The National Weather Service reported Pawtucket received 32 inches of snow in the storm at the beginning of the week.
The National Weather Service reported Pawtucket received 32 inches of snow in the storm at the beginning of the week.Carlos R. Munoz
Following snowfall on Monday that exceeded three feet in parts of southeast New England, both the Revolution and Rhode Island FC have postponed their home opening matches from next weekend.
Both teams were scheduled to play at 2:30 p.m. on March 7, with the Revolution hosting the Houston Dynamo at Gillette Stadium and RIFC of the USL Championship welcoming Loudoun United to Pawtucket’s Centreville Bank Stadium.
The snowfall, the Revolution said, delayed the “harvesting and delivery” of the natural grass field that is replacing Gillette’s artificial turf for this summer’s men’s World Cup. (Current plans are that the Revolution will play the first half of their season on grass, with the artificial surface reinstalled prior to Patriots season.)
The old surface was stripped not long after the Patriots’ send-off rally prior to Super Bowl LX.
The transition from artificial turf to natural grass was well underway at Gillette Stadium in mid-February.
The transition from artificial turf to natural grass was well underway at Gillette Stadium in mid-February, when the Revolution welcomed their season-ticket holders for a kickoff event.Jon Couture/Globe Staff
The Revolution noted “with field-related stadium infrastructure preparations completed on schedule, the Gillette Stadium field crew is prepared to install the grass when it arrives ahead of the Revolution’s new MLS home opener,” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, against FC Cincinnati.
A rescheduled date for the Houston match was not announced, but the team noted tickets for the postponed match will be honored. New England, routed in its season opener at Nashville last weekend, visits Red Bull New York in Harrison, N.J., at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
RIFC cited the more than 30 inches of snow that fell in Pawtucket in its decision, and that the team was moving to “prioritize safety and allow for an optimal experience.” The game with Loudoun, which took Cambridge’s Jack Panayotou on a season-long loan from the Revolution earlier this month, was moved to 7:30 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 14.
RIFC will instead open its third season, and its second at its purpose-built home on the shore of the Seekonk River, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, against expansion Sporting Club Jacksonville. Tickets for the Loudoun match can either be used for the rescheduled date or swapped for another regular-season home game.