NYCFC player fined for postgame altercation with Red Bulls player

Major League Soccer handed New York City FC midfielder Maxi Moralez a fine on Tuesday for a brief altercation after their 2-0 playoff loss to the Red Bulls on Saturday night. 

The league’s disciplinary committee fined Moralez an undisclosed amount for “violating the Hands to the Face/Head/Neck of an Opponent Policy.” 

Moralez went over and grabbed Red Bulls defender John Tolkin by the back of the neck and shoved him as Tolkin appeared to be gesturing toward City fans.

The NYCFC player also shoved defender Andres Reyes as he ran toward Tolkin and the incident led to one of the refs and Red Bulls keeper Carlos Coronel stepping in to try to defuse the situation. 

Reyes appeared to also try to calm things down by trying to talk with Moralez. 

The situation eventually calmed down and some players on each side could be seen shaking hands. 

Saturday’s game marked the first time that the Red Bulls and New York City FC have faced one another in the MLS Cup playoffs and added another chapter to the Hudson River Derby. 

Before the incident between the two teams, a small group of NYCFC fans could be seen throwing bottles onto the field toward the celebrating Red Bull players. 

Tolkin was spotted catching one of the beer bottles that was being thrown toward the field. 

In a separate moment, another City fan ran onto the field and had to be tackled by security before reaching an NYCFC player. 

The loss brought to an end an up-and-down season for NYCFC and resulted in the end of head coach Nick Cushing’s tenure with the team. 

City announced on Tuesday morning that the club had parted ways with Cushing after two seasons at the helm. 

The decision came as a bit of a surprise considering Cushing had discussed what he imagined for the future of the club after the loss.