The United States U19 men’s national team lost to Bahrain today, 3-1, crashing out of the COTIF tournament in Spain despite defeating the hosts only a few nights earlier. Towards the end of the game, with the U.S. already deeply frustrated at being down to the tiny gulf nation, a Bahraini player harshly tackled Pierre Da Silva, then another kicked the ball off his face, sparking a brawl.
For a scuffle without any punches, the brawl was decent. The Bahraini players seemed especially fond of trying to kick the Americans, which shows good discipline in keeping with soccer’s “No Hands” rule.