Columnist Nick Green has written 100 Percent Soccer
since 2005. A
native of England, he began writing about soccer in
the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat
in the stands for one in
the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home
Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas
USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer.
Married to a long-suffering soccer widow, he has a cat
named Pele.MLS Fines Galaxy Defender Abel Xavier
It's tempting to say Abel Xavier was fined for going AWOL on defense Saturday against the Rapids, but alas that's not true.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Ciaran O'Brien was also fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee today and received an additional one-game ban for putting Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz in hospital.
From the MLS press release:
Xavier was fined a total of $1,600 and receives an automatic one-game red card suspension for his actions in Saturday night’s game versus the Rapids, while O’Brien was fined a total of $500 and is suspended two games for dangerous conduct in the same game.Xavier was fined $750 for excessive dissent and $250 for failure to leave field following a red card that was given in the 89th minute of the game. He was also fined $250 for post-game public criticism of officiating. These fines come on top of a $250 automatic fine and one-game suspension for a red card and a $100 automatic fine for a yellow card caution for dissent received earlier in the game.
Xavier will serve his one-game suspension on Thursday when the Galaxy host the San Jose Earthquakes.
O’Brien received a red card in the 90th minute of the Rapids versus Galaxy game on Saturday for a dangerous foul committed against Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz that caused Ruiz injury. The League has suspended O’Brien one additional game and fined him and additional $250 for his actions in Saturday night’s game. O’Brien will serve his two-game suspension in consecutive weekends when the Rapids travel to face the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday and travel to play the New England Revolution on Saturday, April 12.
Videom of the foul on Ruiz (and its aftermath) is here.