Hexy 2013, Round 2: Denver

[Alright, alright... I need to write more often on here again. I have excuses, but none of them are good.]

Well, that was something else.

I've been having a good time in Denver with five friends from the Twin Cities. Denver is filled with terrific bars with great Colorado brews. We spent most of the day on Friday watching the NCAA basketball tournament at a brewpub near downtown, then headed out to DSG Park for pre-game tailgating.

That's when the snow started.

By the time warmups had ended, stadium staff were shoveling the field lines. The wind was blowing directly into our faces in the south end. As the first half progressed, the snow changed from small pellets to big, wet flakes that stuck to everyone's clothes, scarves, etc.

The play was, predictably, messy. The US came out with better possession and movement; the Costa Ricans definitely seemed rattled by the weather. Dempsey's goal was a bit lucky, but came from some good work.

The second half wasn't really soccer so much as a bunch of players sliding around on the snow. About ten minutes into the half the referees appeared to be ready to call off the game; I'm sure Costa Rica would have loved that, since the game would have had to have been replayed from the beginning. After a few minutes' discussion, they decided to keep playing. The US allowed Costa Rica a lot of posession late, but the Ticos weren't able to do much with it.

In the end, it's three points in the bank; given the other results today, those points are huge.

I'm in Denver until Sunday afternoon, when I fly to Mexico City for Tuesday's qualifier. Bring on the Azteca.