It's certainly not the most gruesome foul you'll see, but nonetheless it earned New England Revolution rookie Kelyn Rowe a one-game suspension and undisclosed fine.
On Sunday, during the Revs' 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls, Rowe streaked to the net chasing a through ball from Shalrie Joseph in the 86th minute.
Red Bulls keeper Ryan Meara left the net to get to the ball first -- and did just before Rowe.
Rowe didn't slide into Meara. He didn't step on him. If anything, he did a pretty good job of avoiding him all together, with momentum keeping it from a complete avoidance.
As the video shows, it appears the heel of Rowe grazed Meara's shoulder on its way back up, while his shin pad may have hit Meara's head (angle makes it a bit unclear).
Of course, Meara stayed down to sell the foul, followed by Rowe grimacing in pain on the ground a few yards away.
Amazingly, both players were fine . . .
A yellow card (warning) at the time would seem appropriate, but a one-game suspension and fine? Calling it a "reckless challenge"? That's a bit harsh, and makes you wonder about the slippery slope Major League Soccer may find itself on if plays like this warrant suspensions.
The Revs (6-7-4, 22 points) will play Toronto FC (2-11-4, 10 points) on Saturday in Foxboro without Rowe.