KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said he didn’t blame the referee for the team’s elimination from the Copa America group stage, but he was troubled by the calls made in Monday’s 1-0 loss to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium, a result that sealed the U.S.’ fate.
“To be honest, I saw something I’ve never seen before today, it’s just unbelievable,” Pulisic told reporters. “That’s not why we lost. The referee is not the reason we’re out of the tournament.”
“But really, what I saw, really – I mean, I think everyone will agree, I don’t know what I’m seeing. I don’t know what they’re calling it. I don’t know what he’s doing – he’s not giving me any explanation. He’s doing things that I can’t accept.”
After the final whistle, Pulisic first appeared to signal something to the referee from a distance, but referee Kevin Ortega was seen on camera refusing to shake Pulisic’s hand.
“He didn’t shake my hand. Maybe that’s normal.”
Uruguay defender Matias Olivera scored the only goal of the game in the 66th minute. Olivera appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was flicked on, but a lengthy VAR review allowed the goal to stand without sending Ortega to the video monitor. Replays showed an indistinguishable overlap between Olivera’s body and the legs of USMNT defender Chris Richards, who clearly had the Uruguayan onside.
“It’s pretty crazy, man,” U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter said of the call. “I don’t understand it. I know the rules very well. I think there was a picture that showed how the rules were interpreted, and it was an offside goal. It’s really disappointing, but these things happen in soccer and you just have to accept it.”
There were several controversial no-calls in Monday’s game, but the strangest moment aside from the goals was Ortega’s yellow card for Richards in the 32nd minute. Uruguay went for a quick free kick, but before he extended his arm to show the yellow card, Ortega raised his other arm to signal “play on.” Nahitan Nández was behind the goal but missed the shot.
When a yellow card is issued, the game is typically stopped so the referee can record the warning. After the play, several U.S. players got into an altercation with Ortega. Adams said after the game that he’d “never seen anything like it.”
The 1-0 loss, combined with Panama’s 3-1 win over Bolivia in a simultaneous match, left the U.S. in third place in its group. It was the first time the U.S. has failed to advance from the group stage in a Copa America, Gold Cup or World Cup tournament hosted by the team. The U.S. will co-host the 2026 World Cup.
