Dynamo Charities Cup match vs. Manchester City canceled

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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 rescheduled later this year against an opponent to determined. However, Manchester City and the Dynamo began preliminary discussions to have the Citizens 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.”

Manchester City, which recently finished second in the stout 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 professional sports.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini and a group of other 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. Manchester City officials were not available for comment on Thursday.

The Dynamo began the process of installing new sod Sunday, but the stadium was hammered by the storms that caused major flooding throughout Houston on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Sergio Aguero, der., anota el gol del Manchester City contra Barcelona en la Liga de Campeones el martes, 24 de febrero de 2015, en Manchester, Inglaterra. Sergio Aguero, der., anota el gol del Manchester City contra Barcelona en la Liga de Campeones el martes, 24 de febrero de 2015, en Manchester, Inglaterra. Photo: Jon Super, AP Photo: Jon Super, AP Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Dynamo Charities Cup match vs. Manchester City canceled 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

The Dynamo caught a break when the rain held off Wednesday afternoon and throughout Thursday, but the match officials canceled the match 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, one of Italy’s powerhouses, complained and nearly backed out of a match with Mexican giant Chivas after seeing the field at NRG Stadium last August.

The start of that match was delayed for more than 30 minutes while A.C. Milan officials determined whether they would play even though the match officials had cleared the ragged turf.

Canetti was adamant that the BBVA Compass Stadium was in better shape than the field that AC Milan and Chivas played on 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.

Unfortunately for the Dynamo, the referees wouldn’t clear the field on Thursday.

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.