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Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni for suspended three games
Major League Soccer has fined Colorado Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni $1,250 and suspended him two games for endangering the safety of Houston Dynamo defender Andrew Hainault on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the 63rd minute of the Rapids’ 1-0 victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Watch it here.
Mastroeni received a yellow card on the play. He was suspended one game and fined $250 for an accumulation of five yellow cards. The two-game ban was handed down in addition to this punishment.
Hainault suffered an injury during the play, and the league’s disciplinary committee deemed Mastroeni’s actions reckless and egregious.
Mastroeni will serve the suspension beginning with Rapids’ home game against Toronto on Saturday. He also will miss matches Sept. 12 at Toronto and Sept. 18 at San Jose.
Just for grins, I searched Pablo’s name on Twitter to see what people were saying about him during Sunday’s match against Houston and after news of the suspension was announced. Here are some of the results (the names have been withheld to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent):
“Shocking that Pablo Mastroeni can plant an elbow in Andrew Hainault’s face and see…yellow? And a delayed one at that. Ridiculous.”
“Rapids star Pablo Mastroeni suspended additional two games (three total) after reckless play vs. Houston. AWESOME”
“Oh and Pablo Mastroeni…I effing hate you.”
“Being pregnant is most exhausting experience in world, makes what Mastroeni went thru today look like cake.”
“I now doubt that Mastroeni is out of the Nat Team because of play, rather because everyone not on the Rapids wishes awful things on him.”
“Davis’ red is awful considering all the (stuff) Mastroeni has gotten away with this game. Watching a replay of this game would be painful”
“How is Pablo Mastroeni still in this game? This ref hasn’t got a clue…”
“Pablo Mastroeni leaves the field, decides to take up watercolors. That was some rough contact.”
“colorado is playing defense like they have 15 men on the field.”
“Pablo Mastroeni is taking a beating.”
“Mastroeni is dispossesing everyone on our team.”
“Nasty elbow from Pablo Mastroeni in the COL/HOU match. Got a yellow, deserved red–would not be surprised at a suspension from MLS”
Some interesting responses, some from Houston supporters and some from Rapids fans, obviously. But the do reveal a couple of valuable points.
Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t deny that he’s an imposing physical force on the pitch.
And again, no matter which side you support, this particular incident was conspicuous for the level of contact involved.
George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an affiliate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.
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Thanks for posting this twitter search. Fun to read and I totally agree with them, Pablo looked like a brute on that play. He didn’t have a chance to play the ball, seemed to know it, so he took out Hainault. I was in the stands on the other side so I didn’t see it well, but the video makes it clear as day and proves MLS refs don’t get it. That should have been a straight red.
This incident illustrates my biggest problem with the MLS.
While the quality of play has improved over the years the level of officating has not kept pace. Whether it is physical limitations or an inability to anticpate what is going to happen assistants are constantly out of position. Center officials have no consistency.
I can’t decide if the problem is in their ability or the league’s desire to appease fans (most of who seem to want the game to be officated like a U-13 competition, because that is all they know).
The league needs to support the offical. Second guessing with a suspension days later is simply wrong.
Regardless, after having partial season ticket packages from day one and full season ticket packages the last three years it is the officating that may make me decide to stay home and only watch the international leagues beginning next season.
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