Unsafe field conditions prompt the cancellation of match with Manchester City.
Manchester City in talks to return within 18 months
After deeming the BBVA Compass Stadium field unsafe, the referees canceled the Dynamo Charities Cup match between the Dynamo and English Premier League heavyweight Manchester City on Thursday.
Another Dynamo Charities Cup match will be scheduled this year against an opponent to be determined. But Manchester City and the Dynamo began preliminary discussions to have the English team visit BBVA Compass Stadium within the next 18 months.
“I’m gutted right now,” Dynamo president Chris Canetti said. “I’m gutted for a couple of reasons. I’m sorry that our fans aren’t going to be able to see this game. I know there was a lot of excitement. I’m gutted because so much work over the last few days went into making this field playable.
“We felt like we did everything we possibly could to overcome those circumstances. I think we have to respect that players’ safety is the No. 1 concern. I can tell you I don’t agree with the decision. They know that, but I can’t do anything about it.”
Expressing concerns
Manchester City, which recently finished second in the EPL, has won two of the last EPL titles with a roster full of international stars and one of the highest payrolls in all of pro sports.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini and a group of Manchester City personnel inspected the field at 1 p.m. Thursday. Pellegrini expressed his concerns to the Dynamo, beginning nearly three hours of wrangling before the referees decided the field was unsafe. Officials for Manchester City, which played an exhibition Wednesday night in Toronto, were unavailable for comment Thursday.
The Dynamo installed new sod Sunday, but the stadium was hammered by the week’s storms that caused major flooding throughout Houston.
The Dynamo caught a break when the rain held off Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, but match officials canceled the exhibition after walking the stadium with Manchester City representatives.
This is the second time in nine months that a turf concern cast doubt over a match in Houston involving a major European club. AC Milan, an Italian powerhouse, complained and nearly backed out of a match with Mexico’s Chivas after seeing the field at NRG Stadium in August.
The start of that match was delayed for more than 30 minutes while AC Milan officials determined whether they would play, even though the match officials had cleared the ragged turf.
Canetti was adamant the BBVA Compass Stadium turf was in better shape than the field on which AC Milan and Chivas played at NRG Stadium.
“The condition of our (field) today at this stadium far exceeds the condition of the pitch when that match was played last year (at NRG Stadium),” Canetti said.
But the referees wouldn’t OK the field Thursday.
Exchange policies
The Dynamo Charities Cup match is included in the team’s season-ticket package, so the ticket will be good for the rescheduled match. Season-ticket holders who bought extra tickets to the match can exchange the value of those tickets for a regular-season match at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Dynamo will also give partial season-ticket plan buyers and group buyers options to exchange their tickets for a select group of regular-season matches. The Dynamo have exchange options for walk-up ticket buyers.