Brawl in US Friendly Leads to Five Red Cards

A major brawl broke out on the pitch during a friendly between New York Red Bulls and Mexican side Club America, played on Saturday evening. New York won the match 1-0. Tension started six minutes before the final whistle, after a foul near the touchline, and players from both teams quickly got involved in the fight.

Referees struggled to bring the situation under control as punches and kicks flew and players pushed each other to the ground. Objects were also thrown onto the pitch from the stands.

After the incidents, Ronald Donkor and Nehuen Benedetti of New York Red Bulls were ejected from the game. For Club America, Dagoberto Espinoza, Emilio Lara and Ramon Juarez were shown red cards. In total, five players were sent off because of the fight in the final part of the match.

New York Red Bulls head coach Michael Bradley assessed the events in terms of competitive spirit at his post-match press conference. Bradley said that the friendly nature of the match did not change the desire to win, and that his players wanted to play well and win from the moment the whistle blew. Stressing that the opponent was a big club with a strong squad, Bradley said emotions had gotten out of control in the closing minutes and that such tensions can occur in some matches.