Toronto FC defender says playing in Florida heat is ‘pretty unsafe’

Toronto FC centre back Omar Gonzalez is no stranger to heat.

A Texas native, Gonzalez played 10 seasons in Los Angeles and Mexico before signing with Toronto in June 2019.

But even he finds the heat in Florida hard to handle at the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex in the Orlando area. Toronto had to endure two 9 a.m. ET kickoffs, making for some steamy days at the office.

It was 29 C for kickoff, with the sapping Florida heat feeling like 36 C, at Toronto’s last group game against New England. And it got hotter as the morning wore on.

“I don’t think you can ever get used to this heat, no matter the experience you have with it, where you grew up, the places you’ve played around the world,” the 31-year-old Gonzalez said Friday. “There’s nothing that can really prepare you unless you’re there for a long period of time.

“The fact that we’re coming from Toronto, winter lasts ’til May there,” he added with a chuckle. “So for us, it’s been pretty difficult but … we are a very resilient team, we are a strong team, we know how to suffer. And suffer we did. Those games in the morning were terrible. Personally I think they’re pretty unsafe with the kind of heat that we’re playing under. The humidity, the amount of fluids you’re losing through the game. How intense it is. And just trying to compete to our best abilities is pretty difficult to do.”

Toronto plays New York City FC in the round of 16 on Sunday on an 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2020.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press