Two Players Treated For Hypothermia As USA And Honduras Play 'The Coldest Game Ever'

Two players were treated for hypothermia as the United States and Honduras played in freezing cold -17 degrees (celsius) conditions last night.

Gregg Berhalter's side won 3-0 in the World Cup qualifier at the Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota in what was the coldest fixture for the USMNT in more than 20 years.

Players from both sets of teams, as well as the referee, were allowed to wear warm weather gear such as snoods and face coverings.

The hosts won 3-0, with Weston McKennie, Walker Zimmerman and Christian Pulisic on the scoresheet.

There were heated benches, 20,000 free handwarmers and additional hot food and drink for fans, as well as the approval of battery-operated warming devices.

But the sub-zero temperatures and incredibly cold wind chills of minus-10 to minus-15 degrees proved too much as two Honduras players had to be substituted after suffering from hypothermia.

Goalkeeper Luis 'Bobo' Lopez was replaced at half-time and was still requiring treatment at the end of the game, according to reports.

Teammate Romell Quito was also in discomfort and had to be hooked - though his situation was apparently not as severe.

Honduras manager Hernan Dario Gomez was not happy with the decision to play the game and said, "Football is not possible in those conditions".

However, Berhalter had a very different view and says the USA did all they could in regards to providing thermal attire.

"What I would say is that we provided Honduras and their staff and the referees with warm weather gear," he said.

"We provided them with heat gear, and were trying to make it a safe environment for them to play. When we go down to those countries, and it's 90 degrees in 90% dew point and it's unbearable humidity and guys are getting dehydrated and cramping up and getting heat exhaustion, that's the nature of our competition.

"When we schedule this game in this location, you have to go by average temperatures, daily average temperatures, and it was the best guess. We want to minimize travel. We knew we're gonna be playing in cold weather in two of the games and we figured to do it in the third game as well, instead of switching climates.

"The cold spell came through and it's something we can't control but all we can do once that happens is try to mitigate the risk by having warm weather gear and going out there and competing and we did that."

Featured Image Credit: Image: PA

Topics: United States, Honduras