extra time (after U.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher struck a player in the face) and Adriana Leon converted from the spot to send the game to a shootout.

Naeher was the hero in the shootout, though, saving three shots and scoring a goal of her own as the U.S. won to advance to Sunday’s final against Brazil.

It was a pivotal result for the U.S., especially after its disappointing loss to Mexico in the group stage last week. Every match matters with the Olympics coming up in less than five months. But the proximity of the Olympics also emphasizes why it was reckless to play last night’s game in such dreadful conditions. Both teams were fortunate that they didn’t lose any players to injury.

“It’s obvious that the game was unplayable,” Canada coach Bev Priestman said. Asked whether the game should have been played, U.S. coach Twila Kilgore replied, “Probably not.”

Concacaf shirked responsibility for allowing the game to move forward, writing in a statement to multiple media outlets: “It is solely at the discretion of the referee as to whether the field is safe and playable.” But it would be naive to think that the federation couldn’t step in and postpone the game.

“Technically and practically by law it is always in the ultimate decision of the referee to make that decision,” CBS rule analyst Christina Unkel said during the network’s halftime show. “That being said, practically speaking, there is a match commissioner at each of these Concacaf matches. As we saw within the first minutes of this game, the referee went and demonstrated that the ball was not in fact rolling when she went over to near the fourth official station, which is where the match commissioner stands. It was very clear from her demonstrative showing that she does not necessarily think this is a safe condition, but is being told to continue this match by that match commissioner.”

The good news is that there isn’t any more rain in the forecast for San Diego for the rest of the week, so the pitch will have plenty of time to dry out before Sunday’s final, allowing the players to put their skills on display rather than chase the ball around like it’s some beer league game.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Matt Verderame compiled a list of last year’s best NFL free agency signings.
• Gilberto Manzano picked one free agent that every team in the league should sign.
• The Chiefs’ decision to place the franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed may have come as a surprise to some, but Greg Bishop explains that the cornerback has always been a key part of the dynasty Kansas City is building.
• The Dodgers’ signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto mean that a lot of their teammates are poised to become unexpectedly famous in Japan. Stephanie Apstein spoke with several players about how they’re hoping to leverage that position.
• Even after losing four starters from last year’s title-winning team, Emma Baccellieri makes the case that this South Carolina team is the best Dawn Staley has ever coached.
• The Bills, who began yesterday with the least salary cap space of any team in the NFL, released several key players to clear some room.
• The NHL trade market is heating up ahead of tomorrow’s deadline. The Golden Knights made a big move yesterday, landing Noah Hanifin in a deal with the Flames.
• Bad news for a top team in the NBA's Western Conference. Karl-Anthony Towns is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus.
• Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the season with a back injury.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. Auston Matthews’s overtime game-winner for the Maple Leafs. It was his 54th goal of the season, nine more than any other player in the league.

4. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino’s reaction to learning he was ahead of some of the best players in the league in an advanced stat.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s spin move between two defenders.

2. LeBron James’s ferocious dunk on Alex Len.

1. The Wizards bench’s reaction as Jordan Poole thought about taking a shot while sitting on the floor.

SIQ

What was the last major-conference men’s basketball team to go undefeated in the regular season? (Today is the anniversary of when they wrapped up their 31–0 season.)

• Purdue
• Kentucky
• Kansas
• Louisville

Yesterday’s SIQ: Which of the following cities did not have a team when the United States Football League began its first season on March 6, 1983?

• Atlanta
• Birmingham, Ala.
• Boston
• Oakland

Answer: Atlanta. The only two teams in the Deep South during the league’s three-year run were the Birmingham Stallions and Memphis Showboats, although Memphis didn’t join the league until 1984.

The league attracted a fair amount of interest, with TV ratings for the inaugural season beating ABC’s own internal projections, but subpar play by mostly anonymous players made it a tough sell. In a piece recapping the coverage of the 1983 season, Sports Illustrated’s William Taaffe called the first league championship the “Who Cares Bowl.”