Midfielder Clint Dempsey #8 of the United states falls to the ground after being tripped up by defender Michael Umana #4 of Costa Rica as midfielder Michael Barrantes #11 of Costa Rica moves on the ball during a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier match between Costa Rica and United States at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 22, 2013 in Commerce City, Colorado.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Soft snow started falling, and then kept getting heavier as the night progressed.
From the start of Friday's World Cup qualifier, the lines on the field were covered. As the game wore on, even the Americans in their white home uniforms became hard to see.
And then in the 55th minute, with the U.S. leading Costa Rica 1-0 on Clint Dempsey's early goal, the referee and match commissioner stopped it.
Would it continue? For a moment, it was as unclear as the view.
But then, after some heated discussions, play went on.
On a snowy night more suitable to slaloms than soccer, Dempsey's 16th-minute score in his first start as the American captain held up, giving the U.S. a 1-0 victory in a key qualifier for next year's World Cup.
"It was difficult out here to see anything," Dempsey said. "The second half, the snow coming up past your ankles, it was almost unplayable."
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