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l Discipline

Updated: August 19, 2008

 Suspensions/Fine

Gonzalo Martinez
D.C. United
Suspension/Fine: 8/20/08 vs. NE, $250
Reason: Caution accumulation

Gabriel Cichero
New York Red Bulls
Suspension/Fine: 8/24/08 vs. HOU, $250
Reason: Red Card, 9/17/08 vs. TOR

 Card Suspensions

Red card and caution point accumulation suspensions collected in Regular Season Games shall be served in a Player's next Regular Season Game. Any suspensions for yellow card points earned in a Player's last Regular Season Game will not carry over into the Playoffs, or into the next League Season.

However, the applicable fine will be collected in the current Season. Any Players who receives a red card in his last Game of the Season (Regular Season or Playoffs), will serve the one Game suspension during their next Game (whether it's during the Playoffs, Championship Game, or in the next Regular Season Game of the following season). All red card and caution point suspensions will, if necessary, follow a Player to a new Team. All fines associated with cautions or send-offs will be collected in the current season (before the calendar year expires).

 Suspension Carry-Overs

Any suspensions for yellow cards earned in a player's last Regular Season Game shall not carry over into the Playoffs or into the next League Season. However, the applicable fine will be collected in the current Season. Players who receive a red card in their last Game of the Season (Regular Season, Playoff or Cup) shall serve the one-game suspension during their next Game (whether it is during the Playoffs, Championship Game, or the next League Regular Season Game). All red card suspensions will, if necessary, follow a Player to a new team for the next League Season.

 The following players are one caution from suspension

Player -- Team -- Number of Cautions -- Good Behavior Incentive
Atiba Harris -- Chivas USA -- 4 -- N/A
Sacha Kljestan -- Chivas USA -- 4 -- 3 more games
Jesse Marsch -- Chivas USA -- 4 -- N/A
Danny O'Rourke -- Columbus Crew -- 4 -- 1 more game
Colin Clark -- Colorado Rapids -- 4 -- 3 more games
Pablo Mastroeni -- Colorado Rapids -- 4 -- 2 more games
Marc Burch -- DC United -- 4 -- N/A
Rod Dyachenko -- DC United -- 4 -- 2 more games
Bryan Namoff -- DC United -- 4 -- 3 more games
Andre Rocha -- FC Dallas -- 4 -- 2 more games
Bobby Boswell -- Houston Dynamo -- 4 -- N/A
Jack Jewsbury -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- N/A
Kurt Morsink -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- 2 more games
Kerry Zavagnin -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- 1 more game
Amaechi Igwe -- New England Revolution -- 4 -- 1 more game
Jeff Larentowicz -- New England Revolution -- 4 -- 3 more games
Sainey Nyassi -- New England Revolution -- 4 -- 3 more games
Kevin Goldthwaite -- New York Red Bulls -- 4 -- N/A
Ramiro Corrales -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- N/A
Eric Denton -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- N/A
Jason Hernandez -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- 1 more game

 The following players are two cautions from suspension

Player -- Team -- Number of Cautions
Gonzalo Segares -- Chicago Fire -- 6
John Thorrington -- Chicago Fire -- 6
Jonathan Bornstein -- Chivas USA -- 3
Maykel Galindo -- Chivas USA -- 3
Paulo Nagamura -- Chivas USA -- 6 Daniel Paladini -- Chivas USA -- 3
Shavar Thomas -- Chivas USA -- 3
Andy Iro -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Adam Moffat -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Fred -- DC United -- 3
Marcelo Gallardo -- DC United -- 3
Devon McTavish -- DC United -- 3
Santino Quaranta -- DC United -- 6
Clyde Simms -- DC United -- 3
Jeff Cunningham -- FC Dallas -- 3
Drew Moor -- FC Dallas -- 3
Pablo Ricchetti -- FC Dallas -- 3
Stuart Holden -- Houston Dynamo -- 3
Jimmy Conrad -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Claudio Lopez -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Michael Harrington -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
David Beckham -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Landon Donovan -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Alan Gordon -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Brandon McDonald -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Alvaro Pires -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Greg Vanney -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Jay Heaps -- New England Revolution -- 3
Andrew Boyens -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Seth Stammler -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Sinisa Ubiparipovic -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Kyle Beckerman -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Kenny Deuchar -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Ian Joy -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Dema Kovalenko -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Nick Garcia -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 3
James Riley -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 3
Amado Guevara -- Toronto FC -- 3
Abdus Ibrahim -- Toronto FC -- 3
Laurent Robert -- Toronto FC -- 3
Carl Robinson -- Toronto FC -- 3

Regular Season Caution Accumulation
A player who accumulates five (5) yellow cards over the course of the MLS Regular Season shall be suspended from the next Regular Season game in which he is eligible to appear and fined $250. After imposition of the first fine and one-game suspension for accumulating five (5) yellow cards over the course of an MLS Regular Season, a player who accumulates an additional three (3) yellow cards shall be suspended from the next regular season game in which he is eligible to appear and fined $500. After the imposition of the second fine and one-game suspension by virtue of accumulating eight (8) yellow cards over the course of a regular season, that player shall be suspended for one MLS Regular Season game and fined $750 for each accumulation of three (3) yellow cards awarded to him in any remaining MLS Regular Season games.

Good Behavior Incentive
If a player receives a caution during the Regular Season that brings him within one caution of any of the suspension thresholds (e.g., 4 cautions, 7 cautions), he shall be placed on "Warning." If a player is placed on "Warning" and appears in THREE (3) consecutive games without receiving a caution, being sent off or sanctioned by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for an infraction that occurs during one of the THREE (3) consecutive games, that player's personal caution total shall be reduced by ONE (1) caution. A player may only benefit from the Good Behavior Incentive one time per season.

 Notice of Fine

5 Cautions: None

8 Cautions: None

 Cautions for dissent

Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo; Khano Smith, New England Revolution ($100)

 Cautions for lack of respect for the game

Nana Attakora-Gyan, Toronto FC ($100)

*MLS teams are assessed a matching team fine for their players' cumulative individual fines for yellow cards issued for either "dissent" or "showing a lack of respect for the game."

League Fair Play Table

rankteamgpyellowredfoulsclean gppts gptotal pts
1New England Revolution192632315 9.2 174.5
2Colorado Rapids202942325 9.9 197.0
3Kansas City Wizards203322012 11.1 222.5
4FC Dallas203332373 11.8 235.5
5Columbus Crew203632223 12.0 240.0
6Toronto FC203342333 12.2 243.5
7Los Angeles Galaxy203422582 12.8 255.0
8New York Red Bulls203232792 13.4 267.5
9Houston Dynamo193712501 14.1 268.0
10Chicago Fire203922241 13.7 273.0
11Real Salt Lake203422650 14.4 288.5
12D.C. United194632552 16.4 311.5
13San Jose Earthquakes204442580 17.3 345.0
14Chivas USA194243290 19.6 372.5

MLS Teams are assessed fair play points and ranked in the fair play table as follows:

  • 4 points for each caution point received (e.g. 5 cautions = 20 points)
  • 10 points for each red card earned (e.g. 5 red cards in a year = 50 points)
  • .5 points for each foul committed (e.g. 400 fouls = 200 points)
  • A reduction of 15 points for every game played by a team without their receiving either a yellow or red card, or a member of their team being a recipient of MLS Disciplinary Committee action in conjunction with that game (e.g. 3 "clean" games = -45 points).

The team with the least amount of points at the end of the regular season will be awarded the Kraft Team Fair Play Award.