SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jon Busch said Thursday that he won’t argue his one-game suspension and fine handed down a day earlier by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. Busch does want to be clear, however, that his acquiescence does not equate with a confirmation of guilt.
Busch will miss the Quakes’ trip to Colorado on June 20 after engaging in conduct the league described as “aggressively retrieving a ball” during second-half stoppage time in San Jose’s last MLS regular-season match – a 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City on May 27.
“I’m very disappointed,” Busch said. “That’s what they decided. I’ll accept it. I don’t agree with it. We can’t appeal it, so we move on.”
The incident, which occurred in the fourth minute of extra time as the Quakes desperately sought an equalizer against Sporting KC, cannot be seen on the replay of NBC Sports Network coverage available on MLS Live.
“I didn’t see the incident,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop said. “It’s all hearsay. What you’ve got to do is just accept what the league has put across to the club and Jon and move on. I can’t really comment on something I didn’t see live.”
However, Busch said there is video evidence that supports his case.
“Yes, honestly,” Busch said when asked if he was surprised by the suspension. “There wasn’t any contact and there are three videos to prove it.”
Because the suspension is only one game, there is no ability to appeal. The league’s collective bargaining agreement includes an appeal process only for bans of two or more matches.
San Jose plan on giving second-year man David Bingham his second career MLS start against the Rapids. Bingham allowed one goal in the Quakes’ two US Open Cup victories earlier this month, with his lone league appearance to date coming in a 2-1 win over New England late on last season.
“Jon’s been very good for us, but we have a good young goalkeeper in David Bingham waiting to get his chance to play,” Yallop said. “I’m sure he’s excited about it.”
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com.
