The United States are not yet qualified for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year, but they will not soon forget the match played on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in Saint-Paul, Minnesota. To hope to play in the heat in November 2022, the American selection had to face the polar cold of this northern state, which had been chosen to host Honduras.
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An extremely questionable choice in view of the weather conditions, which are usual in this region. At kick-off, the temperature displayed was -17 degrees. The temperature felt fluctuated between -20 and -25 degrees. This gave rise to comical scenes for viewers, if not funny for the players and the staffs of the two teams. The actors of the meeting had been authorized to evolve with balaclavas to protect themselves from the cold. Heated benches, insole warmers provided by the NFL team of the Minnesota Vikings, it was necessary to fight against the polar cold.
surreal scenes
American goalkeeper Matt Turner had kept his hand warmer on at kick-off, before the referee ordered him to remove it… In the stands, some local journalists had anticipated and had taken out their ski gear so as not to suffer too much from the cold! Surreal conditions that scared the selection of Honduras. Three players were thus replaced at half-time, and the Honduran Federation assured that for two of them, the replacement was indeed due to “extreme weather conditions”.
OFFICIAL ||
Two (2) players of the National team did not return to the second half of the eliminatory game against #USA 🇺🇸 due to the extreme weather conditions that prevail in the stadium #AllianzField.
– Honduran National Team (@FenafuthOrg) February 3, 2022
Matt Turner was told by the referee to remove the quarterback pouch. pic.twitter.com/8rQBupfXL1
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 3, 2022
The USA won 3-0, with goals from McKennie, Zimmerman and Pulisic, and their federation leaders assumed the choice of venue, arguing that they were maintaining climatic continuity after playing in Columbus by -5 degrees and in Canada in Ontario (+1 degree)… Honduras, last in the standings, expressed their dissatisfaction via coach Hernan Dario Gomez. “I’m not going to analyze my team, the game or the performance of my players. It’s not possible and I’m not able to do it under these circumstances. In the locker room, my players are given intravenous fluids and many of them are in pain. »
This. Is. Insane 🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/4fqUlIppDP
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) February 3, 2022
ESPN colleague Austin Lindberg has been condemned to the outdoor press box. But as a Minnesotan, he came prepared. pic.twitter.com/puSWH2dfWd
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) February 2, 2022
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