Saturday’s MLS opener between the Galaxy and LAFC at the Rose Bowl has been postponed because of the possibility of heavy rains, flooding and lightning. A league official declined to comment publicly.
A makeup date has not been announced.
The game, the marquee matchup of league’s first weekend, was expected to break the MLS single-game attendance record of 73,019. More than 70,000 tickets already had been distributed as of midweek.
However, the threat of flooding and lightning made going forward with the match untenable. The presence of lightning in the Pasadena area would trigger a shelter-in-place order, which would have required fans to leave the stadium and return to their cars.
Rescheduling the game could be difficult given the already jammed MLS schedule, which could see the Galaxy and LAFC, the reigning MLS champion, each playing more than 50 times in about 42 weeks. The teams are scheduled to play two other regular-season games this season, one at Dignity Health Sports Park and the other at BMO Stadium.
Saturday’s game was going to mark the Galaxy’s return to the venerable stadium in the Arroyo Seco, where the team played during its first six MLS seasons. It was also the focus of Apple TV’s first weekend as the league’s broadcast partner. The company paid $2.5 billion to stream the league’s games over the next 10 seasons.
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