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SANDY - Five days after the devastating tackle on RSL's Javier Morales, the MLS disciplinary committee announced the much awaited suspension for Chiva's USA forward Marcos Mondaini.
Mondaini will serve a four-game suspension and pay a $1,500 fine for his tackle on Morales, which left him with a dislocated and fractured left ankle as well as torn ligaments.
Many have been expecting a more severe punishment for Mondaini, comparing his tackle to the other recent tackle made by Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan which left Seattle's Steve Zakuani with a broken leg. Mullan was suspended for 10 games and fined $5,000 back in April.
Following the match against Chivas USA, RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis stated his feelings on the tackle. "To be honest from what I saw I didn't think it was the most flagrant foul."
Kreis went on to say, "It was from behind, which we're trying to get stamped out of our game. It's in the attacking third and Javi's clearly getting ready to shoot, so I understand the urgency of the situation from a defender trying to make a play, but I really don't think it was that egregious."
With a larger punishment given to Mullen for a similar tackle and similar injuries to both Zakuani and Morales, fans may be wondering why Mondaini was not suspended for longer.
"Thankfully the surgery went well and I'm expecting a full recovery quickly. Thank you for your support, you make me feel better."
"The disciplinary committee unanimously agreed that Marcos Mondaini's tackle on Javier Morales was reckless and endangered the safety of his opponent, hence the total suspension of four games and total fine of $1,500," Nelson Rodriguez, the MLS executive vice president of competition, technical and game operations said Thursday in an article on mlssoccer.com.
"The existence of a serious injury alone, however, does not mandate supplemental discipline of a certain level," Rodriguez continued. "The circumstances of each play are examined in great detail and discussed at length."
Rodriguez also added comments as to why Mondaini's punishment was lesser than Mullan's. "During its discussions, the committee characterized Mondaini's tackle as late, clumsy, and from behind. It was also, however, seen as an attempt to prevent his opponent from scoring."
Rodriguez said they believed Mullan's tackle on Zakuani "did not serve such a purpose," and that Mullan's tackle "showed utter disregard for his opponent's safety and appeared to be driven by anger."
Morales underwent surgery Monday afternoon with no complications. He is expected to be out until October.
"When you look at ultimate recovery, I think age plays a little bit of a role into this," team physician Dr. Andrew Cooper said following Morales' surgery. "That October range is, I think, our goal, but (after) an hour-and-a-half after surgery you never know what's going to come up."
Late Monday Morales tweeted, "Thankfully the surgery went well and I'm expecting a full recovery quickly. Thank you for your support, you make me feel better."
RSL will try to move past the loss to their roster in their upcoming game on Saturday against the Houston Dynamo.
