If you're watching tonight's Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal matchup between the New York Red Bulls and Santos Laguna on Tuesday on your couch, you're likely to be comfortable. If you're trekking out to Red Bull Arena, you might want to bring an extra jacket or two.
When the reigning MLS Supporters' Shield champions and Liga MX side kick off at 8 pm ET (YahooSports.com, UDN), temperatures are supposed to drop into the mid 20s. As for the "feels like" temperature? A brisk 18 degrees Fahrenheit paired alongside 10 mph winds.
A winter storm already derailed Los Guerreros ("The Warriors") traveling to New York City this past Sunday. For comparison, temperatures should hover around the low 60s and high 50s tonight in Torreon, Coahuila, home to Santos Laguna's famed Estadio Corona.
The second leg of this quarterfinal matchup will return to Mexico – and likely warmer days – next Tuesday evening.
Tuesday's frigid game might bring about a sense of deja vu for MLS fans. Just this past weekend, the Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapidsplayed in 18-degree weather and several inches of snow, ultimately drawing, 3-3. It was the coldest game in MLS history.
Just last season, Toronto FC and the Rapids played one of the coldest games in soccer history (at least according to Univision's Nico Cantor) when TFC traveled to Colorado for the opening leg of their Round of 16 series.
To advance this far in the regional competition, the Red Bulls knocked off Dominican side Atletico Pantoja, 5-0, on aggregate. As for Santos Laguna, it beat Honduran club CD Marathon, 11-2, on aggregate.
The winner of this two-legged affair will play either Tigres UANL or the Houston Dynamo in a semifinal series in early April. Dates and times for the semifinal legs are still to be determined.
