After a delay of more than 40 minutes from the scheduled 8:21 p.m. ET kickoff, Major League Soccer announced the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United will be postponed until 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday at Red Bull Arena. Efforts to shovel the snow off the field of play were ultimately unsuccessful, as the snow from an early winter storm wouldn't let up enough for the game to be safely played.
As the NBC Sports Network discussed the conditions and interviewed both teams' coaches while waiting for word from league officials about the match, D.C. United coach Ben Olsen seemed prepared to play the match, although he granted that the conditions certainly weren't ideal. Meanwhile, Red Bulls coach Hans Backe was adamant that the match should not go forward, and said he told league officials that he definitely did not want to play in the extreme conditions.
Added to the concerns about the feasibility of the match were the potential risks for the fans attending the match. Although several busloads of D.C. United fans made the trip up to Red Bull Arena for the match and probably did not want to see the game delayed, the real risks of exposure for attending fans in a sport that isn't accustomed to matches in blizzard conditions had to be taken into account.
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