This is one of the worst things that can happen in football of the soccer variety when teams that know what they are doing is involved. When I was playing the sport as a child, being one or two men down didn't mean a whole hell of a lot because at least half of the people on the team were basically talentless and the only bad thing that could happen as far as red cards were concerned would be if it happened to one of the 3 or so people on the team that actually made your squad good.
Not to toot my own horn too much but one time when I was 13 and already quite dominant in the league I was playing in, I lost my cool against a guy that was told to shadow me at all times even if I wasn't on the ball and I fouled him badly. To be fair he was fouling me a lot and this lead to my frustration. When I got sent off, my team ended up getting destroyed 5-2 whereas we were up 2-0 prior to my departure. When I think back on that day I have a great deal of admiration for the opposing team's coach because he definitely sent that kid out there to aggravate me and get me out of the picture. Well done coach, well done
On the international level though, or even when I was playing in college, everyone on your team is very good and for one of them to go missing, especially in the early minutes of a game, is absolutely devastating to the rest of the game. Such was the case with the United States in their game against Panama in the Copa America tournament that is going on right now.
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This is precisely what happened to Tim Weah in the 18th minute in the game vs Panama and from that point forward the game was looking very dire for the Americans.
The footage that you can see of this foul are pretty grainy and there just isn't much going around as far as video is concerned presumably for copyright reasons. Basically Tim punched someone in the face and dear lord man, that is just a really seriously stupid mistake to make in a game.
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I get it, emotions run high in these events but when you get sent off for something so fucking stupid not only does your name go in the books but you have completely let down the rest of your team, your nation, and millions of fans. Tim will likely face backlash for this and it is completely deserved. If you want to do MMA go do that.
People got a bit of reassurance after his sending off when the United States somehow managed to score a goal with a man down just 4 minutes later. Their celebration in this regard would be short-lived though because once Panama had the chance to slow down the pace and take advantage of the fact that they will always have one man open on the field, the US didn't ever really stand a chance.
The USA started the game out looking rather dominant as the nearly had a goal at 3 minutes that was only just saved and then at the 5 minute mark the early celebrated a wonderful set piece that unfortunately got called back because of offsides. It annoyed me when the mostly American audience in attendance started booing the official for this decision even though it was clearly the correct call. USA "soccer" fans are some of the worst because I don't think that a lot of them really even understand how the game works.
The link will not play outside of the source, but the recap of the game is worth opening in another window you can see it here. It is only 10 minutes long.
Skip ahead to 2:30 to see the egregious foul. It's just so stupid. In youth league or even when I was playing at higher levels in college you could have probably gotten away with this because the ref's attention was in the other direction but today, and the players know this, the 4th officials with their eye in the sky can see ALL OF THIS. These guys KNOW they can see this yet you STILL do such a stupid thing? It's just maddening to me because prior to this it appeared as though the USA was the dominant force in this game and were going to cruise to a comfortable victory and thus secure their emergence from the group stages to the knockout stages.
Despite playing with a man down Panama didn't look very impressive with their crosses and setting up of plays but honestly folks, that doesn't really matter as much as you think when you are definitely going to get many more chances on goal when your opponent has no choice but to play a defensive, long-ball game. The opportunities for goals for the team with one man down are slim to none not to mention the fact that it gets very frustrating to play against a team that is ALWAYS going to have a man open on the field.
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You can see by the stats that the US managed to play a mostly clean game but it doesn't really matter when one of your main assets commits an egregious foul so early on in the game. Panama just went around in circles of the perimeter with relative ease for the remaining 70+ minutes because they have a distinct advantage.
Some pundits out there are suggesting that Weah's contact with the defender's head was unintentional and that very well could be the case. However, when you are playing off the ball, there is really no reason for your arms to ever be at head level especially when the ball is at that moment in time, rather slowly moving up the field on the wings and you are simply jockeying for position waiting for a chance to sprint ahead in the hopes of a cross. Was the defender playing rough towards Weah, well yeah, and this is his job to do precisely that. A defender can legally get away with all sorts of stuff off the ball and this is how the game is played - certainly Tim knows this and his reaction was seriously stupid and very well could result in the United States being eliminated from the tournament.
Now the US has a very tough road ahead of them because they either need to defeat Uruguay, who on paper is a far better team, or Bolivia needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat and somehow manage to defeat Panama. The only sure way forward for the US is to win against Uruguay and there is a chance that exactly this could end up happening because Uruguay has already won the group, they are through in the number 1 spot unless the USA defeats them by 5 or more goals and come on, we all know that isn't going to happen. There is another option in that Uruguay, knowing the near inevitability of their top position, will rest their best players and in that situation Panama vs Bolivia would need to end in a draw.
Basically the options for the United States to advance to the knockout stages are looking pretty grim at this point and it is all because of the actions of one man, Tim Weah. I hope this haunts you pal! You let everyone down!
One player down in any team sport is tough and we those that have played only know this too well. This is utter madness because there are so may other ways of getting someone back without being set off.
It was a moment of weakness and something I hate to see in team sports. I hope he is getting a lot of pushback on this by his teammates, the press, and the public in general. He cost them the game and likely the ability to advance out of the group stages when a W over Panama, which with 11 men was almost guaranteed, and put them in a bad spot all because he couldn't control his emotions.
He needs to learn and there has to be push back from his team mates.
The game was crazy, despite Panama's numerical superiority due to the expulsion, I think the host should have done something better, it is incredible that they eliminated you from your own tournament so quickly, and the United States has had some growth in recent times years. I comment this because I don't think they will beat Uruguay
I think the only chance USA has now is if Uruguay decides to rest their best players because they don't need to win this game to stay top of the group. Even with a loss by less than 5 goals they are guaranteed their spot in the knockout stages so perhaps this is something they are considering. We'll see!
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