A postmatch fireworks show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles malfunctioned Friday night after Angel City FC beat the Orlando Pride 2-0, sending several projectiles sideways and into the stands as fans scrambled to get clear.
The display was launched from center pitch on the grass field in front of an announced crowd of 13,900, turning a victory celebration into a stadium safety scare in a matter of seconds. Video posted on social media showed fireworks ricocheting off the field and toward spectators, with some people ducking for cover and others staying put, laughing in disbelief.
Angel City FC said its medical and safety teams were already on site and that stadium operations confirmed the venue was secure, with guests, staff, players and crew able to leave safely. The Los Angeles Fire Department did not respond to any calls or treat any injuries at BMO Stadium on Friday night, and the club said Saturday night that it was not aware of any serious injuries.
What made the scene unnerving was the gap between the club's reassurance and what fans captured on video. The same celebration that was meant to mark Friday night's win under interim head coach Leif Gunnar Smerud instead showed why a pyrotechnic show that is meant to rise overhead can become dangerous when the launch angle fails and the rounds travel low across the field and into the seating bowl.
Angel City FC said it is working closely with its pyrotechnics vendor to review the incident and evaluate appropriate next steps. The club's statement did not say whether future postgame fireworks shows will change, but the malfunction has already put the setup under scrutiny at a moment when Los Angeles was expecting a routine pre-Independence Day spectacle, not a night of people ducking as sparks came their way.
A separate fireworks show by the Washington Spirit at halftime in another Friday game produced heavy smoke that cleared before play resumed, a reminder that even routine stadium displays can shift quickly from celebration to hazard when the launch does not go as planned.
Luiza Moraes, whose Getty Images photo showed the pyrotechnic show on the field, captured the kind of spectacle the club wanted. Friday night, the final image belonged instead to fans looking up and moving away.
