Tony Sanne tried to be a tough guy.
The St. Paul native didn’t wear multiple layers of the US men’s national team uniform for a World Cup qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, in February 2001.
“I remember thinking that I would be brave and only wear a short-sleeved shirt in the first half. It was just stupid,” Sanne recalled last week. “It was not intimidating in any way. It was “you’re an idiot”. ”
Sanne donned a long-sleeved T-shirt at halftime as the US beat Mexico 2-0, the first legendary “dos a cero” score over America’s archrivals.
Temperatures at the start in Ohio that day were 29 degrees, which would have been downright tropical compared to what’s predicted for the US World Cup qualifier against Honduras at Allianz Field on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service on Sunday forecast a minimum of minus 13 degrees in St. Paul with northwest winds up to 10 mph.
Brutal.
When asked by Pioneer Press about possible contingencies for the game given this cold forecast, a US Soccer spokesperson instead cited similar temperatures for the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. It was minus 6 when the puck hit Target Field during the Wild Blues game and dropped to minus 10 when the game ended in Minneapolis a month ago.
If the forecast registers this low and the USMNT game is played as scheduled, Wednesday’s game could be the coldest professional game played in the US. The coldest competition is known as the “Ice Cup” when it was minus 13 degrees. for a Packers-Cowboys playoff game in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1967.
Sanneh is the game’s ambassador for Wednesday’s qualifier and said he didn’t know how to feel about the game’s conditions.
“It can get very cold, but that’s what being in Minnesota is like,” said Sanne, who played 43 games for the United States. – If Minnesota becomes an integral part of future US teams, this is our Lambo (Field). This is where you must go if you want to defeat us.”
After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the US held its first Winter Qualifier in Columbus last Thursday where it was 29 degrees when the US beat El Salvador 1-0. It was 20 degrees when Canada beat the US 2-0 Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario.
College football and Allianz Field officials have consulted with Target Field to find out how best to accommodate fans in Wednesday’s cold weather. They will provide several seats, including free hand warmers for the crowd, which is expected to reach a capacity level of just under 20,000.
They will also allow fans to bring battery-powered cold-weather gear and blankets, place medical stations and shelters around the stadium, have staff roam the stadium to check on fans, turn on bathroom heating, and provide extra hot food and drinks. drinks at concession kiosks.
“It all comes down to people — fan safety, staff safety and some of the precautions we had to take in terms of construction,” said Justin Borrell, general manager of Allianz Field. “I think our Brew Hall will be a hit when it comes to (providing warm rooms). It just focuses on people and how a building can best serve people.”
Regarding contingencies, Borrell said: “We’re in constant contact with people from US Soccer. It’s really an organization that goes back and forth with (FIFA and the match commissioner). Including them in our planning was vital.
“We haven’t heard that we’ll reach a threshold that could be in conflict with the actual game, but rather focus again on how we can take care of these people, be they players, fans, staff.”
The US played Canada on cold artificial turf in Ontario on Sunday; Allianz Field will work on improving the playing surface.
The four-year-old Minnesota United Stadium has underground heating coils that started thawing the natural grass a few weeks ago. Its purpose is to encourage plant growth, but it also helped melt about 10 inches of snow off the grass.
However, low air temperatures forced them to manually remove the last few inches of snow in the middle of last week. They removed everything and were able to mow on Saturday. The surface temperature of the bowels will be from 40 to 55 degrees.
“It’s not the middle of July; in Minnesota on Feb. 2, Allianz Field Assistant Gardener Mitch Ronning said. “Obviously we did our best. We’re doing everything we can, but it’s snow or frost as far as playability is concerned. It’s probably not what you’ll get in the summer because this plant isn’t as active.”
Allianz Field is gearing up for a group of American Outlaws supporters “in full force,” Borrell said. Some of them are also Minnesota Loons supporters.
“Minnesotans are not afraid of cold weather, and those who want to watch the game will come to watch it,” Borrell said. “We’re getting great feedback on this, even with temperatures and other things that are predictive.”
THE FIVE COOLEST US PRO SPORTS EVENTS
-13 – Packers vs. Cowboys, December 31, 1967
-9 – Bengals v Chargers Jan 10, 1982
-6 – Wild vs Blue, January 1, 2022
-6 – Vikings vs Seahawks Jan 10, 2016
-4 – Packers vs. Giants January 20, 2008
