Tim Weah will not only miss USA‘s make-or-break Copa América game against Uruguay on Monday (9 p.m. ET on FS1), but if the U.S. manages to win that match and advance to the quarterfinals, he’ll miss the next contest, too.
That’s because Weah was handed a two-game suspension by CONMEBOL on Saturday as punishment for an incident in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Panama, in which Weah struck Panama defender Roderick Miller in the back of the head. The incident, which came in the 18th minute, earned Weah a red card and forced the U.S. to play the bulk of the game with only 10 players. At the time, he was also expected to earn at least a one-game suspension.
Weah, who apologized on social media after the game on Thursday night, spoke to Jenny Taft on Saturday, offering thoughts on the incident and how he expects his team to handle things moving forward.
“I’m good, just a little down, obviously, with the circumstances,” Weah said. “I think to put my team in this situation was never my intention. I think I’m getting painted to be like a violent person, which I’m not. I think that kind of hurts a lot. To see my brothers kind of have to go a different route to get to our main goal, it really hurts a lot.”
Weah said that he expects the U.S. to not lose focus on its larger goals, despite going up against a tough Uruguay team that is currently the third favorite behind Argentina and Brazil to win the tournament.
“The objective stays the same,” he said. “We have a lot of goals set as a team. I believe in the guys, I know they’re gonna get to that final. I’m just here to push them, do the same thing I was doing before, give that energy for the team, make sure the vibes are right, keep everyone smiling. I think that’s the most important.”
Weah is permitted to practice with the team, but will not be allowed to be around the team on Monday during the game. Still, he hopes to make the most of what time he does get with his teammates this weekend.
“I wish them the best. I’m going to be with them throughout everything, supporting them and making sure they keep their heads on their shoulders,” he said. “I’m just happy to be in this situation with my brothers. Obviously, it’s a difficult one, but being around this team, being around this staff, this group, has always pushed me to be my best. This is my muse. This is my escape from the world, so I enjoy being here. I’m just going to do my best to make sure I’m here, present for the team, intentional in the way that I support the guys. … Just pray that they get the job done.”
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