| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
MLS MVP Ruiz suspended by league for two games
Thursday June 19, 2003CARSON, Calif. (AP) Los Angeles Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz, Major League Soccer's 2002 MVP, was suspended for two games and fined $1,000 Thursday by the league's Disciplinary Committee.
Ruiz was suspended for the Galaxy's next two contests and fined because of a play that left Kansas City Wizards defender Carey Talley with a fractured bone in his face.
According to a statement issued by the Galaxy, a review of videotape of the June 14 game in Carson showed that Ruiz and Talley were jostling for position for a ball in flight. As Ruiz prepared to jump and challenge for the ball, he swung his right elbow back toward Talley, who sustained a fractured left orbital bone.
The contact was more delivering a blow rather than merely warding off a challenge, the committee ruled. The committee made its decision after learning that the incident was not seen clearly by the game officials, the statement said. Ruiz and Talley both were interviewed by the committee.
Talley will miss Saturday's game against Chicago and will be evaluated further next week to determine his future availability, a Wizards spokeswoman said.
The Galaxy declined comment on the suspension.
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