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In their last Copa America group match, the United States lost 1-0 to Uruguay, and referee Kevin Ortega declined to formally shake hands alongside Christian Pulisic. Referee Kevin Ortega shamelessly declined to shake hands with US star Christian Pulisic after a heated Copa America match, during which the USMNT lost to Uruguay.
The hosts had played a great game against Bolivia, thus they went into their final Group C encounter knowing completely that progressing for the quarter final stages hung in the balance. But after losing 2-1 to Panama, they faltered at the second hurdle, and their destiny in the competition now rested on how they fared in their last group stage match.
Gregg Berhalter's team failed to turn things around and lost 1-0 against Uruguay despite their best efforts to rally the group. However, the interaction wasn't without some criticism due to clumsy calls from officials and escalating hostilities in Kansas City.
In a contentious moment, the referee maintained Uruguay's winning goal by Mathias Olivera in spite of potential offside signals. This added to the already chaotic environment, as did Chris Richards' first-half booking in suspicious circumstances.
Furious captain Christian Pulisic pointed at the official and asked questions as the US team's tournament hopes crashed to the ground at Arrowhead Stadium. He asked, "Why aren't you over there with them?” Ortega proceeded to ignore Pulisic after this altercation by declining to shake the AC Milan forward's hands.
I think Christian Pulisic just told the refs to go celebrate with Uruguay after their horrible performance in the USMNT's Copa America game 😂 pic.twitter.com/10Vv3TnzQO
— absolute toast (@Absolute_Toast) July 2, 2024
“We have to live with it, obviously” : Gregg Berhalter
After their final Copa America 2024 encounter, USMNT head coach spoke to the media about the incident as he said, "It's pretty crazy, really. I don't understand it. You know, I feel like I know the rule pretty well. I feel like we had the pictures that are showing how the rule could be interpreted and it's an offside goal. It's disappointing, it really is, but you know, that happens in football and we have to live with it, obviously.”
He added, "Totally disappointed with the results. We know that we're capable of more. And, in this one, we didn't show it. It's really as simple as that. I think that you look at the stage that was set with the fans in this tournament, with a high level of competition in this tournament, and we should have done better. We'll do a review and figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, but I think it's an empty feeling right now for sure."