U.S. men’s national soccer team star Tim Weah has apologized for the costly red card he received in Thursday’s Copa America loss to Panama.
“Today I disappointed my team and my country,” Weah wrote on Instagram after hitting a Panamanian player in the back of the head, causing him to leave the pitch just 18 minutes into the game. “A moment of frustration caused irreversible consequences and for that I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family and our fans.”
Weah was sent off by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton with a direct red card for hitting Roderick Miller in the back of the head. Barton initially pulled the yellow card out of his back pocket, but quickly replaced it with a red one as Weah raised his arms and stormed off the field at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
A pro-American crowd of 59,145 was furious, especially after two other calls went against the host country in the 2-1 loss.
It is unclear why Weah decided to hit Miller.
Weah reacts after being sent off during the CONMEBOL Copa America on Thursday
Panama’s Roderick Miller reacts after being fouled as the referee shows Weah the red card
Weah’s statement included a promise to right his wrong.
“From now on, I pledge to learn from this experience, to not allow an opponent to provoke me, and to work to regain the trust and respect of my team and fans,” he wrote.
‘No matter what happens, I will always fight for my team and my country until the day it is no longer necessary or capable of doing so!!’
Weah also said he wanted to “sincerely apologize to everyone.”
He concluded: ‘My love for this team goes beyond football and I am very sad and angry at myself for putting my brothers through what they went through tonight.
The son of legendary Paris SG and AC Milan striker George Weah, Tim scored for the United States at Qatar 2022 and currently plays for Juventus. In total, Brooklyn-born Weah has six goals in 41 appearances for the United States.
Tim Weah of the United States leaves the field after receiving a red card against Panama
With this defeat, the United States now risks missing out on the quarter-finals.
The United States team plays Uruguay in its final group stage match on Monday.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter praised his team’s effort, but the Americans — even with a raucous, pro-American crowd cheering them on — couldn’t overcome Weah’s blunder.
“The game-changing event is obviously the red card and it puts us in a tough spot,” Berhalter said. “Tim was hit. He got checked out and he reacted. He apologized to the group and I think he understands the tough spot he put the group in.
“We talked about this referee’s tendencies beforehand,” Berhalter said. “We knew what he was capable of and, to be honest, I think we played into his hands.”
The team captain also commented on the mistake.
‘Timmy knows the mistake he made. He’s going to learn from it,” said Christian Pulisic. ‘It’s an error in judgment. It’s just a simple second.’