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Sandy • Three star players, three shocking injuries, all in just three weeks.
Is something wrong with Major League Soccer?
That's the question that suddenly has jumped into the spotlight, after three of the league's most dynamic players — including its reigning Most Valuable Player and Real Salt Lake's Javier Morales — were cut down by reckless tackles barely two months after Commissioner Don Garber announced that referees had been instructed to do more to protect players.
Beyond that, the seemingly uneven punishment for the offenders has fueled a debate that has raged throughout the soccer community over just what message the league is sending to its players.
"Something really, really needs to be done about it," said RSL's Will Johnson.
Of course, Morales was the latest victim, and RSL will begin trying to cope without the star playmaker when it plays the Houston Dynamo at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night. It's the first game since Morales was chopped down from behind by Chivas USA's Marcos Mondaini, who was subsequently suspended for a total for four games and fined $1,500.
But two other stars crumpled before Morales.
Dynamic young forward Steve Zakuani of the Seattle Sounders was taken out for the season when Colorado's Brian Mullan seemed to angrily size him up before breaking both his tibia and fibula with a vicious tackle last month, just days before reigning MVP David Ferreira of FC Dallas had his ankle broken by Vancouver's Jonathan Lethers on a tackle that was not even called a foul.
"With all these things happening, you have to move away from coincidence," FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman told the Sporting News. "Coincidence is if I get hit once by lightning."
Yet many players and coaches seem willing to believe the rash of injuries is something of a fluke.
Coach Jason Kreis of RSL said he can't remember three such devastating injuries within even a whole season — let alone a few weeks — and defender Nat Borchers thinks they comprise an "anomaly." Midfielder Branko Boskovic of D.C. United also was badly injured recently, suffering a torn knee ligament on a tackle from behind by New England's Alan Koger in a U.S. Open Cup game.
RSL's Kyle Beckerman agreed with all of that but also suggested a deeper issue.
"A lot of these tackles that we've seen take down players we've seen before," he said, but they haven't caused such serious injuries so frequently. "It just so happens this year, these tackles are coming in and they shouldn't have been done in the first place, in the past, but this time they're starting to get guys hurt."
Therein lies much of the controversy.
Many fans and several influential analysts have questioned the league for its relatively lenient punishment of Mondaini, arguing that it tacitly cultivates a dangerous style on the field.
The league has long carried a reputation for rough play, compared to others around the world.
Johnson said expansion of MLS in recent years has diluted its pool of qualified referees who are able to keep just the right measure of control over a game, and that the higher stakes that have come with the league's increased popularity have lured defenders into taking more chances.
"Guys are flying in and competing hard," he said, "but it's just getting out of control."
The league made a point, though, of distinguishing between Mondaini and Mullan, whom it suspended for a record 10 games and fined $5,000 for his tackle on Zakuani.
The MLS Disciplinary Committee "characterized Mondaini's tackle as late, clumsy, and from behind," said Nelson Rodriguez, the league's executive vice president of competition, technical and game operations. "It was also, however, seen as an attempt to prevent his opponent from scoring. Brian Mullan's tackle on Steve Zakuani last month did not serve such a purpose. Rather, it showed utter disregard for his opponent's safety and appeared to be driven by anger."
Still, that left some fans scratching their heads.
Visible emotion makes a difference? Whether an opponent is trying to score? Many wanted Mondaini punished more severely, if only because he appeared to have no play on the ball when he tackled Morales.
That would send a stronger message, they argue.
"If you're making a tackle and the ball is 5 yards away from the player, that's a bad tackle," Borchers said. "You're trying to injure somebody. But if you're going for the ball, I think it's a different situation."
Garber does not plan to publicly address the issue, a league spokesman said. He is not a member of the disciplinary committee, which includes three former players, a former coach and a former referee — whose identities are kept secret.
Just two months ago, though, Garber announced the league had issued formal instructions to referees to "reward attacking soccer," in part by paying closer attention to rough play.
And that's something Kreis can get behind.
Although he said he's not sure he "would place blame anywhere, in particular" for the recent run of severe injuries, the coach reminded reporters this week that he has been preaching for some time the need for the league to cut down on rough play.
Morales and Ferreira have been among the most-fouled players in the league.
"The number of times that Javier Morales and David Ferreira have been fouled over the last year could be taking a collective toll on these guys," he said. "I still believe that we are in the market of selling this game to fans, and trying to bring in new fans and trying to bring in fans that only watch European soccer. And I believe you do that by having creative players on the field."
Not in the hospital.
MLS casualty list
Player Team Injury Punishment*
Steve Zakuani Seattle Broken leg 10 games, $5K
David Ferreira FC Dallas Broken ankle None
Javier Morales RSL Broken, dis. ankle 4 games, $1.5K
Branko Boskovic D.C. United Torn knee ligament None
*Tackler's punishment includes number of games suspended and the amount they were fined. —
Houston at RSL
P At Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy
Kickoff • Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV • Fox Soccer Channel
Radio • 700 AM, 1600 AM, 106.1 FM
Records • RSL 5-1-0, Houston 3-3-3
Series history • Houston leads 7-3-4
Last meeting • RSL, 3-1 (May 13, 2010)