After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday. &nbsp;For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you’ll just have to wait for Saturday night’s glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the Cascadia Cup rivalry.
Now for the other stories catching our attention this week:
<ul>
<li>Marcos Mondaini <a href="http:\/\/www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/51802477-77/field-tackle-mondaini-morales.html.csp" target="_blank">received a four game suspension</a> and a $1,500 fine for his aggressive tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales. &nbsp;The suspension is much less than Brian Mullan’s, but the league deemed the tackle as one to prevent a scoring chance, while Mullan’s “showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety.”</li>
<li><a href="http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com/sports/struggling-with-crumbling-rfk-stadium-dc-united-is-desperate-for-a-new-home/2011/05/11/AFiiNb1G_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> ran a front page story this morning on DC United’s situation at&nbsp;Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. &nbsp;There were no great surprises to MLS or DCU fans, but the prominent placement may help the team in its efforts to build a new home.</li>
<li>Speaking of DCU, <a href="http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/us-coach-bob-bradley-considering-dc-united-forward-charlie-davies-for-spain-friendly-and-concacaf-gold-cup/2011/05/12/AFnHuF1G_blog.html#pagebreak" target="_blank">Steven Goff of the </a><a href="http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/us-coach-bob-bradley-considering-dc-united-forward-charlie-davies-for-spain-friendly-and-concacaf-gold-cup/2011/05/12/AFnHuF1G_blog.html#pagebreak" target="_blank">Post</a> broke the news that Bob Bradley will be in attendance at the DC-Colorado match tomorrow night. &nbsp;While there are other American nationals like Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace there, this is likely Charlie Davies casting call for a Gold Cup spot.</li>
<li>Speaking of Bob Bradley, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the <a href="http:\/\/www.ussoccer.com/Social/MNT-Blog.aspx?plckController=Blog&amp;plckScript=blogScript&amp;plckElementId=blogDest&amp;plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&amp;plckPostId=Blog%3a1a697a53-a181-4302-aa61-f454d97c88fdPost%3a4e350f30-c50d-47c3-8342-8c29fc4f29b1" target="_blank">USA v. Spain</a> friendly at Gillette Stadium on June 4, and organizers expect a record crowd for the region.</li>
<li>Our parent site announced the news a few days ago that possible FA Cup champion Manchester &nbsp;City will <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/manchester-city-expand-us-2011-summer-tour-to-face-la-galaxy-31539" target="_blank">extend their U.S. tour</a> to play the LA Galaxy July 24 at Home Depot Center.</li>
<li>The Colorado Rapids injury list grows, as the <a href="http:\/\/www.coloradorapids.com/news/2011/05/cummings-out-2-4-weeks-ankle-sprain" target="_blank">team announced</a> that Omar Cummings will be out 2-4 weeks with “an ankle”. &nbsp;Caleb Folan is also out this weekend, but Conor Casey is expected to return.</li>
<li><a href="http:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/12/mls-confirms-contact-over-possible-minnesota-expansion" target="_blank">MLS in Minnesota</a>? &nbsp;Don Garber’s considering it (sorry Miami/Cosmos/Las Vegas/San Antonio fans).</li>
<li>If you like fan bases tweaking each other and stirring up regional rivalries like I do, <a href="http:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/11/new-billboard-stokes-fire-houston-dallas-rivalry" target="_blank">this billboard</a> in Dallas will make you laugh.</li>
</ul>
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Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011 - World Soccer Talk

Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011

Another week, another MLS star goes down with broken bones. &nbsp;This time it was Javier Morales who is out for months after Marcos Mondaini made an aggressive challenge on the midfielder in front of the Chivas net. &nbsp;Morales cut back towards the goal from the wing and Mondaini, beaten on the play, went to ground and caught Morales’ lower leg in between his own, sending the RSL player down in pain. &nbsp;The referee initially brandished a yellow card, but upon closer inspection of the injury, issues a straight red and sent the Chivas forward&nbsp;off.
You can see the video <a href="http:\/\/youtu.be/PhKOd8fncjI" target="_blank">here</a>. &nbsp;Warning – the video shows the injury from multiple angles and in slow motion, in addition to in real time. &nbsp;The video is not for the faint of heart, and be warned it is very graphic.
At this point, MLS is still considering punishment for the tackle; Mondaini will certainly get a game for the red card. &nbsp;But how long should the punishment be, now that we have the precedent of the Brian Mullan suspension of ten games for his tackle on Steve Zakuani? &nbsp;There are arguments to be made that it should be shorter and longer than Mullan’s.
Mondaini’s punishment should be equal to or longer than ten games:
<ul>
<li>The tackle was intentional. &nbsp;He was certainly beaten by Morales and right before the tackle looks to try and tug on the jersey to bring him down. &nbsp;Mullan’s was also an intentional tackle, due to the fact he had just lost the ball. &nbsp;MLS has to hand out lengthy suspensions to prevent beaten defenders from taking down quicker players if it is serious about preventing injuries.</li>
<li>Maybe the video missed it, but Mondaini showed little remorse for the tackle. &nbsp;On the field he may have tried to check on on Morales but was seen on video just walking off after he was moved away my teammates. &nbsp;His apology after was bland.</li>
<li>Going off the first point, this is the third major injury to a prominent player in two weeks. &nbsp;Don Garber spoke before the season about the importance of protecting star players; he needs to come down hard on this play to show he is very serious.</li>
</ul>
On the other hand, Mondaini deserves a more lenient punishment than Mullan:
<ul>
<li>The injury was less severe than the Zakuani injury. &nbsp;Although his leg is pointing at a 45 degree angle, Morales only broke some bones in his ankle. &nbsp;Zakuani snapped two bones in his leg, a much more serious injury with a much longer recovery time.</li>
<li>The tackle looks worse in retrospect than it did at the time. &nbsp;Referee Paul Ward initially gave a yellow on the injury. &nbsp;Even Jason Kreis said he did not see the tackle as malicious, according to <a href="http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/soccer/news/story?id=6502002" target="_blank">ESPN</a>: “To be honest, I didn’t think it was the most flagrant of fouls. &nbsp;It was from behind, which we’re trying to get out of the game. It’s in the attacking third, and Javi was clearly getting ready to shoot. I understand the urgency of the situation from the defender trying to make the play, and I really don’t think it was that egregious.”</li>
<li>There was a similar situation that occurred recently in MLS, and it was the David Ferreira tackle. &nbsp;Ferreira broke his ankle on a tackle from behind by Jonathan Leathers; Leathers was not disciplined for the tackle.</li>
</ul>
What do you think Marcos Mondaini’s punishment should be?
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What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle? - World Soccer Talk

What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle?

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Leagues: MLS

Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011

Leagues: MLS

What Should Mondaini's Punishment Be for Morales Tackle?