Poll
Which team is most likely to make the MLS Cup Playoffs?
  • D.C. United
  • Kansas City Wizards
  • San Jose Earthquakes
  • Los Angeles Galaxy
l Discipline

Updated: October 6, 2008

 Suspensions/Fine

John Thorrington
Chicago Fire
Suspension/Fine: 10/12/08 vs. CLB, $500
Reason: Caution Accumulation

Conor Casey
Colorado Rapids
Suspension/Fine: 10/12/08 vs. LA, $250
Reason: Red Card, 10/4/08 vs. Houston Dynamo

Jamie Moreno
DC United
Suspension/Fine: 10/12/08 vs. HOU
Reason: Red Card, 9/28/08 vs. FC Dallas

David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy
Suspension/Fine: 10/18/08 vs. HOU, $250
Reason: Caution Accumulation

Andy Williams
Real Salt Lake
Suspension/Fine: 10/9/08 vs. NY, $250
Reason: Red Card, 10/4/08 vs. New England Revolution

 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
Gonzalo Segares -- Chicago Fire -- 7 -- 3 more game
Sacha Kljestan -- Chivas USA -- 7 -- 2 more games
Jesse Marsch -- Chivas USA -- 4 -- N/A
Daniel Paladini -- Chivas USA -- 4 -- 2 more games
Shavar Thomas -- Chivas USA -- 7 -- 3 more games
Colin Clark -- Colorado Rapids -- 4 -- N/A
Nick LaBrocca -- Colorado Rapids -- 4 -- 2 more games
Pablo Mastroeni -- Colorado Rapids -- 4 -- N/A
Frankie Hejduk -- Columbus Crew -- 7 -- N/A
Clyde Simms -- DC United -- 4 -- N/A
Jeff Cunningham -- FC Dallas -- 4 -- 3 more games
Andre Rocha -- FC Dallas -- 4 -- N/A
Davy Arnaud -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- 1 more games
Jimmy Conrad -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- 2 more games
Carlos Marinelli -- Kansas City Wizards -- 4 -- 2 more games
Alan Gordon -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 4 -- 1 more games
Brandon McDonald -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 4 -- 3 more games
Greg Vanney -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 4 -- N/A
Shalrie Joseph -- New England Revolution -- 4 -- 2 more games
Jay Heaps -- New England Revolution -- 4 -- N/A
Kyle Beckerman -- Real Salt Lake -- 4 -- N/A
Ian Joy -- Real Salt Lake -- 4 -- 3 more game
Chris Wingert -- Real Salt Lake -- 4 -- 1 more game
Ramiro Corrales -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- N/A
Eric Denton -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- N/A
Nick Garcia -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 7 -- 3 more games
Jason Hernandez -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 4 -- N/A
Carl Robinson -- Toronto FC -- 4 -- 1 more games

 The following players are two cautions from suspension

Player -- Team -- Number of Cautions
Diego Gutierrez -- Chicago Fire -- 6
Brandon Prideaux -- Chicago Fire -- 6
Bakary Soumare -- Chicago Fire -- 9
Jonathan Bornstein -- Chivas USA -- 3
Maykel Galindo -- Chivas USA -- 3
Atiba Harris -- Chivas USA -- 6
Ante Razov -- Chivas USA -- 3
Sasha Victorine -- Chivas USA -- 3
Conor Casey -- Colorado Rapids -- 3
Brian Carroll -- Columbus Crew -- 3
William Hesmer -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Andy Iro -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Adam Moffat -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- Columbus Crew -- 3
Fred -- DC United -- 3
Rod Dyachenko -- DC United -- 3
Marcelo Gallardo -- DC United -- 3
Devon McTavish -- DC United -- 3
Jaime Moreno -- DC United -- 3
Gonzalo Peralta -- DC United -- 3
Santino Quaranta -- DC United -- 6
Pablo Ricchetti -- FC Dallas -- 3
Wade Barrett -- Houston Dynamo -- 3
Stuart Holden -- Houston Dynamo -- 3
Richard Mulrooney -- Houston Dynamo -- 3
Eddie Robinson -- Houston Dynamo -- 3
Roger Espinoza -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Michael Harrington -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Claudio Lopez -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Kerry Zavagnin -- Kansas City Wizards -- 3
Landon Donovan -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Sean Franklin -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Alvaro Pires -- Los Angeles Galaxy -- 3
Jeff Larentowicz -- New England Revolution -- 3
Sainey Nyassi -- New England Revolution -- 6
Khano Smith -- New England Revolution -- 3
Wells Thompson -- New England Revolution -- 3
Gabriel Cichero -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Jeff Parke -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Seth Stammler -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Sinisa Ubiparipovic -- New York Red Bulls -- 3
Nate Borchers -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Kenny Deuchar -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Dema Kovalenko -- Real Salt Lake -- 6
Javier Morales -- Real Salt Lake -- 3
Kelly Gray -- San Jose Earthquakes -- 3
Jim Brennan -- Toronto FC -- 3
Danny Dichio -- Toronto FC -- 3
Amado Guevara -- Toronto FC -- 3
Kevin Harmse -- Toronto FC -- 3
Abdus Ibrahim -- Toronto FC -- 3
Tyrone Marshall -- Toronto FC -- 3
Laurent Robert -- 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

None

 Cautions for dissent

None

 Cautions for lack of respect for the game

Jay Heaps, New England Revolution; Jeff Parke, New York Red Bulls; Jorge Rojas, New York Red Bulls; Kevin Harmse, 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 Revolution273833177 8.7 235.5
2Colorado Rapids274253116 10.5 283.5
3Kansas City Wizards274622873 11.2 302.5
4Toronto FC274253124 11.6 314.0
5Columbus Crew274742944 11.7 315.0
6FC Dallas274543244 11.9 322.0
7Houston Dynamo264723353 12.7 330.5
8Los Angeles Galaxy274623512 12.9 349.5
9Chicago Fire275123031 13.4 360.5
10New York Red Bulls274843723 13.8 373.0
11Real Salt Lake274633561 14.0 377.0
12San Jose Earthquakes265243351 15.4 400.5
13D.C. United275953413 15.2 411.5
14Chivas USA275954470 18.9 509.5

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.