Matt Turner Suspended Additional Game For Red Card Back in May

New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner will serve an additional one game suspension for his previous red card foul on DC United’s Wayne Rooney from an MLS game on May 25th.

The additional suspension was announced yesterday by the Disciplinary Committee, exactly one month after the original foul. Turner served the first game of the red card suspension on June 2nd against the Galaxy.

I want to be very clear that this suspension is completely justified and I believe I called this on the May 27th episode of the Revolution Recap around the 30th minute mark.

I have zero doubt that Matt Turner’s actions went beyond a denial of a goal scoring opportunity and/or serious foul play and the resulting two-game suspension is not only justified but expected. The fact that Wayne Rooney was on the receiving end of a top-rope powerbomb likely doesn’t help the situation for those that want to believe conspiracy theories about protecting big name players. But I would expect to see multi-game suspensions for any other fouls/collisions similar to the one Turner committed a month ago.

Turner’s decision to jump in the air was reckless by all standards and absolutely endangered the safety of an opponent. But I’m not mad Matt Turner can’t play tonight in Philadelphia.

I’m mad that this is getting announced a MONTH after the initial foul. If I know the DisCo is going to review this play and I am 90% sure a MONTH ago an additional suspension is going to happen...why are we finding out YESTERDAY, that the suspension is official?

I’ve said this about the DisCo proceedings and other MLS happenings in the past Transparency, we keep using that word. I do not think it means, what MLS thinks it means. There is no reason why the initial suspension can’t be released to the press as the appeals process is happening. Let the league announce the suspensions, the teams/players association announce the appeals, and the DisCo announce the final results of said appeals.

While we’re at it, I want a full work up of why the suspensions are happening - like those old Brendan Shanahan NHL Player Safety videos. Full evidence and breakdown of similar plays from both the league and the teams arguing their case on the appeals/suspensions so that we can see how everything plays out. Transparency in these processes is how fans and media learn and can evaluate properly the calls and discipline on and then off the field and how everyone can form a better consensus and consistency in how specific plays are called and disciplined on and off the field.

The disciplinary process right now is so arbitrary that even when the DisCo gets something right - which suspending Matt Turner an additional game is - we’re still chewing them out. The timeline for reviewing and announcing suspensions should take days, maybe even hours, but not weeks. Just because the DisCo had several weeks between Revolution league games to review this during the Gold Cup break (all while Turner played in the US Open Cup) doesn’t mean they should use that entire time to make their decision. I’m sure the Revs and Turner were notified of the suspension for appeal but there’s no reason why everyone shouldn’t know the full situation.

Long story short, Brad Knighton or Cody Cropper will start in goal tonight against the Philadelphia Union. I figured that out a month ago. I’m just typing this up today because reasons.