'Unplayable': Coaches agree rain-soaked U.S.-Canada match should've stopped

Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.

The head coaches of the United States and Canada women's teams agreed that Wednesday's W Gold Cup semifinal should've been postponed due to the waterlogged pitch in San Diego.

CONCACAF is under scrutiny after the game was played in difficult conditions at Snapdragon Stadium. The confederation for North, Central America, and Caribbean football stated the decision to halt or continue the fixture was at the "discretion of the referee," but The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tannenwald noted at one point the match official, Katia Garcia, "walked over to the sideline and was told by someone to continue playing."

The United States beat Canada in a penalty shootout after the match ended 2-2 following extra time.

"It's obvious that the game was unplayable," Canada coach Bev Priestman said post-match, according to ESPN's Cesar Hernandez. "We put in a lot of work in a game plan and within Minute 1, it's thrown out the window."

Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan echoed her coach's sentiment, saying it felt "pretty crappy" to lose when the rain-soaked pitch effectively rendered the team's game plan redundant. "Obviously, there (were) some things really out of our control," she told OneSoccer's Oliver Platt. "Some decisions that we couldn't make that other people had to make and didn't - and that's just unfortunate."

United States interim coach Twila Kilgore credited her team for adapting to the conditions but also felt the fixture shouldn't have gone ahead.

"Probably not. But those decisions aren't my decisions," she said, according to The Associated Press. "If the referees make those decisions, and the game goes on, it's our job to figure out how to win."

The spectacle drew ire from viewers, including former players. Julie Foudy and Sam Mewis, who have over 350 USWNT caps between them, both expressed concern for the U.S. and Canada players' well-being.

The United States takes on Brazil in the inaugural W Gold Cup final on Sunday.