When MLS brought in aging Mexican soccer star Cuauhtemoc Blanco last season and allocated him to the Chicago Fire, they knew what they were getting - a world-class player on the downside of his career who has courted controversy wherever he has gone and has just as many ardant fans as people who hate his guts. Think of Dennis Rodman, but not as much of a one-trick pony.
There's no question that he's been worth it for the Fire - he's been revitalized since coming to the MLS, and looks as good on the field at 35 as he has in years. But he's excelled at the things that most people hate about soccer: diving, dirty fouls, whining to the refs, trying to instigate and provoke opponents. Basically, he's the symbol for a lot of US Soccer fans of why we hate Mexican soccer.
Well, he was up to usual antics earlier this month during a US Open Cup match versus DC United. In the span of a few minutes, Blanco:
Punched United midfielder Clyde Simms in the stomach and poked him in the eye
Refused to leave the field after receiving a red card
Head-butted a United team official who tried to guide him off the field
So for all of this, Blanco was suspended for two years, which might seem harsh but certainly there is no place in soccer for...wait, he was only suspended from the US Open Cup for two years and not all US soccer? The US Open Cup - a tournament that 90 percent of soccer fans don't even know exist?
Good thing he didn't go "Last Action Hero" one someone with a revolver at the end of the game - they might have really come down hard on him then - maybe even a fine as well!
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