After the U.S. men’s national team was eliminated from the Copa América on Monday night, Christian Pulisic went up to the three match officials to shake their hands.
After Pulisic shook an assistant referee’s hand, head referee Kevin Ortega rebuffed the USMNT’s star. That move didn’t go down well with Pulisic, who was already fuming after a match filled with controversial decisions from Ortega.
Needing a win to advance past the group stage, the USMNT fell 1-0 to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday. Ortega didn’t cover himself in glory for much of the game, particularly on a bizarre first-half sequence where he allowed play to continue even as he was issuing Chris Richards a yellow card.
Uruguay would have scored on the play were it not for Tim Ream’s desperate clearance.
The game’s lone goal was also shrouded in controversy, as Mathías Olivera’s 66th-minute strike appeared to be offside even after a VAR review. The refereeing crew, however, awarded Uruguay the goal in a massive blow to the USMNT.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Pulisic made it clear that he didn’t blame the referees for his side’s early exit from the tournament, but he wasn’t exactly full of praise for their performance, either.
“Honestly, I mean I saw things that I’ve never seen before right in front of my eyes today that I just I truly I can’t believe,” Pulisic said. “It’s not why we lost; we’re not out of this tournament because of officiating.
“But really, I’ve just seen things that I just really — I mean I think everyone can just give admit I don’t know what I’m looking at. I don’t know what they’re calling. I don’t know what he’s — he gives no explanation. He’s doing things that I just can’t accept.”
On Ortega’s handshake snub, Pulisic added: “He wouldn’t shake my hand. It’s normal — I mean, I guess.”
Watch referee refuse Pulisic’s handshake
The referee refusing to shake Pulisic’s hand pic.twitter.com/i2U01tlYE1
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) July 2, 2024
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