Shortly after the USA’s big win over Mexico in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers where “dos a cero” rang around the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday night, Tim Weah sat down to talk to the nation’s press.
The Lille OSC striker, who had missed significant playing time over the last few seasons due to injury, both for club and country, spoke about his road back to fitness.
“Coming into last camp, coming from injury I had to learn everything again, pretty much refocus and get all of the small details,” the New Yorker said. “The Panama game was a bit tough; my first away game in CONCACAF [qualifying] so obviously it’s a bit difficult.
I bounced back against Costa Rica, had a good performance, and put I a good shift tonight. In terms of my confidence, I’m playing with my club team, so when I come here and play it’s amazing. To be with the boys it’s just super fun. We executed tonight and that’s the important thing.”
Although his Man of the Match performance against Mexico and the strong performance by the team overall sent the fans into a frenzy, the 21-year-old is keeping a level head.
“Beating a rival is a great feeling. Confidence is through the roof, but the most important thing is to stay modest, stay humble, because CONCACAF is hard. We just have to go off the positives. We all feel good right now: no egos in the team, and everybody is happy to be here. Guys are ready. If somebody gets injured, the next guy is ready. It’s a good vibe and we’re all happy to be here and get the win.”
Weah’s performance in the victory and strong contributions to the overall team play have been praised by everyone from the fans, to the media and also his team and coaching staff. His link-up play was superb on the night as he ran the field like a man possessed. He spoke about his team mates and the chemistry that he shares with some of them.
“The chemistry I have with DeAndre [Yedlin] and Yunus [Musah] is something that we’ve been working on for a long time. DeAndre is one of my best friends. When I first joined the squad, I was always with him, so the connection we have is very special. He’s like my big brother.”
“Yunus came to New York in the summer and we chilled together. We just built that bond and it shows on the field that we play really well together. I’m really proud of those guys.
The personal connection has also paid off on the field, as these were two of his most consistent connections in bringing the attack to the Mexicans.
“To be honest, I saw a lot of space coming down and receiving the ball from the middle. Yunus was just feeding me [the ball], DeAndre was feeding me, so I felt good out there and gained confidence, and the game was ours.”
Weah will certainly be a factor on the field again when the Americans go for a third straight in in qualifying, and try to build their lead atop the standings in Jamaica on Tuesday night.
