While Canada’s Jonathan David from Lille is leading the CONCACAF zone qualifiers,
the United States clings to second place, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. Thanks to McKennie, Zimmerman and Pulisic, Team USA beat Honduras (3-0) on Wednesday and came one step closer to qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar.
Organized in Saint-Paul, Minnesota, this meeting was disputed according to the American press under the coldest temperature in the history of national team matches: it was 1 degree Farenheit at kick-off. according to ESPN, i.e. -17 degrees Celsius… Not to mention an icy wind, which lowered the perceived temperature to -25°C. A weather alert had also been launched, warning of the risk of frostbite after 10 minutes spent outdoors…
They ended up doing this match at -20°C between the United States and Honduras😅
Two Honduran players went out for hypothermia but the good thing is that the TV team had prepared a visual way to show what was going on🥶pic.twitter.com/GPlACfgRbm https://t.co/KyWIhNKFLy
— Culture Soccer (@CultureSoccer) February 3, 2022
Three Honduran players, including the goalkeeper, were substituted at halftime. According to their federation, two of them did not return to the lawn because of “extreme weather conditions”. “I’m not going to analyze my team, the game or the performance of my players,” manager Hernan Dario Gomez said at a press conference. It is not possible and I am not capable of it in these circumstances. “In the locker room, my players received intravenous solutions. Many of them are suffering. »
Thanks for the balaclavas
His American counterpart Gregg Berhalter did not really show empathy: “We provided Honduras and the referees with warm equipment like balaclavas so that they could play in good conditions,” he said.
Before completely letting go: “You know, when we go down to these countries, and it’s over 30 degrees, the humidity is unbearable, and the guys get dehydrated, have cramps and suffer from exhaustion due to in the heat… That’s the nature of our competition. Thank you for this moment of compassion, Gregg.