U.S. women beat Canada in the rain to reach Gold Cup final on penalty kicks

The United States' women's national soccer team beat Canada in rain-soaked conditions on Wednesday tp reach the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup final.

The United States splashed past Canada on Wednesday night in a game that will be remembered as much for the deluged pitch as the heroics of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

She saved three penalty kicks and scored one of her own in the shootout to send the stars and stripes into the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup final.

The match ended 2-2 after extra time and was more notable for the weather than the quality of play: Heavy rain and a clearly waterlogged field made conditions difficult for both teams, with sprays of water accompanying every tackle.

Passes slowed to a trickle as the ball made its way through pools of standing water at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Many watching in America and around the world commented that in many national leagues the game would not be played in such conditions. Several people on social media joked that it was closer to water polo than soccer.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/us-women-beat-canada-rain-gold-cup-final-rcna142193

---