ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tim Weah is back with the United States for the first time since his red card for punching Panama defender Roderick Miller on the head contributed to a first-round elimination at the Copa America and the decision to replace coach Gregg Berhalter with Mauricio Pochettino.
The U.S. was ahead 1-0 at the time but played a man short following Weah's ejection and lost 2-1. Weah was suspended for two games, missing the 1-0 loss to Uruguay in the group-stage finale and Thursday's 1-0 win at Jamaica in the first leg of a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal. The 24-year-old winger will be available for the second leg of the total-goal series on Monday night.
“It was hard,” Weah told reporters about the red card during Sunday’s media availability. “It played a pretty negative role on how the rest of the tournament went and obviously no player wants that to happen. No player wants to be the reason why his team gets knocked out. Or not exactly the reason, but it played a huge factor in why we didn’t go on."
Defender Tim Ream, at 37 the oldest player in camp and the captain thus far under Pochettino, said everything that needed to be said was said after the Panama game.
“And that’s not even dressing him down and yelling at him or telling him that he’s messed up," Ream said. "He knew that himself. And that’s the sign of somebody who understands their role. It’s the sign of a good group, of a good team, that we didn’t have to. You could see it on his face from the minute we walked inside from that game.”
A 24-year-old son of former FIFA Player of the Year and former Liberia President George Weah, Tim Weah has four goals in eight Serie A matches this season for Juventus.
"He's a very good player, very aggressive with the ball, fast, good legs," Pochettino said Sunday. “He's young, but it's normal. He can make a mistake. We need to help him, for him to evolve and to learn. But I think he's a very clever player. Always smiling. He brought very good energy to the group.”
Weah missed Pochettino's first games, October friendlies against Panama and Mexico, because of an ankle injury that sidelined him between Sept. 21 and Oct. 19.
“I played a few games against his father and I want to see if he has the same character, because his father was amazing,” Pochettino said. “Every time that I play against, always suffered. It was difficult to sleep the night before.”
Weah has six goals in 41 appearances for the U.S. and started all four matches at the 2022 World Cup, scoring in the opening 1-1 draw against Wales.
“It’s probably been harder for him being away from the last two camps than anything,” Ream said. “To have him back, he’s the same to me. He’s not overthinking anything and just going out there and playing with a smile on his face and training hard and working hard.”
The quarterfinal winner advances to a semifinal on March 20 at Inglewood, California. The U.S. has won the first three editions of the tournament.
Pochettino is encouraging players not getting sufficient playing time with their European clubs to consider MLS during the January transfer window, pointing out that the league is good enough for Lionel Messi. He does a January training camp mostly with MLS players.
“We were talking with them to say that we need them (to) be involved in the competition in their clubs,” he said. “Some players ask me about if the MLS is a good platform for them to compete.”
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The Associated Press
