What Did Christian Pulisic Say to Referee Kevin Ortega Before ‘No Handshake’ Controversy?

It’s fair to say everything went south for USMNT tonight. A narrow defeat at the hands of Uruguay saw them endure a premature exit from the Copa America 2024. While it keeps Gregg Berhalter and Co. in the negative limelight, the focus veered towards Christian Pulisic in the meantime, who didn’t receive a handshake from referee Kevin Ortega. While many are slamming the officials for refusing the skipper’s greeting, there’s actually another side of the narrative that many aren’t aware of. To understand this, let’s hear what exactly Pulisic said to the referee.

So far, netizens across the globe must have come across a clip that showcased how the AC Milan forward wasn’t greeted back by the match official. However, we would like to present to you with another unseen footage. Interestingly, as the match ended, cameras showcased Pulisic heading towards referee Kevin Ortega and assistant referees Michael Orue and Stephen Atoche. While marching toward them, he was gesturing at all three Peruvian officials to come forward.

Many came under the impression that Pulisic was telling them to celebrate the victory with Uruguay, which must have been Ortega’s reason for refusing the handshake. However, in reality, he was asking the referees to have a handshake at the center half of the pitch, which typically they are supposed to do. All three were surprisingly standing far away from the center circle, which Pulisic was even seen gesturing about if noticed closely in the clip.

But the 25-year-old must likely have gotten Ortega and his crew’s refusal, eventually forcing him to go himself and greet them. Even after that, Pulisic was denied a handshake from Ortega, which saw the captain utter something to the official. While the explanation clears up the confusion, Ortega remains a villain for USMNT.

Kevin Ortega in target of Christian Pulisic and Co. over USMNT’s Copa America heartbreak

USMNT fans are infuriated over Kevin Ortega for making some controversial decisions against the hosts. The opening minute saw Gio Reyna get in possession of the ball after Uruguay got dispossessed. However, the youngster received a harsh challenge from behind, only to go down, with Ortega carrying on with the game. In another incident, Chris Richards cleared the ball, which then deflected off Manuel Ugarte’s hand.

Despite this, the ball fell perfectly for Pulisic to launch a counter-attack and score a potential opener. However, Ortega decided to stop the game for a handball instead. In fact, within the first half, the match official made so many eyebrow-raising decisions that he got called out on the internet by names including JJ Watt, Carli Lloyd, Alexi Lalas, and Taylor Twellman. Hardly anyone was impressed by Ortega with his previous controversy, further making him a suspicion.

And now, Kevin Ortega refusing a handshake from Christian Pulisic further doubles down the criticism at him. It remains to be seen what he has to say in his defense.