KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Christian Pulisic noticed issues “that, actually, I am unable to consider.” Antonee Robinson referred to as the referee “terrible” and “embarrassing.” Gregg Berhalter, dumbfounded, shook his head.
“It isn’t why we misplaced,” Pulisic mentioned after the U.S. males’s nationwide group exited the 2024 Copa América in defeat Monday evening, crushed 1-0 by Uruguay. “We’re not out of this event due to officiating.”
However USMNT gamers have been livid with referee Kevin Ortega, and Berhalter was left stumped by a contentious video evaluation that concluded, regardless of some publicly accessible proof suggesting in any other case, that Uruguay’s lone aim was onside.
Pulisic, the U.S. captain, was essentially the most livid. He appeared to virtually taunt Ortega and encourage the pinnacle ref to go have fun with Uruguayan gamers on the sector after the sport.
Then, after Pulisic shook an assistant referee’s hand, Ortega refused to observe go well with. “Yeah, he would not shake my hand,” Pulisic confirmed postgame.
I put each movies collectively uninterrupted: Pulisic seems to be gesturing for the referee to go have fun with Uruguay which can assist clarify his refusal to shake arms pic.twitter.com/otrmIlhVOZ
— CJ Fogler account might or might not be notable (@cjzero) July 2, 2024
He and his teammates fumed about numerous calls all through a bodily, full-blooded 90-minute match. However there have been two that stood out.
Why VAR upheld Uruguay’s ‘offside aim’
One was the aim. Within the 66th minute, Uruguay swung in a free kick. Ronald Araújo headed it towards aim. Matt Turner saved it. Mathías Olivera poked within the rebound. Preliminary replays appeared to point out, although, that Olivera was offside by a number of inches or a foot when Araújo met the preliminary ball — which might have negated the aim.
Berhalter and his workers noticed nonetheless frames on the bench. “It is fairly loopy, actually,” he later mentioned. “I do not perceive it. I really feel like I do know the rule fairly properly. … And it is an offside aim. It is disappointing. It truly is.”
Late Monday evening, CONMEBOL, the South American soccer confederation working the Copa América, launched audio and video from inside its Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room. The footage provoked extra questions than solutions.
The VARs used digital strains to conclude that Olivera’s knee (or foot?) was “on the identical line” as U.S. defender Chris Richards’ left toes.
The method appeared remarkably imprecise — as a result of, by present worldwide soccer requirements, it’s. There’s new semi-automated expertise that may shortly and exactly decide whether or not a participant was offside, irrespective of the margin; however CONMEBOL has not adopted that expertise.
CONMEBOL, as an alternative, makes use of a system that requires VARs to digitally and manually pinpoint the precise level on a participant’s physique from which to attract the digital strains.
As a result of these strains will be imprecise, and since additionally it is troublesome to pinpoint the precise second and body at which a participant kicks — or, on this case, heads — the ball, CONMEBOL provides advantage of the doubt to attacking gamers. If attacker’s digital line and the defender’s line are touching, the attacker is taken into account stage and onside.
So, Uruguay’s aim was upheld.
‘I noticed issues that I’ve by no means seen earlier than’
The opposite second, which Robinson referred to as “embarrassing,” occurred within the first half. Ortega referred to as a foul on Richards — however then, as he pulled out his yellow card, he shortly introduced it down and allowed Uruguay to play a fast free kick, which almost yielded a aim.
Most U.S. gamers had halted, as a result of yellow playing cards are alleged to require stoppages, and attacking groups are alleged to require the referee’s permission to restart the sport. However not in Ortega’s e-book.
“The referee simply clearly does not have a clue what he is doing, does not know find out how to management the sport,” Robinson mentioned postgame. “By no means seen a referee let a fast free kick go whereas he is bought a yellow card in his hand. It is actually embarrassing. And hope one thing occurs to him from that.”
Pulisic was additionally in disbelief.
“Actually, I imply, I noticed issues that I’ve by no means seen earlier than, proper in entrance of my eyes right now, that really I am unable to consider,” he mentioned postgame. “I imply … I do not know what I am taking a look at, I do not know what they’re calling, he provides no rationalization, he is doing issues that I simply cannot — I am unable to settle for.”
Pulisic’s frustration appeared to boil over within the remaining moments of the match. He was seen screaming at Ortega and following him round after not getting a name in stoppage time.
Talking postgame, although, he and others needed to be clear that refereeing was not the explanation for his or her group-stage flameout.
“The referees and the linesmen, I do not see that as an excuse for us not successful the sport,” Robinson mentioned. “I do not need to try to palm that off on another person. On the evening, although we put the hassle in, and we competed properly, we nonetheless weren’t adequate.”