England's final warm-up match before the World Cup was thrown into chaos on Wednesday night as a ferocious storm swept through Orlando, flooding the pitch and forcing an hour-long delay to the kick-off against Costa Rica.
The big screen at the stadium flashed a weather warning, ordering supporters to "take shelter" as torrential rain turned the playing surface into a lake. After analysing the pitch and the local weather conditions, officials pushed back the start by 60 minutes to 10pm BST.
“England's World Cup warm-up against Costa Rica delayed an hour as storms flood the pitch in Orlando.”
The delay came as a blow to Gareth Southgate's preparations: the friendly was England's last outing before they begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in a week. But the extreme weather that has plagued the United States this summer has long been a concern. During last year's Club World Cup, six matches were halted by electrical storms, including Chelsea's clash with Benfica, which kicked off at 4.38pm local time and did not finish until four hours and 38 minutes later.
After that game, then Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca questioned whether America was a wise location for a summer tournament. "If you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition," he said.
FIFA has said it will approach each match on a case-by-case basis if play is halted. The Gulf Coast and south-east of America, where Orlando sits, are most at risk from thunderstorms.
Heat has also been a factor. Water breaks have been scheduled in host cities where temperatures have exceeded 30°C. But England captain Harry Kane downplayed the heat after Saturday's 1-0 win over New Zealand. "The drinks breaks help," he said. "A lot of people are talking about the heat but I don't think it's going to be as big a factor as what some people say. Me personally and a few of the boys who have been training for a while in it felt fine today. We're all athletes, we're all professionals and have played in warm weather conditions before."
For now, the storm has passed and the game is set to go ahead, albeit an hour late. But the disruption has underlined the volatility of the Florida weather and the challenges awaiting teams in the weeks ahead.