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Photo: Arsenal star gets so cold during international game he has to play with blanket wrapped round him
Over the years, there have been numerous stories of players struggling to acclimatise to the British weather when playing in the UK.
However, new Arsenal signing Matt Turner would’ve certainly taken the somewhat chilly London weather over the sub-zero temperatures in Minnesota last night.
The Gunners goalkeeper was in between the sticks for the United States in their 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Honduras.
And the temperature at Minnesota’s Allianz Field was a brutally cold -2F, or -18C.
As per the , the wind chill was -8F (-22.2C) at kick-off. This made it the coldest United States home game in the team’s history.
The winter chill in Minnesota was enough to freeze a wet t-shirt pitchside on TV coverage. And players wore protective clothing.
Turner was allowed to wear a head covering and a muff around his waist. And during the middle of the game, the Arsenal newcomer even wrapped a blanket round himself.
“Soccer shouldn’t be endured this way”
It’s not uncommon for the United States to use the cold weather as an advantage against other teams.
Manager Gregg Berhalter told the Star Tribune – via the Daily Mail – it was a common tactic to help the USMNT gain a homefield advantage against Central and South American teams.
“They’re all coming from the equator, and it’s going to be really difficult for them to deal with these conditions,” he said.
“They’re going to take a couple of breaths and it’s going to hit them like it never hit them before.”
The US also chose Minnesota to limit travel time, having previously played in Columbus, Ohio and Ontario, Canada.
However, Honduras head coach Hernan Dario Gomez was not happy about the decision.
During the game, had to withdraw goalkeeper Luis Lopez and forward Romell Quioto, both understood to be suffering with hypothermia.
Afterwards, he said: “Soccer shouldn’t be endured this way. I’ve got all my players getting treatment, some players getting an IV.”