USMNT captain Tim Ream justifiably called out Sergiño Dest over his embarrassing tantrum and red card

The U.S. men’s national team qualified for the 2024 Copa America and advanced in the CONCACAF Nations League on Monday, but it certainly didn’t happen in the way the team would have preferred.

Heading into the second leg up 3-0 against 99th-ranked Trinidad & Tobago, the USMNT lost 2-1 and played much of the match down a man. The familiar score line and loss to Trinidad was embarrassing enough, but Sergiño Dest’s behavior on the field was on a different level of shameful.

Dest was shown a red card in the 39th minute after frustrations about officiating led to him kicking the ball towards the stands and shouting at the referee as his teammates desperately tried to calm the PSV defender down.

SERGINO DEST RED CARD. Football's equivalent of emotionally replying to a work email. pic.twitter.com/NbLy4mGFS5

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) November 21, 2023

Though the USMNT was already playing an uninspired match, the team was up 1-0 at the time. Being forced to play a man down changed the entire dynamic of the game, and Trinidad responded with two unanswered goals. While the USMNT did hold on to the aggregate advantage, the players were visibly livid with Dest after the match.

Captain Tim Ream didn’t disclose what the players said to Dest in the locker room, but he didn’t hold back on his disappointment with Dest in the postgame press conference. You almost never see a player speak about a teammate like this, and in Ream’s case, he was totally justified for it.

“Overall, it's a complete lack of respect for the guys that are playing, for the guys that are on the bench”

Tim Ream on Sergino Dest’s red card after the USMNT’s defeat to Trinidad.

(h/t @sluggahjells) pic.twitter.com/BAS9whK07N

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) November 21, 2023

Dest did apologize for his meltdown after the match, but that had to be one awkward flight back to the U.S. (and back to PSV with USMNT teammates Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman).

USMNT fans were also furious with Dest. He really had no excuse for that tantrum.