The USMNT will look to get their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a win over Honduras, in order to do that they will have to defeat the elements in what will be one of the coldest games on record.
According to weather conditions, tonight’s game will be played at 3 degrees Fahrenheit in St. Paul, home of Minnesota United. The weather is expected to drop to the negative teens during the evening due to wind chills.
Many pundits have bashed Gregg Berhalter and US Soccer for going ahead with the game in such cold conditions, which could be detrimental to their own players. Honduras sits last in qualifying and coach Hernán Darío Gómez stated he just wanted to “get the game over with” amid such negativity from the press and pundits back home.
USMNT to play Honduras in subzero temperatures
ESPN pundit Craig Burley questioned US Soccer’s mentality to put “the greatest generation of USMNT players” in a situation where the cold weather will affect their performance as well as the crowd’s enthusiasm. The stadium has not sold out and reporters have mentioned that a sellout was unlikely given the conditions.
This is not the first time US Soccer has resorted to weather to favor them in World Cup qualifying. For many years US Soccer took Mexico to Columbus, Ohio to play in freezing weather as well as Costa Rica in the “snow clasico” in Denver of2013,in which the match, which should have been suspended, was played on a field with a few inches of snow.
Huge concerns have arisen over player and fan safety, as some weather experts believe that both fans and players on the bench and on the field could be victims of frostbite.
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, who has become the only spokesperson within US Soccer, stated that the playing field at Allianz Field is playable and cold-weather precautions have been taken.