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MLS Ticker: O’Neill suspended, Anor cleared; Rey leaves Crew for Spain; and more

Shane O'Neill Khari Stephenson

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

The Colorado Rapids will be without one of their starting defenders when they face the Portland Timbers on Friday on national television.

Major League Soccer’s Disciplinary Committee announced on Tuesday that defender Shane O’Neill has been suspended one match and fined an undisclosed amount for “a serious foul play which endangered the safety of an opponent” in the Rapids’ 3-3 draw at the Philadelphia Union.

The play, which took place in the 11th minute, saw O’Neill go into a challenge with Union midfielder Danny Cruz with the studs exposed, completely taking out Cruz in the process. O’Neill was shown a yellow card for the incident by referee Sorin Stoica. Two Union players were sent off later in the game as well.

The Disciplinary Committee also accepted the appeal of the Columbus Crew’s Bernardo Anor, clearing him to play against Sporting Kansas City at home on Wednesday. Anor was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 84th minute of the Crew’s 4-1 defeat to the New York Red Bulls, when he kicked a ball into Chris Duvall, who was on the ground.

Here are some more news and notes from around MLS:

REY LEAVES CREW, SIGNS WITH CLUB IN SPAIN

In one of the stranger MLS transfer ordeals, Columbus Crew winger Alvaro Rey signed with a club in Spain just 12 hours after his departure from the Crew was announced.

The Crew announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had agreed with Rey to mutually terminate his contract due to personal reasons. Rey had not been with the Crew in training recently or at their match in New York, leading to speculation over his future.

Following training on Tuesday, Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter told reporters that Rey had been wanting to return to Spain and that mentally he was “in another place.” Later Tuesday evening, Spanish second division club Alcorcon announced that they had signed Rey to a three-year contract.

Rey had only been acquired on June 6 from Toronto FC in a trade for Dom Oduro. As the contract termination was mutual, the Crew now have a hefty chunk of cap space to work with, and they’ll need to add multiple players soon as they’ve lost key players to long-term injuries.

IMPACT’S LOPEZ OUT FOR THE SEASON

Adrian Lopez hasn’t seemed to have much luck since signing with the Montreal Impact.

The Impact’s injury woes deepened on Tuesday when Lopez was diagnosed with another torn anterior cruciate ligament, ending his 2014 season before it was ever started. It’s the second consecutive torn ACL for Lopez, who torn the same ligament in his right knee last August and had been close to a full return.

Lopez was injured in an MLS Reserve League match against Chivas USA on July 6, being forced off before halftime in that match.

““It’s a big blow to us as a team and, I think, to him as a player,” Impact head coach Frank Klopas told MLSSoccer.com. “I’ve been through it before where I went through two ACL [surgeries]. It’s unfortunate for a guy [who worked] so hard, for him and for our team – it was looking really good in the reserve matches and it was just a matter of time, now. He’s a quality player that would have given us good depth, especially now with a lot of games coming up.”

Lopez signed with the Impact in July, 2013, but only made one full appearance for the club, in the CONCACAF Champions League last summer.

NASCO SENT ON LOAN TO FORMER CLUB

Joe Nasco is back at his old stomping grounds.

With Clint Irwin and John Berner both solidifying the top two goalkeeping spots on the depth chart, the Colorado Rapids decided to send Nasco on loan to the Atlanta Silverbacks for the rest of the season, pending league approval. Nasco starred for the Silverbacks in 2012 and 2013, leading to his move to the Rapids during the last offseason.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to get some playing time, and the fact that I’ll be able do it in Atlanta, where I began my professional career, is a total blessing,” Nasco said in a statement. “I think this is a win-win situation for both the Silverbacks and Rapids, and I can’t wait to come in and help the team out in any way that I can.”

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What do you think of this news? Agree with the O’Neill suspension? What do you think of Rey’s decision to return to Spain? Do you see the Impact signing another centerback?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • See the O’Neill tackle that somehow only merited a yellow during the game. That crap happens all the time in MLS. This league is more like NHL than anything else. Time to stop protecting the thugs and let actual soccer players get some protection. Yeah, I know Cruz is probably the last guy to get this kind of love from me about protection, but you get the point. He should have had straight reds in most games he’s played in MLS.

      Reply
      • How about don’t be a p*ssy? If they can’t handle a physical and athletic league then don’t come here. If they can’t handle the travel or don’t like the fact that they can be traded then don’t come here its that simple

      • That foul by O’Neill isn’t physical or aggressive or whatever macho thing you want it to be. It’s dangerous. Good players don’t want to risk their career or their post career health for the joys of playing in a mediocre league. It makes no sense. MLS and FIFA both need to do more to protect the players.

  1. Sad to see Alvaro Rey leaving MLS. Granted I only saw him a few times with TFC but he seemed to be a fine player and relatively young.

    Reply

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