Everyone (including John Fisher) should read the entire article. It's pretty damning, and confirms everything we've long suspected. Discipline meted out by MLS is a disgrace and the only reason you're not hearing more complaints about it is that team personnel are afraid to speak out.
At the Tom Fox taco talk last Sat, he said that he was calling the DISCO (and I guess others) daily about Almeyda’s suspension. Somewhere the media said that the Quakes had appealed the suspension up until the drop dead date, which I guess was Thursday. So I guess Almeyda had the initial 1-game suspension for a red card, and then an additional 2-game suspension must have been allocated, which Fox appealed. I would like to know what the additional 2 games were for. Referee verbal assault or engaging with a fan or what?
That would explain the delayed announcement. The Quakes appealed -- and lost. Would have helped if Fisher had been on the phone daily. Or if the appeal was publicized. Appealing quietly in the background appears to have earned the Quakes squat.
Refusing to leave the field is one thing (and that alone could warrant an extra game’s suspension), but returning from the tunnel is further escalating the matter...
My thought is that the owners are complicit. I’ve said it before, I think Fishers top priority is to grow the value of his assets. I suspect growing the league in general is the best way for that to happen. That means big games with big teams with big players seen on national television. I think Fisher is fine with other owners creating big teams. As long as he’s not losing too much on the Quakes let it be. He gets a big paycheck every time a team joins the league and the single entity nature of MLS means some of the roster is paid by the league. In the meantime the Quakes value indirectly goes up every time Zlatan vs Vela is on national tv. Matias got a 3 game suspension probably because the former PRO referee on the disco pushed for it. Nobody else is going to push back too much because it’s just the Quakes and they don’t move the needle for MLS anyway and Fisher is fine with that. As Wilmer Cabrera once said - if Houston wants decisions to go their way he has to ask the owner to sign Messi. That’s never going to happen and I’m sure Houston’s owner doesn’t care about the decisions that are being made on the field very much.
Total BS on MLS DISCO. Just another poke at teams that don’t play in LA, ATL, or NY. Double middle finger salute to MLS!
We don't know that. I spoke with Tom briefly about it at the Wine and Dine last weekend. He couldn't tell me much but for all we know MLS may have have been demanding more and the compromise was 3 games and a fine. Could have been worse.
So you are saying that the league that gave Marquez a three game suspension for an assault on Shea Salinas, wanted more than a three game suspension for a coach who was suspended for questioning why a call against the Quakes didn't get a VAR revue when one less than ten minutes early for LAFC did, virtually same play, virtually same set of rules. If that's the case, and you are suggesting it might be, that is a deliberate case of BIAS against a "small-market" team in favor of a "big-market" team. If that is the case, then damn MLS. Maybe everyone not in LA, NY or Atlanta should just follow a foreign league.
The bias by the leagues offices for LA & NY has existed since 1996. Now that there are 4 teams in those two cities, the bias is even more evident. Since Seattle and Atlanta draw huge crowds, they are also favored by the league. To believe or to think a bias doesn't exist is extremely foolish. Maybe occasionally but I don't think San Jose get's the same leeway as those teams do. Never did.
They favor any flavor of the month. This team needs to break up their mindset and win the MLS Cup. Then it can be shoved in their face. Go Quakes!
You're right. It's possible. But it seems implausible considering that Petke also got three games from the league only a month ago.
I believe he served at least some of it. There were several weeks between the incident and his being axed, while the RSL owner publicly dithered.
RSL fired Petke 1-2 days before his club suspension was going to be completed. He was barred from the stadium/practice fields and was supposed to return to practice on a Monday, and the team told him that 2 of their sponsors did not want him around anymore. So RSL offered Petke 6 figures to resign, but he refused because he wanted his 7 figures of contract salary. Which is probably really dumb, because he won't get the 7 figures as no doubt they will claim some kind of morals or misbehavior clause. So Petke must have served at least 2 of his 3-game MLS suspension, I would guess...
Can you imagine the local reaction if the Quakes fired Matias? (And, yes, low hanging joke about how we don't have sponsors). Sort of focuses attention why the two scenarios are not at all alike. Yet, MLS imposed the same punishment.
Well @SeaJayBee, you talked to Tom Fox the day after his taco talk. I doubt his story had changed much overnight. All I can say is that on Sat Aug-24-2019, when asked about the Almeyda suspension, Fox told the group he had been calling daily about it, and I thought he mentioned the DISCO, but maybe he meant anybody in MLS who would listen, which was apparently no one.
Petke got a 3-game MLS supsension, a 2-game Leagues Cup suspension, a 2-week no-contact suspension without pay, and then he was fired for cause. So they didn't get the same punishment.
He will probably sue to get his salary back. Not sure if he will win though. Either way , one thing is certain he won’t be coaching in MLS anymore.
I specifically referred to the MLS-imposed punishment. That did not include the team-imposed firing, nor did it include any Leagues Cup punishment since the Quakes aren't in the Leagues Cup. As for the so-called no-contact suspension, I'm not sure what that involves. EDIT: Here's the official MLS announcement of Petke's suspension. The Leagues Cup suspension was by its own committee, not MLS. No mention of a no-contact suspension. That may have been later-imposed by the team. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...-mike-petke-suspended-mls-leagues-cup-matches
That's the part where he was not allowed in to the stadium or practice field. But I guess if they say no-contact, then he couldn't call anyone either?
The Leagues Cup suspension was because the incident happened in the Leagues Cup. That suspension was also imposed by MLS in some way since the tournament is jointly operated by MLS and LigaMX. The fact that MLS imposed an MLS game suspension at all is indication that it found the conduct to be very serious, as suspensions are usually limited to the competition where the offense occurs, unless it is judged to be especially egregious. It means he was barred from team facilities and from having any contact with players or staff. Matias has been able to continue doing his job in every way except being on the bench during games.
See my edits in my prior post. MLS is not the same thing as a joint venture involving some other co-equal entity, so your nitpicking is misplaced. And the official MLS announcement of the suspension appears to say nothing about the no-contact business. Is it your position that Matias' three game MLS ban was appropriate? If so, say so, and stop with the pedantry.