- With a windchill expected to reach negative 20 in Kansas City, a soccer match between Inter Miami and Sporting KC could be the coldest ever. The match is part of the Concacaf Champions tournament.
- The match has already been postponed from Tuesday, Feb. 18, to Wednesday, Feb. 19. due to snow and travel issues.
- There is a question about whether international soccer star Lionel Messi will play for Miami.
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Sporting Kansas City will host the biggest soccer star in the world when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play in the Concacaf Champions Cup first round, Wednesday night, Feb. 19. It could also be the coldest weather ever recorded during a soccer match. Wind chills are expected to approach negative 20.
The game was already moved once, from Tuesday, Feb. 18 to Wednesday, Feb. 19, due to snow and travel complications.
Who will play in the match?
There’s a question of whether Messi will even play in those conditions, though Inter Miami’s manager says he is 100% available. Sporting KC players, meanwhile, have been training in the frigid temperatures for several days.
“I think my routines are always the same, doesn’t matter if it’s cold or warm, and I think you can protect yourself a little bit with clothes or whatever it is,” Sporting midfielder Erik Thommy said. “But at the end, if you move around, it’s going to be warm, and if you win, it’s going to be much warmer than you expect.”
Will it be the coldest ever?
The stadium has been cleared of snow, and the grass field is heated, but that won’t help the fans or players much. According to the Premier League, a soccer game in 2018 played in Siberia, Russia, saw the wind chill drop to negative 13. A World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Honduras in 2022 in Minnesota was negative 17 with the windchill. Those are the coldest games ever recorded. Wednesday is forecast to be lower, and Sporting manager Peter Vermes has a plan, sort of.
“I would say prior to the game, you have to have a really good warm-up and then also prior to the second half,” Vermes said. “Those are two really important things. The rest of it, just you’re moving in the game of soccer. It’s not a game where you stop all that much, right?”
What is the team saying to fans?
The team posted a message to fans on their website saying:
To help combat the temperatures at tonight’s game, we have set up additional heaters in the concourse, and fans are encouraged to bring blankets as well as cardboard to stand on. Our canopy roof shields fans from some elements, if you need it, our retail stores will be stocked with cold weather gear, and our guest service locations will have complimentary hand warmers available by request. There are also Shield club tickets still available for purchase.
All parties involved say there was no way to push the game back to a date with a warmer forecast. Both teams have scheduling conflicts not only in the Concacaf tournament but also with the upcoming MLS regular season. Ticket prices for the match have dropped to $25, and “Shield Club” tickets are still available as of Wednesday morning.