Atlanta United’s appeal of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s red card vs. Montreal Impact is successful

MLS has announced that Atlanta United’s appeal of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez has been deemed successful by The Independent Panel after a unanimous verdict to rescind the card and fine. The defender will be available for this weekend’s league match against Real Salt Lake.

The Independent Panel, consisting of one representative each from the US Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association and Professional Referees Organization, has ruled on one appeal resulting from Week 7 of the 2017 MLS regular season.

The Independent Panel has unanimously rescinded the fine and one-game suspension for the red card issued to Atlanta United defender Leandro Gonzazlez Pirez for denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity in the first-half stoppage time of Atlanta’s match against the Montreal Impact on April 15.

As a result of Atlanta United’s appeal, Gonzalez Pirez will be eligible to play in Atlanta’s next match against Real Salt Lake on April 22

This is welcome news for the club and particularly Tata Martino as the Argentine defender has become one of the club’s most important pieces. Unfortunately it won’t change the fact that the call completely changed the match against Montreal and ultimately led to Atlanta’s second loss of the season.