Carlos Carmona won’t face further punishment from MLS after Sunday’s red card

Atlanta United midfielder Carlos Carmona’s red card will not cause him to miss any additional time, MLS’s Disciplinary Committee ruled today.

Carmona was shown a straight red in the 88th minute of Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls after stepping on RBNY defender Felipe. By rule, he will miss this Sunday’s match at Minnesota United FC, but after further review by MLS, it will be the only game he will miss.

The fact that Carmona was playing in his first game in MLS more than likely worked in his favor - a player with a history of unsporting behavior would have possibly faced a longer ban. In addition, while the action was quite clear, it wasn’t a full on violent act.

The team will now be tasked with finding a replacement for Carmona on Saturday. Jeff Larentowicz picked up some time in the lineup during the preseason at midfield, so we could see the 33-year-old Californian get the start up at TCF Bank Stadium against the Loons.