Foggy football

Saturday didn’t feature that kind of cataclysmic weather, but Mother Nature did impact the game, especially in the first half. While the rain was mostly light, the fog that descended on the stadium was unlike any kind of fog I’ve ever experienced at a sporting event. I sat through at Green Bay Packers-San Francisco 49ers deluge in 2002 — the Terrell Owens pom-pom touchdown dance game — but at least you could still see the game.

The fog had various levels of opacity and, with no stadium lights, it lent to gloomy atmosphere. At kickoff, the fog was visibly noticeable. As it came and went, I used the scoreboard as a barometer of how bad the fog got. Midway through the first quarter, I could barely make out the orange glow of the lights in the scoreboard clock, but it was still legible.

Midway through the second quarter, the fog completely engulfed the clock. Could not see it. If I didn’t know where it was located, I would not have known there was a scoreboard on the premises.

The lack of visibility was evident on the field. Those of us in the press box had a hard time seeing where the ball was being marked and if the play went toward the southern sideline, forget it. You couldn’t tell who had the ball or where the play stopped.

The receivers on both teams were severely impacted. They almost seemed surprised when the ball came out the gloom, resulting in a number of drops that hit receivers squarely in the hands.

Just before halftime, the fog started to dissipate and by the time the second-half kickoff rolled around, the fog was mostly gone and stayed away for the remainder of the game — a 30-5 CSM win.

The rain, however, came down heavy midway through the fourth quarter, but was a light drizzle by the time organizers handed out postseason awards.

It’s the second fog game of the season I’ve covered this year. It was noticeable during the Menlo-Atherton-Half Moon Bay game along the coast Sept. 30. But it was nowhere near as bad as the fog this weekend.

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The 2022 calendar year has been among the best ever for the College of San Mateo athletics. In the spring, the CSM softball team won its first-ever state title in its eighth-straight state tournament appearance.

Now in the fall, both the women’s volleyball team and football teams got a chance to play for a state title. The volleyball team advanced to the eight-team state tournament for the first time since the program’s inception in 2016. The Lady Bulldogs won their first match before bowing out in the semifinals.

The football team captured its fourth Nor Cal championship this past weekend, with a 30-5 win over American River.

Now the Bulldogs hope to join the softball team by winning the program’s first-ever state championship. CSM is 0-3 in its previous state championship game appearances. They lost 7-6 to Mt. SAC in 2009; 16-12 to Fullerton in 2017 and 31-14 to Riverside in 2019.

The Bulldogs will host Riverside in the title game at noon Saturday.

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Well, the United States men’s national soccer team did about what I expected. The Americans managed to advance out of the group stage by the skin of their teeth, before Netherlands exposed the United States for what it lacks in the round of 16, with the Dutch beating the Americans, 3-1.

It wasn’t all bad news for the United States. It showed it has a world-class midfield. It’s left and right back proved they can cause problems on the flanks. The U.S. center backs, which have been the weakest unit for the Americans for years, proved it has stepped up its game, as well.

The glaring weakness for the U.S. was the lack of a quality striker. The United States certainly had its chances, but struggled to finish in front of the net.

The U.S. scored three goals in four games. They had plenty of more chances, but could not capitalize. That needs to change if the U.S. wants to seriously think about becoming a top-10 team in the world or to be in contention when North America hosts the 2026 World Cup.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.