New York City FC forward David Villa should be suspended for next Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal second leg, Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney said after the Reds won the opener 2-0 with late goals by Jozy Altidore and Tosaint Ricketts.
Villa, a World Cup winner with Spain, appeared to kick out at Toronto midfielder Armando Cooper after the pair clashed 20 minutes into Sunday's first leg at BMO Field.
Neither player was shown a yellow card by referee Silviu Petrescu following the sequence, though Petrescu did caution Cooper for fouling Villa shortly afterwards on a separate play.
Still, Villa could receive retroactive punishment from the MLS's Disciplinary Committee in the form a fine or a ban. The latter punishment would apply if the committee determines that Villa's kick constituted violent conduct.
"I think there are instances in a game that regardless of who you are, when you make choices like that where a player's defenseless and you take a whack at him from behind, on any other day in any other league, I think that player sees a suspension," Vanney told reporters in his postgame news conference.
"It'll be up to our review panel and [disciplinary] committee to make a decision. It's not my call. But for me, it was pretty blatant. I saw it from the second it happened, I've seen a replay of it again. It's just not something that is acceptable really in the league."
The Toronto Sun reported that TFC could submit video to the league that would support, based on precedent, suspending Villa, whose 23 regular season goals were second-most in MLS in 2016.
A Toronto FC spokesman could not immediately confirm. "However," the spokesman told ESPN FC, "We expect it to be reviewed."
Vanney is taking a wait-and-see approach.
"Whatever happens, happens," he said. "If he's on the field, we play. If he's not on the field, we play."