Only in Canada, pity - after a 30 min delayed start, due to a major penalty line marking screw-up, in the MLS all Canadian Playoff semi-final match 1st leg, Montreal v Toronto, Montreal are 2-0 up atter 35 mins of play - 2 goals in 2 mins (Drogba on the bench for Montreal).
61,000 in attendance at Olympic Stadium.
Delayed start of TFC-Impact game like watching paint dry — literally
Mis-marked penalty lines force teams had to wait more than 30 minutes to start MLS Eastern final
The Canadian Press Posted: Nov 22, 2016 8:38 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 22, 2016 8:51 PM ET
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Grounds crew make last-minute adjustments to the penalty box lines at Olympic Stadium, delaying the start of the first leg of the MLS Eastern Conference final. ( Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
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Kickoff of Game 1 of the MLS Eastern Conference final was delayed Tuesday night over an apparent discrepancy in the size of the penalty box at Olympic Stadium.
It looks like they misjudged the lines by three yards on either side. Repainting them now. I'm not making this up.
[HASHTAG]#TFC[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#IMFC[/HASHTAG] pic.twitter.com/6Oh1gqiYET
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@JohnMolinaro
Update: The lines of the 18 yard boxes have been removed.
[HASHTAG]#TFCLive[/HASHTAG] pic.twitter.com/Ijz4dXCUIL
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@torontofc
After the players exited the field following their warmup, workers taped over the sidelines of the box and started measuring as a game official watched. It appeared the box was a metre or so short on each side.
"Due to a technical problem on the field, kickoff will be delayed," the Montreal Impact tweeted.
IMPORTANT | Due to a technical problem on the field, kickoff will be delayed.
[HASHTAG]#IMFC[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#MTLvTOR[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#MLSCupPlayoffs[/HASHTAG]
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@impactmontreal
Seventeen minutes after the scheduled kickoff, the capacity crowd of 61,004 cheered as a worker came out to patiently paint the line with a push-machine.
He was followed by a man equipped with what looked like a leaf-blower to dry the freshly laid paint.
Did not have 'watching paint dry' on my evening plans.
[HASHTAG]#MTLvTOR[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#tfclive[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#MLSCupPlayoffs[/HASHTAG]
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@TFCWomble
Now I've seen it all.... a leaf blower on an artificial pitch
[HASHTAG]#TFC[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#TFCLive[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#MLSCupPlayoffs[/HASHTAG]
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@bgnewf
The game was originally slated for 8 p.m. The crowd seemed good-natured about the delay, however.
"We're somewhat embarrassed," Impact owner Joey Saputo told ESPN, which was broadcasting the game south of the border.
"We have to take responsibility for it," he added. "It's unfortunate it has happened."
How does this happen? How does team train on pitch this week and nobody not notice? How did we even get to this point? How?
[HASHTAG]#TFC[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#IMFC[/HASHTAG]
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@JohnMolinaro
Only in
[HASHTAG]#montreal[/HASHTAG]. Construction right before the
[HASHTAG]#IMFC[/HASHTAG] game.
[HASHTAG]#impact[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#mls[/HASHTAG]
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@Gpiero99
The Impact normally play at the adjacent Saputo Stadium but have used Olympic Stadium for big games.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/mls/toronto-fc-impact-game-delayed-1.3863270