Red Bulls' Kaku gets two games added to suspension for kicking ball that struck fan
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Apr 25, 2019
Minutes away from getting out of the game with their second win of the season, the Red Bulls conceded a tying goal to 16-year-old Gianluca Busio.
In stoppage time, Kaku was red carded after a ball was deflected out of bounds on the sideline and he slammed it into the stands, hitting a Sporting KC fan in the face. In a position to start a counterattack, Kaku was apparently upset the ball did not reach him. Players from both teams came over and a scuffle ensued.
The game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Red Bulls lost their next match without Kaku, falling, 1-0, at New England to leave them with just five points in seven games.
Kaku will serve his additional two-game suspension on Saturday against FC Cincinnati and a week later against the LA Galaxy.
"I apologize again for my actions and accept this suspension from MLS," he said in a statement released by the Red Bulls. "I will do my best to learn from this and become a better person and player. For now, I will continue to work hard in training and do what I can to make sure my teammates are prepared for these matches."
The MLS Disciplinary Committee issued a warning to both the Red Bulls and Sporting for violating the league's mass confrontation policy. No further action was taken since it was the first violation for both teams.
4 comments about "Red Bulls' Kaku gets two games added to suspension for kicking ball that struck fan".
Read more comments >
Next story loading 
Kaku's additional 2-game suspension by the MLS Disciplinary Committee is not only laughable, but a signal to all teams that it has no metal to deal with disciplinary issues. Whoever is a member of this committee has no credibility.
"First violation"...same as a crude cardable tackle in the first 15-minutes of the game and no caution...JOKE
Worth noting: Clint Dempsey got a tougher suspension for ripping up a ref's notebook than Kaku did for slamming a ball into the stands in anger and (mildly) hurting a fan.
While I support protecting referees, the different standards here are kind of silly.
Paul, I follow what you’re saying, but Dempsey’s actions were quite deliberate. When Kaku kicked the ball in anger, he had no intention of knocking the ball into the stands and hurting a fan. Hitting the fan was a totally unintended consequence of kicking the ball (which was, admittedly, a foolish thing to do).