Team USA has fumbled again. This time against Uruguay in the do-or-die game. In an impressive start to the Copa America campaign with a win against Bolivia, the team raised the stakes. While fans expected them to carry positive momentum forward, they had a shocking collapse 2-1 against Panama. Eventually, it set them up for a must-win game and even though the home team managed to give a tough fight, Uruguay scored a rather controversial goal, igniting NY Knicks‘ Josh Hart and the NBA community’s wrath.

The visitors scored a goal in the 66th minute. The refs took forever, inspecting the play after a carefully crafted free kick took Uruguay one up with a header from Matias Olivera. The only twist was that many argued that it was an offside. However, after a long pause, the refs confirmed that it was a goal, leaving the US sporting world in disbelief.

While the USMNT still had 24 minutes in their hands to level the score, the Uruguayans crushed the home side with an elite defense. And, they eventually lost the game and also exited out of the tournament. However, parallelly, the Team USA fans still had their hope up, keeping their eyes on the Bolivia-Panama game. Had Bolivia scored a goal and won the game, the home team would have still had the chance to qualify for the knockouts. Nevertheless, the road was blocked at that end too.

Panama ended up scoring 3 goals, leaving the US to score 3+ goals in the remaining 24 minutes. They failed to scale the mighty Everest but despite the loss, they were upset with only one thing, the controversial goal in the 66th minute.

Josh Hart and fans call out “daylight robbery”

Amid the trade drama in the NBA world, Josh Hart found time to support his nation. The NY Knicks have had a great outing in the off-season so far, roping in Mikal Bridges and pairing him up with his ex-Villanova teammates. Anyway, coming back to soccer, just like the millions of fans, Hart expressed his frustration, writing, “How was that not offsides?” via his X handle.

Following Hart, popular NBA reporter, Keith Smith, frustrated with the decision, wrote, “So, USMNT might not have advanced, but they are just getting screwed over anyway? What a joke upholding that goal was,” via his X handle. Apart from these popular personalities, many fans also joined the bandwagon.

A fan, criticizing the refs, called the decision, “Daylight robbery.” and a few other fans shared a similar emotion, calling it an “absolute garbage call” and “Awful call”. Another fan went a bit further and said, “Rigging just like the NBA.” The refs and their calls have lately also been an issue in the NBA. Even the Chosen One, LeBron James, has a history of getting animated with the refs multiple times. Most recently, he took to his Instagram handle to expose the ref’s missed call on his birthday.

However, some sections of fans took the defeat on their chin and respected the refs’ decision. One of them chose to accept the team’s fate, saying, “Let’s face it the USMNT is a talentless team and they always have been.” 

However, don’t be disappointed so soon. As a sports watcher, we have something more to cheer about. USA’s basketball team is gearing up for the Paris Olympics and it’s going to be nothing short of a blast. It’s a superstar ensemble, getting ready to rule the world.

Filtering through the reactions, a particular reaction stood out, and it deserved a feature. A fan drawing a direct parallel between Copa America’s incident to the NBA. “Watching the USMNT is like watching Harden or Luka whine to the refs for a bail out. Refs suck. Play through it.” Even though certain fans defended the refs, the majority didn’t seem to be happy with the call.

What was your reaction? Let us know in the comments below.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.