LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, speaking after the three-goal defeat, was less philosophical, calling the snowfall “impossible” to play in and saying he “felt terrible for the players” who had to endure it.

But from Mastroeni’s perspective, once the two coaches and the referee agreed to play in the snow, there was little chance the game would be called off midway through due to accumulation. And as it became clear the ground cover would only deepen in the second half, he reminded his side to “not play [the ball] backwards” – lest it slow up in the snow for an easy interception – and to “get underneath those forward passes.”

“Obviously, a lot easier said than done,” Mastroeni reflected on those halftime instructions. “I don’t know how these guys were able to pass it from A to B. I couldn’t even walk in the snow, let alone pass the ball.”

Cherundolo took a more passive approach to his coaching in the second half, frustrated even further by visibility challenges: “You couldn’t see anything. I think I threw more snowballs at [assistant coach] Ante [Razov] than I did watch the game.”