McKennie, Dest suspended by CONCACAF after USMNT vs. Mexico Nations League brawl

CONCACAF took a dim view of the Nations League scuffle

CONCACAF would really rather not have wild brawls in its most high-profile matches.

That’s the takeaway after the confederation suspended players from the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico after a melee towards the end of the former’s 3-0 Nations League semifinal victory.

For the USMNT, Weston McKennie — whose red card was unsuccessfully appealed by U.S. Soccer — was given a three-game ban, while Sergiño Dest was handed a two-game suspension. El Tri, meanwhile, saw César Montes (three games) and Gerardo Arteaga (two games) receive similar punishments.

Per CONCACAF, all four suspended players served their automatic bans in Mexico’s victory over Panama in the Nations League’s third-place game and the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Canada in the competition’s final, respectively.

U.S. Soccer confirmed to Pro Soccer Wire that the suspensions can be served during the Gold Cup, regardless of the fact that McKennie and Dest are not on the roster for the tournament. That means both will be available when the Nations League returns this fall.

CONCACAF’s statement on the matter noted that both U.S. Soccer and the Mexican federation received fines for the general chaos involved in Las Vegas.

“Furthermore, the committee has imposed an undisclosed fine on both federations and warned them that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during their upcoming matches in CONCACAF national team competitions,” said the confederation’s statement announcing the disciplinary measures.

The USMNT’s victory came in a match that finished nine-on-nine, with tensions boiling over after Montes hauled off and kicked Folarin Balogun’s legs out from under him. Montes was given a straight red card even as the teams scuffled, while McKennie ended up with a badly torn jersey and (eventually) a red card of his own.

Dest and Arteaga, meanwhile, got their marching orders in the 85th minute after both got into a shoving match over a throw-in.

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