D.C. United forward Alecko Eskandarian will saerve a one-game suspended for the second time this season on Saturday thanks to the yellow card he earned in the 23rd minute of last weekend’s win over Chivas USA.
“I’ll just sit in the stands,” said Eskandarian. “I’ll probably be in a corner somewhere by myself being upset that I’m not able to be down there helping the team, but just be cheering as loud as I can.”
Actually, he’ll have plenty of company — starters Josh Gros, Bobby Boswell and Christian Gomez are also suspended, putting an extreme strain on D.C. United (14-3-8), a team with an already injury-depleted roster.
Eskandarian’s exclusion could be the most disappointing. He was on track for MLS Comeback Player of the Year, but he’s got nearly as many cards (5) as goals (7) — as well as one ejection — and none were worth the league’s $250 fine.
“I’ve had two this year where the referee’s almost apologized to you after the game,” said Eskandarian. “It’s unfortunate but that’s life. No human’s perfect, and referees can make mistakes as well. They’re doing their job just like we’re doing ours.”
The suspension also extends his scoring drought — Eskandarian last scored on July 22 — but United coach Peter Nowak still offered accolades for his performance last weekend.
“I was very happy with his work ethic,” Nowak. “I think he had a great game. He made a great run for the second goal for Christian when he opened the field. He wasn’t still out there, he knows when Christian is going to take off and he left a great spot for him to go all the way. His defensive work was tremendous, and I was really happy with the way he played.”
$1,000 short
Four D.C. United players are suspended for Saturday’s match against Real Salt Lake. Each player faces a $250 fine by Major League Soccer.
Player, Reason
Josh Gros, red card vs. Chivas USA
Bobby Boswell, 5 yellow cards
Alecko Eskandarian, 5 yellow cards
Christian Gomez, 5 yellow cards
