Ezekiel Alladoh straight red card was for ‘obscene gesture’

Ezekiel Alladoh‘s MLS debut was one the 20-year-old striker will want to quickly put behind him.

The Union’s record-breaking offseason signing was dismissed in the 59th minute by referee Guido Gonzales Jr. for directing “an obscene gesture and language” at DC United defender Lucas Bartlett, according to the pool reporter report from the match. Gonzales told the pool report he was sent off for “offensive, insulting, abusive language/actions.”

Philadelphia Union head coach Bradley Carnell was asked about the incident in his post-game press conference.

“There were some verbal pleasantries exchanged,” he said. “I don’t know… I’ve been in games, there’s a lot of chatter and banter between everybody. I’m not sure what extent… But, again, we’ll do our investigation and have a look”

At a minimum, Alladoh will miss Sunday’s home opener against NYCFC but could see an additional one or two game suspension by the league’s Disciplinary Committee.

The red card was the first of Alladoh’s career, according to Transfermarkt. He’s just the second Philadelphia Union player to be sent off in a season opener since Toni Ståhl received two yellow cards in the Philadelphia Union’s first ever game, a 2-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders.

The Union had two red cards last season, one shown to Olwethu Makhanya and another to Frankie Westfield.

The $4.5 million transfer fee the Union paid to IF Brommapojkarna set a new club record.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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