Cuauhtemoc Blanco represents everything that's wrong with soccer. While supremely talented, the man's conduct on the field is not befitting someone of his ability. He falls at the slightest
touch, he whines incessantly to referees, and he regularly hits opposing players with cheap shots and dirty fouls. I can't stand the man and I often find myself viscerally angry while watching
him play. I can't imagine what I would have felt if I had watched DC United's US Open Cup match against Blanco's Chicago Fire. The game saw the Chicago captain once again cross the line. During
the game, Blanco
punched Clyde Simms in the
stomach from point blank range and then attempted to poke the DC player in the eye, cutting him. DC
defender Marc Burch described the incident, "He came up and swung as hard as he could and tried to hit the ball and hit Clyde in the stomach...He thinks he can do whatever he wants. I went over
and I pushed him. I didn't hit him, I didn't go after him, I just pushed him down. He's not going to do that to my teammate. He stood up and tried to poke Clyde in the eye and cut his eye
open...I don't like him, I don't think he's a good person. He's a great player but when he's out there he's doing stuff that you shouldn't be able to get away with." Fortunately, Blanco was
eventually punished with a red card. Unfortunately, however, Blanco refused to leave the field after being ejected and instead sat down on the Fire bench. When confronted by a DC United employee,
Blanco engaged in a close-quarters yelling match with the man before allegedly head-butting him. You can't make it up. DC United will be submitting evidence on the incidents to both Major League
Soccer and the US Soccer Federation. Hopefully, he'll be smacked with a multiple game suspension and a nice, hefty fine.
Video of the Clyde Simms incident can be viewed
here. The footage in question occurs at the
0:28 second mark.
On And We're Off