Atlanta United head coach Gabriel Heinze will be suspended for his team's upcoming road matchup with New York City FC on Wednesday (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+) due to yellow card accumulation, the club announced in a Tuesday release.
Heinze will still travel with the team to Red Bull Arena, but will not be on the sidelines for the match, with assistant coach Mariano Toedtli serving as his replacement on the sideline. Heinze won't be permitted in the stadium tunnel or the locker room until after the game concludes.
Atlanta's first-year coach picked up his third yellow card in the 46th minute of last week’s 2-2 draw with the Philadelphia Union, when Heinze touched a Union player while they exchanged words on the sidelines. Heinze had previously been issued yellow cards in Atlanta's games against the the New England Revolution on May 1 and the Seattle Sounders on May 23.
The news means the Fives Stripes will be operating without their coach as they look to get back in the win column coming off two consecutive 2-2 draws that saw them relinquish two-goal leads. Atlanta United are currently 2W-1L-5D, giving them 11 points from eight matches and leaving them ninth on the Eastern Conference table heading into Wednesday's match.
