The San Jose Earthquakes are a physical team. That’s hardly news. A lot of people think they are a dirty team. But that’s not particularly new, either. While opposing coaches and players may complain about their tactics from time to time, I don’t think any organization has ever called out the Quakes in quite as public a way as the Colorado Rapids did following Saturday’s 0-0 tie.
Rapids go public with their frustration over Earthquakes’ ‘physicality’
Adam Jahn was shown a red card for an elbow to the head but Alan Gordon escaped with no punishment.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Not only did play-by-play man Richard Fleming -- a team employee -- pen a column criticizing two particular plays, but the Rapids also created this handy piece of evidence that will surely find its way to the Disciplinary Committee:
Although Adam Jahn actually received a red card for his shoulder-to-head clash with Jared Watts (after the fourth official stepped in), Alan Gordon managed to totally avoid punishment for his elbow to the face on Shane O’Neill. With a little help from the Rapids, that’s likely to change.
The Earthquakes and Rapids could very well be fighting for a playoff spot, so it’s not like this is being done simply as a public service. But if more teams went public with this kind of stuff, that might actually help clean up the game a bit more. A little public shaming for dirty play can’t hurt, right?
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