Here’s a little sidebar to the Red Bulls’ 2-2 tie Saturday with visiting San Jose, one that will have legs this week, I guarantee.
We’ll be talking about Red Bulls Mexican international midfielder Rafa Marquez. Again.
That man is a distraction waiting to happen for Hans Backe’s team, which is doing OK otherwise. (Well, except for a back line broken right now by injury.)
Marquez had been tangling with San Jose attacker Shea Salinas on corner kicks in the first half. Why? Good question. Salinas, a tricky and creative winger, is hardly the Earthquakes’ chief aerial threat on restarts. But Marquez had the man wrapped up like fish from the market.
And he apparently perfected the craft. Watch the clip. Watch what should certainly have been a penalty kick, as Marquez rides Salinas like a prize pony. But watch very closely at the end. Watch as Marquez, who knows all the little tricks, kicks the stuffing out of a fallen Salinas with his right foot.
Hard to say whether Salinas’ broken clavicle (yes, he left the match with a broken clavicle from this play) was from the fall or from Marquez’s sneaky kick. On the other hand, does it really matter?
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