The Seattle/Columbus game was marred by poor officiating as well. The ref actually showed good control early in the game, by calling out players and verbally controlling the game conditions. Then he fell apart in the second half and just started handing out cards for nothing, really. It wasn't even a particularly physical game. My biggest complaint? Time-wasting and defensive holding. Time-wasting needs to be dealt with sternly, since it robs the fans of game time that they've paid for (along with a slew of other ethical considerations). We got treated Ekpo going down twice, once after failing to get a foul called, running up to the ref to complain, then falling down, grabbing his hip and refusing to get back up. Yellow card. Period. Immediate and without prejudice. This is a no-brainer and MLS needs to get a grip. They don't allow it in most of Europe now, they certainly shouldn't here. Defensive holding. Robs the fans of exciting football by canceling any advantage the offense might have had through good play. The defender just grabs the guy, slows him down just enough to say on him and destroy any continuity. Red card. Period. I'm sick of it and.... oh, HEY! It's against the rules. Imagine....

Personal reasons? Really? The guy doesn't play all year, gets invited into camp (pretty generously, I'd say), and he has personal business? Wow, I think it speaks volumes about his dedication to the game. Short of mom or dad dying, there isn't a good enough reason on the planet for that kid to miss practice with..... well, you guys said it, the USL Miami team. To bad Bob doesn't have the guts to cut him from all NT games for the rest of the year......

Turtle, a little off-base here. No one is disputing that what Riley did deserved a yellow. "Waaaay" over the line is waaaaaay overstating what happened. He reacted inappropriately and it cost him a red. But if you look at the replay, it was really nothin'. Probably should have been a yellow.... but that's soccer.

Onion Bag has it right. There was no "punch" and, if it was, momma definitely raised a wuss. It was a shove to the neck (because that was as high as poor little Riley could reach!!). On the other hand, I'm starting to lose some faith in you, Ives. Any clear look at the video on this by a knowledgeable soccer fan wouldn't illicit the absurd assessment of this being a "punch." You're starting to lose some major credibility here. If after today, the MLS hasn't handed down an additional suspension for the "punch" (as they WILL do if it is determined to be such), I think we need a retraction of that word. No matter what you might think of the usage, it clearly has a very, very poor connotation in soccer. Riley is a class act (perhaps too much so for a defender) and he deserves better from you. So do YOUR fans.

Christa, from what I could tell, you're waaaaay off base here. First of all, it was a completely legitimate challenge (based upon the vid you've provided). It wasn't particularly hard and, frankly, that Daniela was injured makes me question her own fitness level. The ball was hit first, the player second. What am I not seeing? I watched this about 20 times and it is clear. Mostly, it wasn't even a foul in my book. Perhaps women hold themselves to a different standard?