USMNT's Tim Weah does not deserve hate after Panama mistake

Timothy Weah made a mistake Thursday that put his teammates on the U.S. Men's National Team at a huge disadvantage, and it resulted in a 2-1 loss to Panama in Copa America group play.

But the online hate , much of it racially targeted, that Weah received in the hours following the match in Atlanta is unacceptable. U.S. Soccer released a statement Thursday night reiterating that.

In the 11th minute of the match, a Panamanian forward went flying recklessly into American goaltender Matt Turner, appearing to injure him, but received no card after a video review.

Tempers flared after it became clear that Panama's game plan centered on being physical. Weah lost his cool in the 18th minute, striking a Panamanian player in the head during what appeared to be a verbal altercation between the two.

Issued a straight red card, Weah sat out the remainder of the match, leaving his team with only 10 players to play 70 crucial minutes.

After the challenge on Turner went uncalled and Weah's strike received scrutiny on video review, fans became heated over the seemingly imbalanced refereeing.

Playing at such a disadvantage was too much for the U.S. to overcome, leaving it with a near-impossible challenge of defeating South American giant Uruguay to escape Group C.

Weah's mistake proved costly and he deserves criticism, but to direct so much hate at the 24-year-old forward is beyond the pale. Weah, an experienced international player, should have known better, but he deserves forgiveness.

In a statement on his Instagram story, Weah apologized and said he will learn from his actions. He should be believed and receive another chance.

Following the match, Folarin Balogun, who scored the only American goal, shared racist messages he received on Instagram.

Fan frustrations over myriad failures by the team and coaching staff cannot boil over into hate and bigotry.

On Monday night in Kansas City, the U.S. will face Uruguay in a match the Americans must win to guarantee qualification from the group stage. Anything less and they risk elimination from the tournament.