CNN
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Chelsea shortened their training sessions in Philadelphia on Monday ahead of their Key FIFA Club World Cup match against Tunisian Side Estunis as temperatures are rising.
The Bruce was trained at Subaru Park, home to Major League Soccer (MLS) team Philadelphia Union, on the eve of the final group game at the Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Temperature reached around 1:30pm, at 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius). On Monday in Philadelphia, the Heat Index (the scale used to measure what the body actually feels), was 110 (43.3 degrees Celsius) at that time.
And to help protect the players from the heat, manager Enzo Maresca decided to limit the time they spent on the field and train in the shaded areas of the stadium. The club also placed fans close to the pitch and blew water into the field.
“It’s almost impossible to do training or sessions due to the weather,” Maresca told reporters Monday. “Now we’re trying to save energy in the game. This morning’s session has been very, very short. It’s the game of tomorrow and we’re planning for tomorrow.
The current heat wave is exacerbated by the powerful heat domes accumulated in the US, putting tens of millions of people at risk, with the hottest temperatures ever and the hottest in some cities.
People in the region from the Midwest to the East Coast will face four extreme heat risk levels 4, at least until Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
High temperatures in the plains, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are expected to hit at least 15 degrees above normal, marking the hottest temperatures of the year and rising in the 90s. In humidity, especially in the mid-Atlantic, you can feel as hot as 110 degrees.
“It’s difficult to work with these temperatures, but we’re here and we’re trying to do our best and we’ll try to win tomorrow,” Maresca said. “It’s impossible to do a normal session.”
A 2023 survey found that heat is the most deadly and extreme form in the United States, contributing on average to over 800 deaths a year since 1999.
According to CNN, temperatures in Philadelphia are expected to reach a record of 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday, surpassing the previous high of 1923’s 99 sets.
Chelsea’s match against Tunisian league champion Estunis will begin at 9pm on Tuesday and will win or draw in the final 16. Temperatures are 98 degrees Fahrenheit (36.7 degrees Celsius) at kickoff, and are predicted with a heat index of around 105 (40.6 Duelsels).
CNN contacted FIFA, the organizer of the Club World Cup, to ask if they had considered creating new accommodations to help players with the heat.
The rising prices across the US have also affected the recent Club World Cup and other sporting events.
The match that surpassed FIFA’s newly improved competition carried out a water break midway through each half, but players still struggle with high temperatures.
“That’s not possible. The heat is terrible. My toenails were damaged. I couldn’t stop and accelerate,” Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Lorente said during a team match against Paris Saint-Germain early in the tournament. “It’s incredible, but it’s the same for everyone, so there’s no excuse.”
In major league baseball, Cincinnati Red’s Shortstop Erie Delacruz and Seattle Mariners’ Lily Burt Rent Thornton got sick in their respective games over the weekend, with Delacruz vomiting in the outfield in four innings.
Thornton had to be treated by an emergency medical technician after he began suffering from thermal exhaustion.
On Sunday, the Seattle Mariners base-hand Donovan Solano said he drank a lot of water with salt during the Mariners’ victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“I don’t have to move, I don’t. It’s that simple,” he said. “Because no one was prepared for this weather. It was hot, so we have to be smart about how we use our energy.”
