After his egregious foul put the U.S. at a massive disadvantage in Copa America, the veteran is seeking fresh start with new-look USMNT
ST. LOUIS – Of all the members of the U.S. men's national team, Weston McKennie is the best to ask for insight on Tim Weah. As a player, as a teammate, as a person, McKennie knows Weah better than most. The two spend significant time together playing for club and country, and that gives McKennie a unique perspective into who Weah is – and as important, who he isn't.
From McKennie's perspective, the world has gotten a meaningful glimpse at the real Weah with Juventus this season. Resilient, resourceful, flexible, dynamic – those are the qualities that, in McKennie's view, make Weah who he is.
"Flying. He's flying," McKennie says. "I'm happy for him as well, because, last year, he was more in a defensive role. It takes a little bit away from his characteristics. Wingers aren't the ones that are normally used to running so much, but he held up his role last year. I think, this year, we can see a little bit more of the true Tim in an attacking position, taking players on or getting across the box. It's amazing for him. I'm happy for him."
If that's indeed the true Tim Weah, the one that the world saw in a rare, remarkably unfortunate moment over the summer was someone else entirely. It was a brief, split-second lapse is judgement, an egregiously bad decision that caused many on the outside to forget the true Tim. His red card in a group stage loss against Panama in the Copa America, ultimately, derailed the USMNT's tournament and Gregg Berhalter's tenure, leading to what is a new era for the USMNT.
Weah is now finally a part of that new era. After missing the first two post-Copa America camps, Weah is now back in the team for the first time under Mauricio Pochettino. He, like everyone else will be eager to impress the new coach. He'll also be eager to play a part in getting the USMNT to the Nations League semifinals – a task that will require a result against Jamaica in Monday night's quarterfinal in St. Louis – and potentially somewhere beyond that.
But, most of all, Weah is eager to finally put the summer behind him and remind people that, as a player and a person, he isn't that guy from this summer – now or ever again.
"It was hard because it played a pretty negative role in how the rest of the tournament went," Weah says, looking back at that moment in late June. "Obviously, no player wants that to happen. No player wants to be the reason why his team gets knocked out – not exactly the reason, but it played a huge factor in why we didn't go on.
"It was a moment, and I think I've kind of accepted it and matured in a way that it'll never happen again. You just have to move on and focus on the positives and what you can do leading up to the next big major tournament."
Getty ImagesWeah's bad moment
The second it happened, the general feeling was confusion. Weah has always been seen as one of the more calm presences in the USMNT. Quiet, somewhat reserved, fairly easy-going – he has always been a more balancing force to, say, players such as McKennie, who plays with his heart on his sleeve at all times.
The video didn't lie, though. There was Weah taking a swing at the head of Panama's Roderick Miller in the 19th minute of the USMNT's second Copa America clash. Weah was off. His brief moment of frustration caused him to lose his composure and, despite the immediate feeling of regret, there was no going back.
The USMNT went on to lose to Panama and then Uruguay, crashing out of the Copa America in the group stage. Berhalter ultimately paid for it with his job. The USMNT, as a whole, took a major hit as, just two years before the World Cup, the team failed in a major tournament on home soil.
Weah had a lot of time to think about that fact. It's been five months since the world last saw him in a USMNT shirt, and five months since the world saw him at his darkest moment.
"It was tough," he said. "Having the summer off kind of just put a lot of things in perspective. I just focused on all the positives, just being there for the rest of the guys, and soaking in all the love that I can from family. Obviously, the negative comments on the Internet, I really didn't look at it much, so that kind of helped.
"Leading up to the Copa, we had this big dream of doing something amazing, and it didn't happen. That was just the reality of it. Now we can focus on something else, focus on something bigger. And now it's just time to work on that and be positive and go in that positive direction."
AdvertisementGettyThe support of teammates
Even on the night that Weah was sent off, his teammates rushed to defend him. That wasn't him, they said. He made a bad decision in the moment, but he isn't an ill-tempered player or teammate. For them, that red card wouldn't define him, or his place in the team.
In the months since, Weah's teammates have continued to to pick him up. From that night in June right up until his USMNT return this month, Weah has been building, and his teammates have offered full support.
"We all just knew that he was devastated with what happened," said Antonee Robinson. "It's something that was really unlike him to do in the game, but we really quickly moved on. He was obviously upset, but we were around him, his family were around him. He's missed his games now, and he's obviously looking forward to being back and showing what he can do."
After sitting out the first game of this November window – the USMNT's 1-0 victory over Jamaica in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Thursday – to serve the second game of his red card suspension, Weah is now officially back for a huge game in leg two against Jamaica. His teammates are glad to see it, too, as he looks to bring his Juventus form right back into the USMNT attack.
GettyFlying high at Juve
To start the season, Weah has had to battle some injury issues, which slowed him initially at Juventus. But he bounced back, and is off to a career-best start in Serie A. Back as a winger under new coach Thiago Motta, Weah has four goals and an assist in just eight Serie A matches.
Those statistics come after a year spent at wingback, one which limited his ability to impact the attack. He's providing that punch now, and Juve are better for it.
"It's pretty good," Weah said of his club performance. "It's been a positive start, so I just have to keep that momentum and keep going. The sky's the limit. I just want to keep providing and doing what I can do."
McKennie has had a first-hand view of Weah's success at Juve. The two have shared the field plenty over the last two years, and will almost certainly share it once again on Monday in St. Louis. McKennie believes Weah is a player that can make a difference, particularly after a grueling first leg in Kingston on Thursday.
"I hope [he does] a lot. He had a couple of days rest, so there should be fresh legs!" joked McKennie. "He didn't have to deal with the humidity or anything. I think he's going to help out a lot with his speed, runs in behind, his work rate, so yeah, I'm expecting a lot out of him."
GettyThe Pochettino era
Even before taking over the USMNT, Pochettino knew about Weah. He has his own experience playing against another Weah – he faced off with Weah's legendary father, George, during his own playing career.
"He showed me a couple of pictures," Weah said. "He's great. He was a coach who was a player as well, so he understands what it's like being a player now. He just has an amazing connection with his players."
Weah and Pochettino have worked on that connection in their first few days together. Pochettino, in truth, is still developing that connection with just about every player on the squad. And while he didn't have Weah at his disposal in Kingston, he'll be ready for this second leg.
"On the field, it's a great opportunity for him tomorrow and for us to see him because we won't again until March," Pochettino said on Sunday. "For sure, he's going to have minutes on the pitch. I think he's a very good player, very aggressive with the ball, fast."
And while Pochettino wasn't in charge of the USMNT during Copa America, he knows that Weah's red card won't define him as a person or player. And he has to put the incident behind him.
"It's normal. He made a mistake," Pochettino said. "We need him to evolve and to learn, but he's a very clever player, one who is always smiling and bringing very good energy to the group. But the most important thing is the performance and how he's going to perform tomorrow. I hope that he can add his quality and help the team."
Now, after all of these months of reflecting, Weah is finally back. Does it feel different? Surely. There's a new coach, a new tactical approach, and most important, some new perspective.
McKennie referenced "the true Tim" – and that Weah is the one who will take the field Monday in St. Louis. Weah is ready to remind everyone who he is, and what he can do.
"For me, it's another important game and the right step," he said. "I've gotten to the point of my life where I don't let the outside factors – whether that's me having a Jamaican background or it being my first game back – kind of get to me. I just see it as the next step. It's the next opponent, and we have to do what we have to do to win the game."