There's been no official indication, but it looks as if Javier Morales may have just broken his ankle on a sloppy tackle from behind by Chivas USA forward Marcos Mondaini. The Real Salt Lake midfielder went down in a heap just outside the penalty area when Mondaini tackled him from behind, entirely missing the ball and rolling up on the back of his leg. Morales' leg appeared to get trapped underneath and bent in an entirely unnatural way. Mondaini was shown a red card, leaving Chivas USA with just nine men for the final 50-plus minutes of the match.
Javier Morales Suffers Serious Injury; Apparent Broken Ankle After Marcos Mondaini Tackle
The tackle was not as violent as Brian Mullan's leg-breaking tackle of Steve Zakuani on April 23, but it was not nearly as innocent as Jonathan Leathers' tackle of David Ferreira that resulted in the league's reigning MVP breaking his ankle. Mondaini had no real chance at the ball, and while the injury was not the intended consequence, it was clearly a cynical foul that was not meant to win possession, but rather to slow up an opposing attack.
Now, it will be interesting to see what the MLS disciplinary committee does as they have set a clear precedent with Mullan’s 10-game suspension.
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