New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe has suspended star defender Rafa Márquez for one game because of his postgame outburst critical of teammates Wednesday night.
Márquez, one of New York's Designated Players, will miss Saturday night's match vs. Portland.
When the Red Bulls allowed three goals in the first 21 minutes vs. Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Red Bulls fans directed their booing at Márquez. After the game, he at first got defensive and then went on the offensive, blaming everyone but himself for the team's shortcomings.
“If you watched the game, there were individual errors that you can’t do anything about,” Márquez, 32, told Empire of Soccer. “If we look at statistics, I stole a lot of balls. I think I made two or three bad passes out of 30-plus attempts. I almost didn’t commit any errors, so I am not worried.
"I think I am playing at my maximum level and doing everything I can. I don’t have, unfortunately, four defenders on my level that can help me out.”
Márquez then threw second-year defensive partner Tim Ream, a new U.S. national team player, under the bus.
“Tim is still a young player with a lot to learn,” Márquez said. “He still has quite a lot to learn, and well, he has committed errors that are very infantile and cost us goals.
“I think that this is a team game, and unfortunately, there isn’t an equal level between perhaps (fellow N.Y. designated player Thierry Henry) and myself, and our teammates,” Márquez said.
Already beleaguered by a stretch that has seen the club fall from first place to fifth in the Eastern Conference at 7-7-15 and facing questions about chemistry, the Red Bulls now must handle the distraction caused by Marquez’s outburst.