DC United's Najar suspended by MLS for 2 games

NEW YORK (AP) D.C. United will be without Andy Najar for the Eastern Conference final after Major League Soccer suspended the defender for two games on Friday.

Najar picked up a second yellow card in the opener of United's conference semifinal against New York when he threw the ball at referee Jair Marrufo after committing a foul. The resulting red card came with a one-game ban, and the league's disciplinary committee tacked on two more games and a fine.

Najar missed United's 1-0 victory over the Red Bulls on Thursday night, and will serve the rest of his suspension when his team takes on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday and Nov. 18. The MLS Players Union appealed the punishment but Commissioner Don Garber sided with the disciplinary committee.

FC Dallas forward Blas Perez also was suspended for two games and fined by the league. MLS said the penalty was for "violent conduct that endangered the safety of Bobby Burling of Chivas USA in the 35th minute" of a 2-2 draw on Oct. 28.

The union also appealed the committee's decision on Perez, and Garber decided to keep the punishment in place. Perez will miss the first two games of next season.

New England Revolution forward Fernando Cardenas was fined for an "act of embellishment" during a 1-0 victory at Montreal on Oct. 27.

Updated November 9, 2012