MLS disciplinary committee: on the hot seat again
by Steve Davis on May 9, 2011 1:11 PM EDT
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It's Groundhog Day. I mean, weren’t we just here? Didn’t we just go through all this?
Alas, it’s a case of “rinse, spit, repeat.” And in this case, it’s a bitter, bitter mouthwash.
Javier Morales fell beneath the unwise tackle of Chivas USA’s Marcos Mondaini on Saturday. Now, Real Salt Lake must move forward without its talented midfield playmaker for months. Michael Lewis, who covers the team as well as any beat writer covers any MLS side, suggested in this article that players are already resigned to coping without Morales for the entire season. And that is some damn sad resignation.
So later this week, Major League Soccer’s five-person disciplinary committee will render a verdict on Mondaini. Brian Mullan is serving a 10-game suspension for his terrible tackle on Steve Zakuani. The league needed to make an example. (So much for the doctrine of effective deterrent, eh?)
Of course, the danger in Mullan’s 10-game suspension was the precedent. We all whispered under our breaths something like this: “Uh, what if the same thing happens next week? What then?”
Well, here we are. Unfortunately. So what does MLS do now? Read on ...
My guess: the disciplinary committee will consider two mitigating factors: Mondaini is mostly an offensive player, whose tackle was clumsy and poor but perhaps not malicious. And they will consider that it wasn’t executed with the violent aggression of Mullan’s. Even Kreis said afterward that the tackle wasn’t among the worst he’s seen.
Honestly, Mondaini’s tackle was closer to the one from Jonathan Leathers that broke David Ferreira’s ankle. Leathers wasn’t even carded for that tackle from behind. (It wasn’t even a foul.)
MLS is in a tough spot here. They absolutely have to increase the peace on the field and police these bad tackles. On the other hand, Mondaini’s tackle wasn’t nearly as bad as Mullan’s. So … what say you, disciplinary committee?
Best guess: five games. We’ll see.
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Cleaning it up.
Tackles from behind, when getting the ball is not an option, need to be punished whether someone is hurt or not. That’s the way to stop people from getting hurt by bad tackles (malicious or not).
They should give him 8-9
but they will give him something more like 4-6
I saw malicious intent. Mondaini was clearly beaten by a great move by Morales and then he went in with intent to “eff him up” for getting embarrassed.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
After missing most of the matches this weekend
I just got a chance to see the tackle. It was ugly…I had the same instant-heartbreak as when I watched Zakuani go down. It did not look malicious to me, it looked more like an “Oh crap, I just got schooled and now need to do anything I can to prevent a goal.” Stupid decision, stupid tackle, I think he should get a similar sentence as Mullan, maybe a few less games because of the non-maliciousness. The message here seems like it should be that even though it’s not malicious, we’re still not gonna stand for stupid decisions.
by chrisperry1983 on May 9, 2011 2:24 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Just as important
MLS must also come down on divers as well. As more and more pressure to stop rough tackles mounts on MLS’ subpar refs, it could become open season for divers. MLS must prevent this and begin issuing post match penalties to divers. MLS should review the take each week and cite players for diving. Once you are cited 5 times, you are suspended for a game.
This
We could call it the Charlie Davies In Memory of Carlos Ruiz penalty. In all seriousness, as the league gets more talented players, hopefully the “hockey goons” of the league will be phased out. But I don’t want to see the league devolve into Guatemalan soccer of diving at the merest whisper of contact and retaliating with bone breaking hits.
Your First Ever Pinstripe Bowl Champions- The Syracuse Orange
by bigbluethruandthru on May 9, 2011 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions
In many ways I think this tackle was worse than Mullan's
At least Mullan made some attempt to play the ball (however recklessly). Mondaini was just trying to bring Morales down and wasn’t even interested in (or close to) the ball. And the angle of the challenge meant that injury was highly likely.
Can’t agree either that being a forward counts as a mitigating factor. A foul is a foul is a foul.
Lord knows what the disciplinary committee will do but I’d guess that they match Mullan’s punishment.
by Russell Berrisford on May 9, 2011 3:33 PM EDT reply actions
In defense of MLS
horror tackles still occur at the highest levels of the sport, it’s not a problem that is unique to MLS
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on May 9, 2011 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions
They seem to occur in some leagues more than others.
EPL stands out as a leader in horror tackles. La Liga has relatively few. I think it is the culture of the various countries and their leagues that control this. La Liga refs don’t allow nasty tackles; Spanish fans seem to value skill over physical play. In England, like here, physical play is tolerated and even encouraged as part of the game. Both these nations then have trouble at the international level when they meet referees from other leagues.
I think MLS is to be commended for trying to change this culture, but given what passes for play in lower levels in this country it’s an uphill battle.
Its Obvious that this "crackdown" has come too late
and that this type of play is already ingrained in the player’s mind as part of the game. Its just going to take that many more 10 game suspensions to break it.
No chance at ball, 10 games, no less. Eventually habits will be broken.
The real question is what is going to happen when somebody good (and expensive) does something stupid. That will be the real quandary.
Zakuani & Morales, but not Ferreira
how can u suspend the players that ended the season for Zakuani and Morales, but the player that ended the season of the best player in the MLS, as he was voted 2010 MLS MVP, gets off scott-free?
Steve, please help me understand this one? what makes the other two more special than than the 3rd when they’re all out for the season, effectively?
Geoff Cameron took a pretty nasty tackle a couple of weeks ago against DC
The only thing that saved Cameron from serious injury was that he was completely planted on the leg when the contact happened. Not saying the league needed to take action, but it’s a tricky spot to be in. Do you suspend players for reckless challenges only if the result in injury, but let them slide as long you didn’t inflict too much damage?
"If my hips had pockets, I wouldn't wear pants at all." @NotBurtReynolds
