Yesterday, the National Women’s Soccer League announced that North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley has been fined and suspended for two games due to the incident on October 2, 2016.
Riley, who was coaching the Western New York Flash last season before the organization moved to North Carolina, has been determined to have committed misconduct according to the NWSL Disciplinary Committee. In the Flash’s semifinal game against the Portland Thorns, Riley’s misconduct has been “characterized as physical contact with Game Officials, separate from referee assault, and is a violation of Section 11.3.6, "Major Game Misconduct" of the League Operations Manual” according to the official press release.
This is not he first time Riley has been suspended and fined by the league. Earlier last season, the head coach was suspended and fined for "inappropriate conduct directed at match officials" during the Flash's match against the Seattle Reign on July 9, 2016. This was the same match of the "Frontier Field Fiasco," where the two teams played on a baseball field.
Riley has already served one of his game suspensions on October 9, 2016, when the Western New York Flash faced off against the Washington Spirit in the 2016 NWSL Championship at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.
He will serve his second game suspension during this weekend’s home opener on Saturday, April 15. The North Carolina Courage will travel to face the Washington Spirit in a rematch of last year’s final. Again, Riley will not be allowed to coach this match. The game will take place on Maureen Hendricks Field with kickoff scheduled for 3pm Eastern Time. The game will be available for streaming on the go90 app.