COMMERCE CITY — Another MLS team has lost a player for months because of a reckless tackle, but the perpetrator got a much lighter sentence than the 10-game suspension Colorado’s Brian Mullan received for his infraction.
Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales sustained a dislocated left ankle, a broken fibula and ligament damage Saturday when he was tackled from behind by Marcos Mondaini of Chivas USA.
It’s a big blow to RSL because Morales is one of the most talented playmakers in MLS, and he will be out until October, if not longer. Team doctor Andrew Cooper called the injury “gruesome.”
In Mullen’s case, the MLS disciplinary committee added nine games to the automatic one-game suspension he got with his red card for the tackle that broke Steve Zakuani’s right ankle April 22. The committee added just three games to Mondaini’s red-card suspension.
Why the difference? As the committee saw it, Morales was in a position to score at the edge of the penalty area and Mondaini was trying to stop him. Mullan’s infraction occurred at midfield and seemed to come out of frustration. Moments earlier, Mullan thought he’d been fouled.
“During its discussions, the committee characterized Mondaini’s tackle as late, clumsy, and from behind,” said Nelson Rodriguez, MLS executive vice president of competition, technical and game operations. “It was also, however, seen as an attempt to prevent his opponent from scoring. Brian Mullan’s tackle on Steve Zakuani last month did not serve such a purpose. Rather, it showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety and appeared to be driven by anger.”
“The committee has made a decision on the challenge, and whatever their choices and recommendations are, we have to abide by that,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “The main thing for us is to move on now.”
Two other talented players this season have been shelved by nasty tackles from behind — David Ferreira of FC Dallas (last year’s league MVP) and Branko Boskovic of D.C. United, which hosts the Rapids on Saturday.
DCU wants payback.
D.C. United lost 4-1 to the Rapids here April 3, but the game wasn’t as one-sided as the score would suggest, and DCU wants to prove it.
“We took a beating over there, so I think it’s time for some revenge,” defender Dejan Jakovic said.
In the April match, DCU equalized at 1-1 early in the second half, but the Rapids went ahead again a minute later. Two Colorado goals in the last 10 minutes made the score a little misleading.
“As I said afterwards, I thought for a good hour or more, it was a very tight game,” Smith said. “The final moments were certainly more ours than theirs, and we made the most of them. Going to RFK is always a difficult game. At home, their team can get in a groove of possession and creativeness that can prove to be very difficult for away teams.”
