8 New York Red Bulls players under yellow card caution for remainder of SCCL

Ahead of the New York Red Bulls road match against Chivas de Guadalajara, the team unveiled a rather startling note about its roster: That EIGHT players, seven of whom are projected starters for the game, are one yellow card away from a suspension due to accumulation.

GK Luis Robles, LB Kemar Lawrence, CB Aurelien Collin, RB Michael Amir Murillo, MF Tyler Adams, MF Daniel Royer, MF Alex Muyl and MF Derrick Etienne Jr. each have a yellow card, and if any of them pick up just one more yellow against Chivas, it will result in a one-game suspension in their next appearance in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.

And unfortunately, those yellow cards will hang around each of their necks like an albatross.

Unlike in most competitions where yellow card accumulation resets after a certain number of games or rounds, SCCL regulations state that “Any player who accumulates two single yellow cards in two different matches in the Competition is suspended for the following match” - meaning that even if the Red Bulls manage to advance to the tournament Finals, the accumulation warning will still be in effect.

The team was without MF Sean Davis for the second leg against Club Tijuana due to his own accumulation.

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Author’s Note 1: Given the aggressive nature of the high press lending itself to card-inducing physicality, this could mean bad news for the Red Bulls.

However, the Red Bulls aren’t the only SCCL team that needs to worry about yellow cards. Their Liga MX foes at Chivas have five of their own players under yellow card caution - all of whom are projected starters for the two-leg tie.

Club America had five players under caution before adding two more players to that list during their match with Toronto.

And speaking of the reigning MLS Cup / Canadian Championship / Supporters’ Shield holders, they have four vital players under caution following their 3-1 win over Club America: Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Jonathan Osorio and Sebastian Giovinco.

Author’s Note 2: Two yellow cards before a suspension with no chance to get them lifted through an entire tournament seems like is a startlingly low bar in virtually any competition, especially one with four round-robin stages. In tournaments like the Gold Cup or World Cup where teams play at most 6-7 games it seems reasonable, but 8 games seems like too much.

Suffice it to say, under these draconian standards it’s very likely that one or two teams in the SCCL Finals will be without one or several of their best players.