USMNT's Tim Weah apologizes after red card for striking Panama player in disastrous Copa América loss
The U.S. men's national team's Copa América loss to Panama had a lot of low points, but the lowest came courtesy of Tim Weah.
The Juventus winger left the USMNT playing 10-on-11 for the majority of the game when he received a red card in the 18th minute. His offense: an utterly boneheaded strike to the head of Panama defender Roderick Miller:
Tim Weah receives a red card after review for this contact 🟥 pic.twitter.com/phw8bSzdKR
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 27, 2024
Weah saw no shortage of critics during and after the 2-1 loss, which leaves the USMNT in danger of an early exit. Head coach Gregg Berhalter, who has his own critics right now, called it a "silly decision," though he also had some choice words for the referees.
USMNT's Tyler Adams said after the game that Weah apologized to the team. Weah then issued a public apology via his Instagram story:
Tim Weah apologized for losing his cool vs Panama.
(via timothyweah/IG) pic.twitter.com/0PmjGRyhWz— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 28, 2024
The apology:
Today, I let my team and my country down.
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 needed or capable to !! 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.
The match was the 24-year-old Weah's 41st cap with the USMNT, and he remains a pivotal part of the team's future at wing opposite Christian Pulisic. The Americans now face a must-win matchup against group favorite Uruguay on Monday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
