Union manager John Hackworth fined by MLS
Union manager John Hackworth knew it was coming and it became official Thursday night.
The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee fined Hackworth an undisclosed amount of money after he criticized the officials after the Union's 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders Saturday.
Hackworth tore into the officials after the Sounders got away with an obvious hand ball penalty that blocked a Conor Casey kick from possibly going into the net right before the end of second-half stoppage time.
"There's a clear penalty at the end of the game," Hackworth said after the game Saturday. "How it's not called is beyond me. And there were so many parts of that game that were mismanaged by the officials, I don't even know what to say."
"Look, I'll raise my hand and take the fine," he added. "because it has to be said that we cannot be in this league and have this level of play and have the officiating be as bad as that."
The Union (3-3-3) are currently tied with the Columbus Crew for fifth in the Eastern Conference with 12 points.
An outright win for the Union over the Sounders last weekend would have given them a two-point advantage over the Crew in the standings.