The Selection of Hondurasdirected by the Colombian Hernan Dario Gomez, had to face the United States, this Wednesday, in extremely cold conditions, in a Central American qualifying match at Qatar World Cup.
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Two Honduran players had to be substituted at halftime in Wednesday’s loss to the United States (3-0) in the Concacaf pre-world championship due to frigid temperatures on the field, the Central American team reported.
Temperatures reached -17 degrees Celsius at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, whose choice as the venue for the clash was defended again on Wednesday by the US coach, Gregg Berhalter.
The Honduran coach, Colombian Hernán ‘Bolillo’ Gómez, made three changes at half-time in the match, when his team was already down 2-0. Later, through its Twitter account, the Honduran national team reported that two of its players “did not return to the second half of the qualifying game against the United States due to the extreme weather conditions that prevail in the stadium.”
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The team did not identify the affected players or provide further details on their condition. The players replaced were goalkeeper Luis López, midfielder Diego Rodríguez and striker Romell Quioto. Players from both teams took to the field in multiple layers of clothing, and some members of the Honduran team even played with balaclavas covering their heads. In the post-match press conference, coach Gregg Berhalter defended his team’s right to take advantage of the weather in their home games in these Qatar-2022 World Cup qualifiers.
“We want to win our games at home,” he stressed. “We consider that our field is an advantage and that the playing conditions that rivals are not used to are also an advantage for us.” “But we also go to other countries and it’s 90 degrees (fahrenheit, 32 degrees Celsius) and unbearable humidity and the boys get dehydrated and get cramps and heat exhaustion. That’s the nature of our competition,” said the coach.
“We provided Honduras and their staff and referees with warm clothing and tried to make it a safe environment for them to play,” he said. The coach of the United States, second ranked in the Concacaf octagonal, pointed out that the choice of Saint Paul was due to the fact that in the other two games of this window they competed in cities with low temperatures: on Thursday receiving El Salvador in Columbus (Ohio) and on Sunday visiting Canada in Hamilton (Ontario). “We didn’t want to change the weather and then the cold wave came and it’s something we can’t control.”
OFFICIAL ||
Two (2) players of the National team did not return to the second half of the eliminatory game against #USES 🇺🇸 due to the extreme weather conditions that prevail in the stadium #AllianzField.
– Honduran National Team (@FenafuthOrg) February 3, 2022
AFP
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