NEW YORK – Major League Soccer announced on Thursday that an independent review panel has rescinded the fines and one-game suspensions for a pair of players involved in an off-the-ball incident during a match last Saturday between the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas.
Timbers defender Michael Harrington and Dallas midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson were both issued straight red cards by head referee Sorin Stoica for an apparent altercation in the 39th minute of the teams’ match at FC Dallas Stadium (video above).
The Timbers and FC Dallas jointly submitted an appeal for review of the play, and the appeal was unanimously upheld by the independent review panel. Both players are eligible to play on Saturday, as the Timbers host the Seattle Sounders (3 pm ET, NBCSN) and Dallas travel to face the Houston Dynamo (8 pm ET, MLS Live).
The independent panel consists of one representative from the U.S. Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association, and Professional Referees Organization (PRO).
