Brawl ensues in U.S. U19 Men’s National Team vs. Bahrain match

A match between the U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team and Bahrain at the COTIF Tournament in Spain ended with an ugly incident, as the two sides broke out into a scuffle following a dirty play in the midfield.

With the U.S. trailing 3-1 in stoppage time, less than three minutes away from elimination from the event, USA forward Pierre Da Silva was taken down by a Bahraini player on a borderline play, before another player bolted in and viciously kicked him in the head. From there, Da Silva’s U.S. teammates went after the offending player, resulting in a brief melee between the two sides.

Two players on each side received red cards for the incident. Bahrain’s Jameel and Mahmook were ejected, along with U.S. players Hugo Arellano (LA Galaxy) and Brandon Vazquez (Club Tijuana).

The loss to Bahrain closed out a run of mixed results for the U.S. at the COTIF Tournament, where they had also earned wins over Mauritania and host nation Spain, and lost to Venezuela.

+Read: U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team defeats Spain in COTIF Tournament
+Read: U.S. U-19 MNT earns 1-0 victory over Mauritania in COTIF Tournament
+Read: U-19 MNT Falls to Venezuela 2-0 in 2016 COTIF Tournament