Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are gearing up for a lovely weekend and that the first few hours of December are treating you well.

Tis’ the season for MLS to wrap up its disciplinary investigations apparently, with the league bringing the hammer down on Vanni Sartini (and FC Cincinnati centerback Matt Miazga) for misconduct involving officiating crews.

The Sartini news is not unexpected but is significant: a six-match ban, all in all, plus a fine and the possibility that the suspension could get reduced, depending on how things shake out with a mandatory behavior assessment.

In a statement, Vanni apologized again for his poorly worded joke after the LAFC match and appeared to accept the punishment saying “I am committed to all recommendations and will also look for additional opportunities to learn and grow.”

I was proud of Vanni for standing up for the players but there is no doubt he crossed a line in joking about violence towards a match official — that’s something that isn’t appropriate and I’m sure Vanni would do it over again if given the opportunity.

On the one hand, that dynamic makes it difficult to do anything other than accept the ban. You would have to be naive to not have expected the league to drop the hammer in the way that they did here.

Still, in contrast to the Miazga situation, which is messy but which involved actual attempted aggression towards a match official in a way that is nearly unprecedented for the league, the length of the suspension is puzzling.

Coaches are obviously not represented by a union, simplifying the crackdown. But the fact that Vanni got a suspension that is twice as long as Miazga’s seems unfair. Compared with bans for racial abuse, which typically run a few games (see Kai Wagner’s three game ban), this also seems a bit out-of-whack.

Threats, even joking, should be taken seriously. But it would be nice if the league took these other actions seriously as well. In addition, it seems like the league should be holding players accountable for abusing match officials or surrounding and intimidating them during games. If the welfare of officials is to be taken seriously, this needs to be more than just directing discipline at one individual.

Nonetheless, this will certainly be a blow for the Caps. Not having their talisman on the bench for six games (a hefty chunk of the season), particularly for a club that typically starts slow, isn’t ideal. Obviously the importance of touchline bans can be in dispute but I’m sure it will have a noticeable impact on key in-game decisions, an area where Vanni has gotten better over the course of his time in charge.

Are the Caps getting a raw deal? Am I being too tepid in my #takes? Or should we all just move on? Sound off in the comments. In the meantime, here’s the latest from a busy week around the league.

Shameless Self Promotion

Our podcast recaps the suspension news and also doles out its end of season awards. If you want a say on the award front, we have a special version of Guess the Starting XI for you.

Best of the Rest

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More on Matt Miazga’s three game suspension and the drama that has ensued

BC Place will get a new name as Christine Sinclair wraps up her distinguished career there

MLS is reportedly going to be altering its schedule to accommodate international breaks, a move that will take some getting used to