The decision to suspend Roy Miller for the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship was officially upheld on Friday, meaning that the New York Red Bulls will be without their starting left back for both upcoming games against the New England Revolution.
Miller was already set to miss the first leg of the series at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 23 for yellow card accumulation, but the Red Bulls took issue with the red card he received late in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals against D.C. United. That card – which was given for a high boot that struck DC defender Sean Franklin - forced Miller out the second leg on Nov. 29 at Gillette Stadium as well.
The Red Bulls made an appeal earlier this week that was supported by the MLS Players Union, but had their appeal unanimously rejected by a three-person independent panel. That panel is made up of one member of the Professional Referees Organization, one member of the US federation, and one member of the Canadian federation.
Miller appeared in 23 games during the regular season and started each of the team’s three postseason games this fall. Ambroise Oyongo – who appeared in 13 games during the regular season, oftentimes when Miller was unable to play or away on international duty with Costa Rica - is expected to start in Miller’s absence.
“Roy, I think is the best left back in this league, it’s my opinion," Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke said this week. "But we have a young guy like Oyongo who has proved to be ready and capable to play in that position. So we’re okay."
