By BRIAN LEWIS
Fans of the Red Bulls and Chicago Fire waiting to see Juan Carlos Osorio _ Public Enemy No. 1 around the offices and amongst the fans of his former club _ will have to wait a little longer. His ejection from tonightâs 1-1 tie means heâs suspended for next Sundayâs showdown (3 p.m., MSG). âThe Chicago match is like any other important match, and I am disappointed that I wonât be with my team on the sideline when we face them next Sunday,ââ Osorio said in a statement.
He got tossed in the 83rd minute, two minutes after Danleigh Bormanâs equalizing goal. He got ejected for verbally abusing ref Jair Marrufo, Osorio’s second in 22 MLS games.
âAfter being warned to conduct himself in a professional manner, Juan Carlos Osorio was expelled in the 83rd minute for inappropriate behavior for use of foul language,ââ Marrufo said in a written statement. âAfter being expelled, Osorio continued verbal attacks to the referee and then to the fourth official while leaving the field.ââ
Naturally, Osorio disagreed with the decision.
âI was issued a red card. I’m very disappointed with that decision. I think it’s very unfair but that’s as far as I comment about that,ââ said Osorio, who repeatedly denied using any profanity. âI did not use any bad words.ââ
Whatever Osorio did say, itâll cost him a shot at his former team. When he left the Fire, there was considerable bad blood on the pat of the club.
Osorio can be with his Red Bulls before and after the match, and at halftime, as well as staying in communication with the bench during play. (Presumably he wonât sit in the stands with his wife, a la Amado Guevara.) He just canât sit on the bench. Richie Williams will act as coach.
Osorio isnât the only Red Bull that will miss Sundayâs game against Chicago, who lost 2-1 tonight. Dave van den Bergh got red-carded for elbowing Davy Arnaud, something he insists he didnât do on purpose, if at all.
âHe was pulling me, pulling me and tugging me on my arm and on my shirt all over. I was just trying to shake loose, and I tried it once and I tried it twice and on the third time I couldn’t shame him loose with my arm dangling by my body so my arm came up,ââ van den Bergh said. âObviously my intention was never to hit him. I don’t think I did hit him.
âI think he had a good dive like he was in a swimming pool. The ref couldâve prevented it from happening by calling a foul five seconds earlier. But I didnât intend to hit him. I donât think I did hit him. If I hit him, he wouldnât have gotten up so quickly. If I hit him, he wouldâve stayed down.ââ
With van den Bergh suspended, they can only hope to get back captain Claudio Reyna and Seth Stammler to bolster the midfield.
