Qualifying for the knockout stages of the Copa America just got a whole lot tougher after U.S. national team winger Tim Weah was shown a red card in the 17th minute of play against Panama on Thursday. a match that the Americans lost 2-1. Weah was sent off following a VAR review for punching Roderick Miller during the match. It was a reckless moment from Weah as Panama was playing a game to rile up the USMNT and he fell for it. It's the first time a USMNT player has been sent off in a major tournament since Michael Orozco in the 2016 Copa America third-place match, but it follows by Sergino Dest Nations League red card in the number of bad decisions.
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The USMNT did score a goal through excellent finishing from Folarin Balogun but that joy did not last long Cesar Blackman scored for Panama to level the score. Panama then got the winner, putting the US in an awkward position ahead of Monday's decisive match against Uruguay.
After the match, Weah posted an apology on his Instagram story:
“A moment of frustration led to an irreversible consequence, and for that I offer my deepest condolences to my teammates, coaches, family and fans. I am determined to learn from this experience, not allow an opponent to provoke me and work to regain the trust and respect of my team and supporters. No matter what happens, I will always fight for my team and my country until the day I am no longer able to! I sincerely apologize to everyone. My love for this team goes beyond football and I am so sad and angry with myself for putting my brothers through what they went through tonight.”
It is important that Weah takes responsibility for the red card, but now it is up to his teammates to ensure he gets another chance to compete in the Copa America.
