Like everyone associated with the league, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the three horrific injuries that Major League Soccer has seen early in the 2011 season. From conversations I've had with people ranging from players to coaches to general managers to television personalities to former players to the common MLS fan, all have opinions of varying strength and intensity as to why 2011 is the season that highly-skilled, attack-minded players are going down under ill-fated challenges with visually gut-wrenching results.
I’m sure we all agree that the Brian Mullan tackle on Seattle’s Steve Zakuani has set the bar (however you want to describe it) with the unnamed MLS 'Disciplinary Committee' handing down a 10-game total suspension and $5,000 fine. In the conversations I've had with multiple players around the league, all were in agreement that the "next" tackle that resulted in serious injury was going to be a very interesting development, seeing where the level of the resultant suspension and fine would land.
Now I haven’t the slightest clue who is on MLS' Disciplinary Committee, other than it's supposed to be three ex-MLS players, an ex-referee and an ex-coach/GM, serving under the guidance of MLS Executive V.P. of Competition, Technical & Game Operations, Nelson Rodriguez. But I do know from hearing from players in multiple cities that this past pre-season, players were told, in no uncertain terms, that dangerous tackles that resulted in injury would absolutely be taken in account when brought before the Disciplinary Committee.
So as I'm sitting with my almost two-year-old son in the stands for the first time all season just along the north 18 on Saturday afternoon, I see Real Salt Lake's playmaker Javier Morales get possession with his heels against the sideline and facing two defenders. Typical first touch from Javi, head already up surveying the field, electing to skip away from a Chivas USA midfielder. Uses his body, as usual, to absorb the first bump and separate himself at the top of the 18 yard box (fans could almost see the replay coming of his 2010 goal vs. Columbus, a curling blast into the far-side netting from this very spot). Then I see it coming, a tackle that Javi's probably ridden out thousands of times. From behind, high up on the back of his legs, his body shielding the opponent from any possible chance of getting the ball. Javi gets his legs taken out from under him and he's got himself a free-kick from just around 20 yards out from goal.
But this time, something isn't right. Just like it wasn't right when I was standing to the left of Colorado Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith a couple of Friday nights ago for FOX Soccer. I heard the double snap that night from about 20 feet away and knew instantly as Zakuani's leg came around. And I saw the exact same thing with Javi, except this time it was his left ankle and not his leg. But one thing was in common for both players - both had their foot fully planted and bearing weight when the challenge came in. And all of Chivas USA's attacker Marcos Mondaini's 5'8", 160-pound frame landed at full speed on Javi's planted left foot and ankle.
You've most likely seen the end result and had a visceral reaction. A fracture to his left ankle along with a dislocation, an injury that is absolutely horrific to look at and shocking not only to the fans in the stadium (many of whom were in tears) and at home watching on television, but to his teammates, his brothers who were standing around in a daze and trying to figure out how to go on as the medical staff quickly stabilized the 31-year old.
Chivas USA would end the match with just nine players on the field, as the Mondaini red card was the second of the match. I say that only to point out that an attacker making that kind of reckless, silly challenge at the top of the box isn't something that was meant with an intent of injury in my eyes. No, for me the tackle was more out of self-preservation for the team and not wanting Javi to get an uncontested shot off at the top of the 18 while already being down a man. Just trying to get into the halftime break at 0-0 was first and foremost for the visiting team, despite the seriousness of the resulting injury.
So MLS handed down Mondaini's announcement on Wednesday, a total of four games and a $1,500 fine, which means the midfielder will not be available for Chivas USA until June 4th, according to MLSSoccer.com. Javi, on the other hand, underwent successful surgery on Monday and is looking at a timetable that could be a minimum of four months if recovery and rehab go perfectly according to plan. One hiccup and Javier would most likely miss the rest of the 2011 season - a total of 28 MLS games, a potential of four Open Cup games, and any RSL playoff matches.
An unbelievably long period of time for a player that has been the most-fouled individual since entering the league back on August 29, 2007, the victim of 211 fouls in 93 MLS regular-season matches. Keep in mind, this also isn't the first time Javi's been on the receiving end of a tackle that required surgery ... remember the 2009 MLS Cup in Seattle when he was clattered near midfield by David Beckham? In all of the joy of raising the MLS Cup, Morales had to undergo knee surgery to correct the after-effects of that tackle.
So now it's done. The powers that be have had their say with Mondaini. Javi is on the mend. Real Salt Lake is 5-1-0 with 15 points from six games in Major League Soccer, with a league-best 2.50 points-per-game average. And now Head Coach Jason Kreis has some serious, important and probably fluid decisions to make. With names like Andy Williams, Arturo Alvarez, Ned Grabavoy, Will Johnson and Collen Warner all available to slide into that point of the diamond, the mantra "The Team Is The Star" gets put to the test, yet again.
