Tim Weah saw his share of league title celebrations during his early years at Paris Saint-Germain, but on Sunday he was able to enjoy a Ligue 1 championship on a team he had a much more prominent role with.
Lille defeated Angers, 2-0, on Sunday to secure its first Ligue 1 title since 2011, edging reigning champion PSG by a point to help Weah join the long list of Americans to secure silverware in Europe this season.
🏆🏆 CHAMPIONS 🏆🏆
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Christophe Galtier’s side scored twice in the first half, which was all the visitors needed to claim three points. Canadian international Jonathan David broke the deadlock in the 10th minute with his 13th goal of the season before Burak Yilmaz’s stoppage time penalty kick would ensure a two-goal advantage.
Angelo Fulgini’s 92nd minute goal pulled one back for Angers in the dying moments of the match, but it was too little too late to start a comeback. Lille would finish ahead of rivals PSG and seal a return to the UEFA Champions League for next season.
The Ligue 1 title is the third of Weah’s career after playing a small part on PSG’s title-winning campaigns in 2018 and 2019. Though he didn’t play in Lille’s season finale on Sunday, Weah enjoyed a bounce-back 2020/2021 season, making 37 appearances in all competitions for Lille after enduring an injury-plagued 2019-2020 season.
A pair of major hamstring injuries cost Weah more than a year of action, but he recovered and become a regular contributor for Lille, making seven starts and 28 overall league appearances. Weah’s league campaign finished with three goals in league play to go along with two goals and one assist in the UEFA Europa League earlier in the year.
The 21-year-old will now join USMNT camp ahead of the team’s May 30 friendly against Switzerland, and he is also in contention to be named to the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League roster, which will be revealed on Monday.
Yilmaz will be 36 in July but he scored 7 goals in their last 7 games. I’m not sure David is going anywhere yet, 11 of his 13 came in the 2nd half of the season but no goals in 8 Europa matches doesn’t help his value. I think they’ll try to keep enough to make a run at the knockout stages.
It’s been a fun season all around w/ more of our boys involved at a higher level than ever before. I found great satisfaction watching Atletico Madrid wrest the La Liga title away from Real Madrid and Lille the same from PSG. If only someone (Leipzig) could have done the same to Bayern Munich! Weah having a small part in it makes it even sweeter. If Chelsea can pull off the upset and grab the CL, US players collection of hardware will be impressive indeeeeeed.
I’d be curious to hear Christophe Galtier’s plan for Weah. I have a feeling that this Lille team will be picked apart a fair bit over the summer, with Jonathan David at least receiving some offers from bigger clubs. Perhaps it will be Weah’s ticket into a starting role, but it’s also possible that they’ll be looking to bring in another forward, keeping Weah largely where he is in the pecking order. At this point in his development and career — and now that he seems well and truly to have progressed beyond his injury issues — I think the focus for Weah should be on building on this year’s achievement and playing week in and week out moving forward.
Yes, it’ll be very interesting to follow. Jonathan Bamba and Jonathan Ikone will also be linked with lots of moves and they’re direct competitors. If he can establish himself after his first full, injury-free season, that’ll be tiiiiiiiiiite.
Exactly! And I hope Lille can stay strong to help break up PSG’s dominance at the top of Ligue 1. I’d much rather see an open race with PSG, Lille, Lyon, Monaco and whomever else genuinely in contention than another one-horse race with PSG’s superstars shifting their focus to the Champions League with the league wrapped up by March.
Curious as well since Weah had one small run out over Lille’s last 5 games. Seemed liked Gaultier did not trust Weah as much as he did earlier in the season. If Lille bring in others instead of turning to Weah than he should press for a loan out.
at some point perhaps the sun breaks through on snob planet and people begin to notice that as long as he’s at PSG or lille he’s a bench player, and the question is if he is content with that (and its implications for his NT chances, particularly under a “form” obsessed analytic coach). personally i think he seems to be the sort of professional who is ready to perform when called upon even if he picks up splinters. but if he has bigger career and NT ambitions then maybe pocket the medal, check off that box, and seek a team that will start him. which, i hate to disturb the snob fairy tale, is probably a step down.
Maybe. I’m not really sure what Weah’s ceiling is. Sometimes I look at him and see a slightly better version of Gyasi Zardes, and his touch in particular really seems to let him down, just banging balls all over the place, really ugly stuff.
Then I turn around, and it’s like, wait, THAT was a nice take-and-turn, velvet-touch stuff, smoother than smooth, looked like your old man, there, and he’s just blowing by people like their feet are rooted in cement, and I get all excited…and he takes over a game for a minute and looks like the most dangerous guy on the field. (Whereupon he usually promptly fades out of it and I don’t see him again the next twenty minutes.)
So I just don’t know, with Weah. He’s still only 21, so I’m reluctant to just totally give up on him, but the clock is ticking, too.
i am actually a weah fan. i see where he produces when played by good teams. my thing is maybe acknowledge whether those good teams are playing him. i think he is professional and gifted and prepared where he could be a club and NT sub even if he doesn’t start club. he isn’t one of those players who sulks and gets rusty. however to thrive — and i agree he has upside — i think he needs to leave and likely step down. if he then shows well he might be able to step right back up a la landon. but if he stays in a sub role i think he’ll always be a question mark.
set yourself up for success.