Ordinarily, when one talks about lightning and football, they're usually referring to a bit of flair, a flash of brilliance, or dare I say it, genius. But on Friday night, it was an altogether different kind of lightning that the Regiment were talking about on Friday night.
Due to a lightning strike less than 3 kilometres away, the match was called off in the 18th minute. It will be replayed on July 22nd, at 4:30 PM.
According to the rules of USL Pro, the match was set to resume in the 18th minute. Each side would have to feature at least eight players who were on the pitch when the game was postponed.
On the night, Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Andre Lewis and Emmanuel Adjetey were joined by Odisnel Cooper, Colin Falvey, Shawn Ferguson, Quinton Griffith, Dane Kelly, Zach Prince, Amadou Sanyang, Jarad van Schaik, and John Wilson.
If you're wondering why we're saying was, would, and were, that's because Dave Wagner, United Soccer Leagues' executive director for Competition and Operations, indicated that the match will restart from the beginning.
Andre Lewis' eighteen minutes were wiped out by lightning, along with those of the other 21 playuers on the pitch.
None of the minutes, statistics, or disciplinary records, such as Richmond Captain Henry Kalungi's 16th minute yellow card, will count.
The match will be played from the start, with a brand new starting eleven. But just because the match was called off doesn't mean that our own Kim Morgan Gregory wasn't there to capture the night.
Next the Battery head to Pennsylvania, where they'll face the Harrisburg City Islanders on July 5th, before returning home for an encounter with Charlotte Eagles SC on the 12th.
It was a dark and stormy night at the 'Baud.
Click here to open Kim Morgan Gregory's fullscreen slideshow.
