CHESTER, Pa. — Timothy Weah has waited for his chance to prove his worth to the U.S. Men’s National Team after making a huge impact with the U-17’s over the last few years.
On Monday, Weah made the most of his chance and was rewarded big time with his first senior goal in the USMNT’s 3-0 friendly win over Bolivia. The PSG forward started on the right wing for Dave Sarachan’s side and played 60 minutes, earning his second cap for the U.S.
After seeing Walker Zimmerman and Josh Sargent net their first goals for the senior squad, Weah followed up with a strong finish of his own. He became the fourth youngest goalscorer all-time for the USMNT, moving past Sargent in that category.
“Overall, I was really happy with the team’s performance tonight from the team,” Weah said. “We made some mistakes at times, but we’re a young group so that is going to happen. But fairly it was a good day for us and I’m just happy for the young guys like Josh and Walker to get goals as well. I’m excited to now go to Ireland and show what we can do.”
In his first 45 minutes at Talen Energy Stadium, Weah showed signs of nervousness. His lone shot on goal was saved by Bolivia’s Guillermo Viscarra, while he picked up a knock going for a loose ball. After hobbling for several minutes after that, it was unclear whether or not the 18-year-old would remain in the match for.
Weah did remain in the match and added the U.S.’s third and final goal of the evening on a composed finish in the 58th minute. Left back Antonee Robinson made a dashing run down the left flank and hit Weah on the left side of the box, allowing the forward to have a clear go at goal. Weah one-timed the shot and beat Viscarra which added to the USMNT’s strong second-half. It was a confident strike and performance by the youngster who grew into the match as it went on.
“I’m always nervous coming into these matches because it was my first start,” Weah said. “We just wanted to come out and play strong and play with our hearts for our team and our family and friends. I was able to make the most of a good service by Antonee and I enjoy being able to score for this country that I love so much.”
Going from the Parc Des Princes to Talen Energy Stadium is definitely going to be a huge difference for anyone. Like many young players, Weah showed nervous signs in the opening half but was determined to put in a good performance. He had efforts at goal and was willing to track back to win possession for the team. The performance by Weah as a whole received praise from Sarachan, but the interim manager knows work still needs to be done.
“He was all over the place tonight,” Sarachan said. “He looked like a kid that at one point didn’t know if he wanted to stay in the game, to a kid flying around beating guys. He was the prototypical young kid who had nervous moments.
“Tim comes from a team that is pretty well known so everyone assumes he is going to be on his game. I think he can get to that level, and he’s going to be a good player. He had a great goal, but I think he still has some work to do to get even better.”
Despite a pair of friendlies in Ireland and France over the next two weeks, Weah is still keeping an eye on returning to PSG. The current Ligue 1 champs will look to win another domestic treble, and also advance in the UEFA Champions League. With Thomas Tuchel taking over for Unai Emery, Weah is already getting a head start on what to expect in his return to Paris.
“I’ve talked to Christian all the time about Thomas from their time together at Dortmund,” Weah said. “I know he is a tough and hardworking coach but as a player I think playing under him will only make me better. Even if he is hard on me, at the end of the day I’m going to be appreciative of him. I’m looking forward to it.”