UPDATE (Tuesday, Noon ET): The United Soccer League announced in a statement it has suspended Romero Parkes for the remainder of the 2016 season.
“There is no place in our game for this type of unprofessional conduct and our decision reinforces the USL’s commitment to preserving the integrity and reputation of the game,” USL President Jake Edwards said. “Player safety is paramount and any type of behavior that is detrimental to the well-being of our players will not be tolerated.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Romero Parkes might have trouble finding a soccer team in the United States that’s willing to employ him.
United Soccer League (U.S. third division) club Pittsburgh Riverhounds fired Parkes on Sunday after he brutally kicked New York Red Bulls II defender Karl Ouimette in the back during the previous night’s game.
The referee had dismissed both Ouimette and Parkes late in the second half, and both players were walking off the field when Parkes booted Ouimette from behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItrC_Rwx7Bg
Ouimette, 23, had to be stretchered off the field, but teammates said on Twitter that he was walking around after the game, according to FOX Sports.
Parkes is a Jamaican international and is on his country’s preliminary roster for Copa America 2016. He apologized on Twitter shortly after the game.
But Parkes’ apology didn’t stop the Riverhouds from cutting ties with him, and the USL also suspended Parkes.
Parkes had scored in five consecutive games, but there’s no telling if or when he’ll appear in another contest, in USL or any other U.S. league.
