Hurricane Helen has already caused chaos across the sports world this weekend, and Major League Soccer is no exception.
The hurricane is expected to form in the Caribbean on Tuesday and approach Florida and the Gulf Coast by late Thursday night. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to move north across southwest Florida, into Alabama and Georgia by Friday morning, and then stationary in Tennessee and Kentucky near St. Louis on Saturday. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and could bring a “catastrophic” storm surge.
A number of college and NFL games could be affected this weekend, Major League Baseball has already postponed two games because of the storm, and there are two MLS games this weekend that are in the storm’s path and could be affected.
Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC
Date and Time: Saturday, September 28th, 7:30pm ET
Location: Chase Stadium | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The hurricane is expected to move north up Florida’s Gulf Coast, but the Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas will feel a significant portion of the storm over the next few days, which could have a huge impact on Saturday night’s game between Miami and Charlotte.
The state of Florida declared a state of emergency for 61 counties in preparation for the storm, and while that part of South Florida may be the only part of the state that is unlikely to experience a storm surge, Fort Lauderdale could see significant rainfall that could disrupt traffic and cause games to be postponed.
St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting KC
Date and Time: Saturday, September 28th, 8:30pm ET
Location: CITYPARK | St. Louis, Missouri
The hurricane will likely have dissipated by then, but Wednesday’s forecast called for the storm to stop in the St. Louis area on Saturday morning. At that point, the area will likely see just rain and a few flurries at most. That might not mean the St. Louis-Kansas City game will be postponed, but it might have to be played in the rain.