Qualifying for the knockout stages of Copa America just got a lot harder as U.S. men’s national team winger Tim Weah was red-carded in only the 17th minute of play vs. Panama on Thursday in a game the Americans lost 2-1. Weah was sent off following a VAR review due to striking Roderick Miller during the match. It was a reckless moment from Weah as Panama were playing a game to wind up the USMNT and he fell for it. It’s the first time a USMNT player was sent off in a major tournament since Michael Orozco in the third-placed game of the 2016 Copa America but it follows Sergino Dest’s nations league red card in levels of poor decisions.
Take a look:
The USMNT did snag a goal via an excellent finish from Folarin Balogun but that joy didn’t last long as Cesar Blackman scored for Panama to level the score. Panama went on to get the winner, putting the U.S. in a tricky spot ahead of Monday’s decisive match versus Uruguay.
Following the match, Weah posted an apology to his Instagram story:
“A moment of frustration led to an irreversible consequence, and for that, I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family, and our fans. Moving forward I am committed to learning from this experience, not allowing an opponent to provoke me, and working to regain the trust and respect of my team and supporters. No matter what I will always fight for my team and my country till the day I’m no longer capable to! I sincerely apologize to everyone. My love for this team goes beyond just football and I’m so sad and angry at myself for putting my brothers through what they went through tonight.”
It’s important that Weah took responsibility for the red but now it’s on his teammates to step up and ensure that he’ll have another chance to appear in Copa America.
