Major League Soccer has hit RSL coach Jason Kreis with a two-game suspension and a $3,500 fine in light of a red card he received in RSL's 4-2 comeback win over Dallas last weekend.

The league standard for red cards is a $500 fine and a one-game suspension, but the MLS' Disciplinary Committee decided to levy an additional $3,000 fine and an additional one-game suspension against Kreis.

Sources say the league wanted to make an example out of Kreis, who has now had four brushes with the MLS law during his two-and-a-half years as head coach of RSL.

Back in 2007, Kreis received a red card for yelling at a referee late in a match against Los Angeles and was therefore suspended for one game and fined $500.

Last year, he was fined and suspended on two occasions. He was given a one-game suspension and a $1,000 fine for making critical comments about referees to the Deseret News early on during the season, and he was then hit with a two-game suspension and a $2,000 fine for making more critical comments in a post-game press conference two months later.

For those keeping score, Kreis has now racked up $7,000 in fines and six games in suspensions.

Accordingly, he won't be allowed on the sideline for RSL's road game at Chicago tonight or for RSL's home game against Seattle next Saturday.

Because of rule changes that went into effect at the start of the 2009 season, Kreis won't be allowed to communicate with his coaches via radios during either game, nor will he be able to speak with his team in the locker-room before or at halftime of those matches.

e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com