The United States women's football team called off its Women's World Cup "Victory Tour" match Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago at Honolulu, declaring the artificial pitch unsuitable for an international match.
After testing the playing surface Saturday in their final workout and seeking options to get the field into playable condition, the US Soccer Federation made the final decision to cancel the match.
"We extend our sincere apologies to those fans who were scheduled to attend," said US Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe. "Player safety is our number one priority at all times and after a thorough inspection throughout the day, we determined it was in the best interest for both teams to not play the match."
The move came a day after US women's star midfielder Megan Rapinoe was diagnosed with a torn right knee ligament suffered in a non-contact incident while training in Honolulu. She faces surgery and will try to recover in time to help the Americans defend gold at the Rio Olympics.