Photo by Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports
By ADAM TROXTELL
San Jose Earthquakes Designated Player Innocent Emeghara faces a one-game suspension for a challenge that left a visible knot on Luke Mulholland’s head on Sunday.
Emeghara was shown a yellow card for the challenge in the 41st minute of the 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, in which he appears to lead with his elbow before clattering into the Real Salt Lake midfielder. The MLS Disciplinary Committee determined that the challenge endangered the safety of an opponent, and it also fined Emeghara an undisclosed amount.
The Earthquakes were also cited by the Disciplinary Committee for players’ actions in the wake of the foul. Players surrounded referee Armando Villarreal in protest, and this violated MLS’s mass confrontation policy.
The foul by Emeghara set up the eventual game-winning goal by Javier Morales when he sent the rebound of the subsequent free kick into the net.
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What do you think of the MLS Disciplinary Committee’s decision? Was Emeghara’s challenge worthy of a suspension? Share your thoughts below.
Commitee caught one but left two vicious tackles by San Jose unpunished.
The San Jose players really do need to calm their approach to the referees. Specifically Wondo needs to knock it off. Refs should yellow card him as soon as he starts his winging because that does seem to work.
As for the match itself, it was a horrible advertisement for MLS. Both teams were poor and disjointed and the refereeing was too typical of what we’ve come to expect.
To my mind Emeghara clearly deserved the yellow, but not the suspension. As someone said, it was wild but not malicious. Yes, Alashe’s tackle on Morales was bad and deservedly drew a yellow card, but if the truly poor referee had given Morales a yellow for a very similar tackle earlier in the half then I don’t think that Alashe would have gone in quite so hard. Beckerman also clearly deserved a yellow for the blind side push that he put on Alashe as did Schuler for his cheap shot at Wondo.
Alashe, by the way, is really good. Having watched all but one of San Jose’s matches, I think that he is already one of, if not the best player at the club. That might not be saying much though.
I had to look at the box score to see he only got a yellow. The way his team reacted I thought he had to have been thrown out of the game. They went crazy for what I am not sure. From on the field it had to look like a nasty collision. I don’t understand why San Jose went crazy and looked like they wanted to attack the ref. I mean eyes on the ball then on the man and elbow to the face. He got a yellow relax their Earthquakes.
Bullshit.
It was wild but nothing malicious.
His eyes were innocently on the ball.
Guilty.
Because someone had to do it.
Yeah, I was going to chime in with something like “Not so ‘Innocent’ now, is he?!” but I see you’ve boiled it down to its bare essence already…