Major League Soccer fined New York City FC midfielder Maxi Morales on Tuesday night for a brief altercation following a 2-0 playoff loss to the Red Bulls.
The league's disciplinary committee fined Morales an undisclosed amount for “violating the hands on opponent's face/head/neck policy.”
Morales grabbed Red Bulls defender John Tolkien by the back of the neck and shoved him when Tolkien appeared to be gesturing towards City fans.
The NYCFC player shoved defender Andres Reyes as he ran toward Tolkien, an incident that prompted one of the referees and Red Bulls keeper Carlos Coronel to intervene to defuse the situation.
Mr. Reyes also appears to be trying to calm the situation by talking with Mr. Morales.
The situation eventually calmed down and several players from both teams were seen shaking hands.
Saturday's game marked the first time the Red Bulls and New York City FC met in the MLS Cup Playoffs, adding a new chapter to the Hudson River Derby.
Before the incident between the two teams, a small group of NYCFC fans were seen throwing bottles onto the field at celebrating Red Bull players.
Mr. Tolkien was seen catching one of the beer bottles that had been thrown into the field.
At a separate moment, another City fan ran onto the field and had to be tackled by security before approaching the NYCFC players.
The loss ended an up-and-down season for NYCFC and also marked the end of head coach Nick Cushing's tenure with the team.
City announced on Tuesday morning that they had parted ways with Cushing after two seasons at the helm.
The decision was a bit surprising given that Cushing had discussed what he envisioned for the club's future after the loss.
