Temperatures in Frisco, Texas, where Atlanta United will play Dallas on Wednesday, are forecast to be as high as 93 degrees during the day and around 75 degrees at night.
Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst said on Monday that the weather will be a factor in the game.
There’s a chance that the MLS game will use a hydration break to decrease a health risk to the players.
The league requires hydration breaks if the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) measures at least 82 degrees Fahrenheit. If the WetBulb doesn’t reach that temperature, the referee has the discretion to call for a hydration break if player safety is at risk. The league started using the breaks in 2015. The WetBulb factors in temperature, wind, cloud cover and time of day, among other things.
The WetBulb temperature is taken by the fourth official at the center spot after the pre-match warmup. It will be done again from the same spot at the end of the first half.
- Each break will last up to three minutes in length and held approximately 30 minutes into each half (around the 30th and 75th minute respectively).
- The ball must be out of play for the break to commence.
- The clock will continue to run and all time allotted for the break will be added to stoppage time.
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino compared the breaks to a timeout in basketball and that he will use the gift to coach, if necessary.
“You know if you see things in the game that come up and you need to correct and adjust then we will try to take advantage of the breaks,” he said.
Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan said there is constant communication during games, even when there aren’t hydration breaks.
“In any stoppage of play you are trying to sort out any issues that you come across in the midst of a game,” he said. “Be it a set piece. Be it pause in the game, whatever it may be, a substitute, you are trying to get messages to different guys on the field. Amongst players, players to coaches, coaches to players, you are constantly trying to communicate.”
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