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player ready...The Fire’s quest for its first trophy is still on hold.
Hurricane Bonnie slammed into North Carolina on Wednesday, when the U.S. Open Cup championship match between the Fire and Columbus Crew was to be played in Virginia Beach, Va.
Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore declared a state of emergency for the area and the match was rescheduled for Thursday night.
Strong winds and up to 10 inches of rain were forecast for the Virginia Beach area Thursday prompting U.S. Soccer to again postpone the match Thursday morning.
“After consulting with (MLS Commissioner) Doug Logan, it was determined that it was in the best interest of the fans and teams to postpone the game indefinitely,” U.S. Soccer’s Secretary General Hank Steinbrecher said in a statement Thursday.
“Clearly we were caught in a no-win situation,” Steinbrecher said. “We had hoped by delaying for one day we would be able to fit the game in, but when the hurricane slowed down it took away any chance of playing this week.”
Once the game was postponed indefinitely, both the Fire and Crew had to find ways to get out of Virginia Beach. With the Norfolk Airport closed Wednesday, the Fire had to be bused to Washington, D.C., and get a flight directly to Kansas City, where it will play the Wizards on Saturday. A Fire victory will clinch a playoff position for the first-year team.
The Crew will face the Galaxy on Saturday in Los Angeles. Columbus also was bused to Washington for a flight to Pittsburgh en route to Los Angeles.
The Open Cup committee will meet with the Fire, Crew and MLS officials next week to try and reschedule the championship match. Both teams have busy schedules in September.
Last season, the championship match, won by the Dallas Burn over D.C. United, was played at the conclusion of the MLS playoffs. That scenario is likely this year as well with the match being scheduled possibly the first week of November.