Wambach suspended for foul on Daniela
Women's Professional Soccer Commissioner Tonya Antonucci suspended Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach for one game for her tackle on the St. Louis Athletica's Daniela Sunday at Maryland SoccerPlex that left the Brazilian star with damage to two knee ligaments and a cracked tibia.
Athletica defender Kia McNeill was also suspended for "persistent egregious conduct toward" Wambach during the game, which ended in a 3-3 tie.
Wambach was given a yellow card for the foul, which sent Daniela to the ground and was so painful she lost consciousness, but the WPS Disciplinary Committee did not impose any further penalties.
Antonucci reviewed the incident and assessed penalties based upon conduct that is detrimental to the best interests of WPS.
"I elected to review the circumstances of the Freedom-Athletica match out of concern that the nature of play, if left unchecked, could lead to circumstances in future games that might pose a threat to the safety of the players and to the integrity of the league," Antonucci said in a statement.
She also said the circumstances of the match would be brought to the attention of the U.S. Soccer, which provides referee assignments for WPS matches, and "that serious consideration be given to avoiding these circumstances when making future referee assignments."
