(Photo credit: Robert Mora)
SEATTLE—The LA Galaxy got a little surprise as they completed their preparations for Sunday’s Western Conference Championship second leg with Seattle Sounders FC.
As the team loaded off the bus at CenturyLink Field for their final training session before the match, they were greeted by not only frigid temperatures that hovered around freezing, but a pitch that was draped in a dusting of snow from a storm that rolled through the city in the early morning hours. The snow covered wide stretches of the field causing some confusion before it was eventually cleared completely by a member of the CenturyLink Field grounds crew.
Although LA undoubtedly expected a pristine pitch for training, Galaxy boss Bruce Arena shrugged off what may have been a little gamesmanship by Seattle and insisted that it didn’t bother his charges one bit.
"I don't know the protocol [for the field being cleared],”a smirking Arena said to a group of assembled media in the team’s downtown hotel on Saturday afternoon. “We ran a little bit so it was fine. We don't expect to get any favors when we visit here anyway.
Well then, that should add a little more intrigue to what is already the most highly anticipated between two clubs who were the league’s best throughout the 2014 season.
There won’t be any snow on the pitch on Sunday, but the Galaxy and Sounders will play for a spot in MLS Cup in absolutely freezing conditions. At kick off, the temperature is expected to drift down to 30 degrees and, if the forecast comes true, it will be the coldest kick off time for a Sounders match at CenturyLink Field in the club’s history.
If you’re among the folks traveling to Seattle for the MLS Cup deciding match, be sure to get out your coats, jackets and scarves.
