Matchday 2 concluded on a rather poor note for the USMNT. Gregg Berhalter and Co. endured a shocking 2-1 loss against Group C rivals Panama as they failed to keep up their winning momentum similar to the Bolivia clash. Mostly, things started going downhill for the Star and Stripes after their star player Tim Weah was sent off. While fans are furious over the incident, Tyler Adams has come in support of the youngster, insisting Weah ‘apologized‘ to the whole dressing room.

Following the match, the former skipper was taken aside by Fox Sports where he was asked to address the youngster’s dismissal from the pitch. Interestingly, Adams sided with Weah and said, “He [Weah] never mean to get a red card. Under no circumstances, he’s not that type of person. He apologized to the team.”

Instead, Adams slammed the opposition for playing a bad and rough game tonight. “Again disrespect to the team because they [Panama] fall for every single ball, every single duel, every single minute. And we still created chances after going down to 10 men, so it shows our quality,” he added.

Notably, the incident transpired somewhere just under the 15th-minute mark. Weah was trying to get off the marking of Panama defender Roderick Miller during which the Juventus star got instigated, resulting in an alleged physical altercation. Miller went down which forced the referee Ivan Arcides Barton Cisneros from El Salvador to consult VAR and give Weah a red card.

With this send-off, the 24-year-old won’t be able to play the crucial final group-stage fixture against Uruguay. Subsequently, this loss also puts their chances of qualifying for the next round in danger. However, goalscorer Folarin Balogun believes his side has no option but to give their all in the next game.

Folarin Balogun reveals ‘Disappointment’ over the referee’s call to send off Tim Weah

Folarin Balogun was not impressed by the course of events that transpired tonight, especially regarding the red card. In the post-match interview, while addressing the loss, he said, “Huge disappointment I think, you could see by the reaction. A few things went against us, of course, the red card, but that’s the nature of the game. We just have to recover and prepare for the next game.”

Balogun then criticized the El Salvadorian referee for his careless decisions that cost the USMNT. He noted that towards the end of the game, things became ‘silly’ from Panama’s side and it was clearly the referee’s responsibility to manage the match. The Monaco man also insisted that the game didn’t conclude in a ‘professional manner.’

It’s quite unfortunate how things turned out for USMNT tonight. Nevertheless, they shall try to move on from today’s disappointment and focus on their next challenge.