Marcos Mondaini Officially Suspended Four Matches, Fined $1,500

So, yes, this suspension does seem to imply that Javier Morales is somehow less important than Zakuani, which is ridiculous. Morales was a clear MVP candidate and is the exact kind of player MLS should be seeking to protect.

There’s no question that whatever message MLS was trying to send with Mullan’s punishment has now been muddied. Is it really all about the perceived state of mind? That seems like a path riddled with traps. The league is being accused of inconsistency, and I can’t pretend to defend that part of it. This does seem inconsistent. The bulk of the more vocal response, though, has puzzlingly claimed Mondaini’s punishment was overly lenient.

Unlike the tackled that felled Ferreira, though, this was an obvious foul and done with far more cynicism. While Jonathon Leathers actually won the ball from Ferreira, Mondaini did not really have any chance and was clearly trying to foul Morales as he dribbled just outside the penalty area.

The tackle was also dissimilar from Brian Mullan’s take down of Zakuani in that it was far less violent, although equally gruesome. While Mullan’s tackle was done more as a message, Mondaini was simply trying to disrupt the attack.