It was only a matter of time. After his rugby tackle and kick that broke the clavicle of San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas last Saturday, the MLS Disciplinary Committee today announced a three match suspension for Red Bulls midfielder Rafa Marquez , as well as an undisclosed fine.
In his almost two years in MLS, Marquez is no stranger to being suspended. He served a one game suspension imposed by the team last year for demeaning his fellow defenders post-game, infamously saying they weren't on his level. In the 2011 post season, he threw a ball at LA's Landon Donovan, and the subsequent fist fight and red card landed him a three game suspension that lasted into the 2012 regular season.
This latest suspension will see Marquez miss matches away at DC, home against New England, and away at Los Angeles. He will return to the lineup for the team's home game against the Houston Dynamo on May 9th. New York's injured defensive corps means the suspension will force more reserves into the starting XI; Victor Palsson is expected to fill Marquez's spot again, and is looking for redemption after underperforming in the first two matches of the season.
The knives came out quickly after the announcement this morning. Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl tweeted"Deserved more. Márquez has been a disaster in NY." The Sporting News' Brian Straus went further, insisting the team sell off Marquez in the summer transfer window. "If Red Bulls officials don’t make every effort to move Márquez this summer, even if that means buying out the remainder of his contract, they’re foolish and self-destructive. Márquez won’t change, and now it’s not just his own team that’s suffering."
The league also fined and suspended San Jose's Marvin Chavez for a single game thanks to his reckless challenge on NY's Roy Miller.
