USMNT icon Alexi Lalas posted on social media platform X on how he would have addressed the inexplicable Sergino Dest red card in Monday's match.
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Sergino Dest sent off for two yellows in 20 secondsJeopardized USMNT's Copa America qualification Alexi Lalas reveals how he would have addressed the dismissalWHAT HAPPENED?
The USMNT fullback was inexplicably sent off after picking up two yellow cards in 20 seconds in their Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Trinidad and Tobago on Monday evening. The right-sided defender initially punted the ball into the stands after being upset with a call on the pitch and then followed it up by verbally confronting the referee and blowing kisses at him. As a result of being reduced to 10 men early in the match, the USA fell to the island nation 2-1 but still advanced via an aggregate two-legged score while also securing a spot in the 2024 Copa America.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It was the second egregious sending-off for the PSV defender in a USMNT kit in 2023 having been removed in a match against Mexico earlier this year. For Dest, it was a moment where he lacked discipline, composure and respect for his teammates around him. Lalas sees it in the same light, but from a former player's perspective, the 1994 USA World Cup squad member believes he left a true 'mess' to clean up on the pitch as well.
WHAT LALAS SAID
"I would have said, "Get the hell off the field so we can clean up your mess…and I'll deal with you later,"" Lalas put out on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DEST AND THE USMNT
The fullback will return to Dutch side PSV now that the international break is over, with a match against FC Twente on the cards for Saturday. Dest, however, is set to face a suspension during the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March for his antics on Monday evening. As for the USMNT, there are no remaining matches left in the calendar year for Berhalter's squad.