Dick’s Sporting Goods Park prepares for heavy storms modern turf techniques

COMMERCE CITY — The Colorado Rapids will have to wait until Saturday to play for their first home win of the 2023 MLS season.

The Rapids had their game against the Vancouver Whitecaps postponed Wednesday night due to inclement weather. But for how concerning the weather was, the field should hold up for Saturday’s game against LA Galaxy.

A torrential amount of wind, hail and rain battered Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in numerous bands, and after a four-hour, eight minute delay, at 11:41 p.m., the game was officially postponed by MLS officials without a ball being kicked. The first delay came at 7:36 p.m., just after the pregame national anthems wrapped up. The game will be rescheduled at a later date, and tickets will be valid for whenever the game will be made up.

Once it hit DSGP, the storm lashed throughout the night. It was severe enough that a bolt of lightning struck near the east side of the stadium just after 9 p.m., which resulted in “electrical difficulties” as it knocked out the floodlights and generators kicked in.

For 15 minutes while power was being rebooted, chaos reigned as at least four fans rushed the field without much resistance from security. Despite two public address announcements, fans were able to run the length of the field and security did not intervene.

The heaviest downpour came at 11 p.m., which was when a local noise ordinance was set to kick in. However, officials pushed the game back to midnight as the latest time it could kick off. In the end, despite Rapids staffers coming out to test the field, the game was at last postponed.

The team put out a statement Thursday afternoon thanking fans and media for showing up. “Like the weather, the decision to wait it out was out of our hands, as MLS hoped the lightning would eventually clear and the match would still be able to kick off,” the organization said. “We couldn’t be more thankful for the turnout we had for our Pride Night and are disappointed to not have been able to fully enjoy the moment with you do to weather disruption.”

Tickets for Wednesday’s game will be honored at the rescheduled match, which has not yet been finalized.

With more storms expected to batter the Denver metro area Thursday, the grounds crew will undoubtedly be busy to get the field ready for Saturday. But thanks to new sod that was laid last August, the field is better equipped to handle severe weather.

“I am very optimistic about the field conditions for Saturday,” DSGP’s director of turf operations Tanner Coffman told The Post. “We have improved our playing surface by leaps and bounds since last August and are learning that we can handle much more traffic and weather while maintaining a safe, reliable surface for the athletes.”

Last year, 99% U.S. Golf Association “spec sand,” a very finely tuned mixture of sand particles, was added to the pitch and filled it into the top four inches before the sod went down. This helps maintain a high infiltration rate and gives the grounds crew the chance to drain the field quickly  when DSGP is hit with such torrential rains.

The crew kicked in a Subair system Wednesday, which is underneath the pitch and removes water from beneath the surface, up to two inches per hour given the sand profile. Additionally, they are equipped with tarps and blowers for high-traffic areas of the field.

Colorado (2-9-7, 18 points) will look for its first home win Saturday against Galaxy (3-9-5, 14 points) in a pivotal clash to kick start the second half of the campaign after a brutal first half of the season.

“We are always prepared,” Coffman tweeted.

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