The Seattle Sounders are now 2-for-2 when it comes to red card appeals in 2013.
A little more than a month after successfully lodging an appeal for a controversial Obafemi Martins red card, MLS announced on Wednesday that the same independent review panel has also rescinded the one-game suspension and fine associated with the stoppage-time red card shown to Seattle Sounders captain Osvaldo Alonso in this past Saturday's league match against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Referee Sorin Stoica ejected Alonso in the 95th minute following a confrontation in the box with Earthquakes defender Dan Gargan during a Seattle set piece. The independent review panel determined that "the contact Alonso made with Gargan did not reach the required threshold for violent conduct, i.e brutal or excessive force." Alonso is now available for selection in the Sounders' next league match at home against Colorado on Saturday (4 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
MLS clubs can appeal to have red-card decisions reviewed by an independent panel made up of one representative from the U.S. Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association, and Professional Referees Organization (PRO). Click here for details on the review process.
Alonso's is the fourth case of a red-card suspension being rescinded this year. In addition to the Martins situation, Chivas USA's Joaquín Velásquez (read story here) and Real Salt Lake's Carlos Salcedo (read story here) also saw their automatic bans erased earlier in the season.
