There was no doubt Rafael Marquez would play the role of the bad guy when he joined the New York Red Bulls from Barcelona last summer. The former Mexican captain will forever be remembered for his nasty elbow to the head of Cobi Jones in the United States’ 2-0 win over Mexico in the 2002 World Cup round of 16. But Marquez solidified infamy within his own team Sunday, getting himself red-carded after the final whistle of New York’s 1-0 loss to Los Angeles in the first leg of their MLS Cup conference semifinal series for his part in a scuffle that began when he threw a ball at a Galaxy player. Los Angeles midfielder Juninho was also ejected.
In September, Marquez was booed on every touch by his own fans in a match against Real Salt Lake and afterward blasted his own teammates instead of accepting blame. He was later suspended by the Red Bulls for his meltdown.
This time, with his red card, Marquez took care of that himself for Thursday’s second leg in Los Angeles.
– Craig Stouffer
