MLS drops the hammer on Clark

The AP is reporting that MLS has given Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark a nine-game ban and was fined $10,000 for kicking FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz.Click here for the article.

This is the longest suspension MLS has handed to a player and means that the Dynamo will be without Clark's services in the post-season. The previous record was six games handed out to Dario Sala, Thomas Ravelli, and Andy Herron in separate incidents. And lest you think that $10,000 is a drop in the bucket for a pro athlete, according to MLS salary statistics for 2006, Ricardo Clark makes about $173,000 a year.