MLS: Villa should’ve been sent off, but we’re not suspending him

Good news, everyone! The MLS disciplinary committee believes David Villa should have been sent off for his kick on Armando Cooper on Sunday night.

Rightly so - and that means Villa will serve a suspension when New York City FC host Toronto FC this weekend for a place in the Eastern Conference final.

Or does it?

So, that’s pretty remarkable. The basis of the decision, in short, is this: though the entire committee agreed Villa should have been sent off, his actions were not “reckless” or “egregious” enough to warrant a retrospective sanction.

This is an all-too-predictable cop-out to keep a league MVP candidate in the playoffs.

Interesting twist: Armando Cooper himself went through the exact same process and received a one-game suspension after not being sent off for the below incident just six weeks ago.

Sigh.