MLS Disciplinary Committee fines and warns Philadelphia Union for referee confrontation

The dust-up following referee Jon Freemon’s quick draw on the full-time whistle in Atlanta on Sunday caught the attention of the MLS Disciplinary Committee, which issued an official warning and fined several players.

The incident occurred just after the full-time whistle was blown on a 2-2 draw. Daniel Gazdag had received the ball just outside the 18 on a cut back pass as Freemon blew the whistle. Players surrounded the center referee to protest the call and head coach Jim Curtin entered the fray. Curtin later said he was trying to get his players to disperse and avoid yellow cards.

Jack McGlynn was shown a card for “poor sportsmanship” as a result of the incident. He along with Kai Wagner, Alejandro Bedoya (who received a card for ‘poor sportsmanship’ in the 91st minutes), Dániel Gazdag, Julián Carranza and Quinn Sullivan were all fined “an undisclosed amount for inciting and/or escalating a mass confrontation.”

Video of the Incident

This isn’t the first time the Philadelphia Union have had run-ins with a referee in Atlanta. Alejandro Bedoya and Haris Medunjanin, who had a combined 1 career sending off in their careers to that point, were both saw an early exit in the 19th minute of the match.