Barry Robson admits to being extremely frustrated after learning of his one-game MLS ban.
The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder unknowingly kicked a ball at a linesman during his side's 2-0 loss to FC Dallas last Wednesday and only learned of his suspension on the eve of Saturday's big clash with Seattle Sounders.
The Whitecaps went down 2-0 in that fixture and Robson feels that only finding out the night prior to the contest was simply not good enough from league officials.
"I can't get my head round it," Robson said.
"In Europe, if there's a big derby game on the Saturday, say Manchester United and Man City, Alex Ferguson gets a phone call at half-past eight saying Wayne Rooney can't play? The whole bloody country's going to be in an uproar. It was frustrating. It was a huge disadvantage and I feel sorry for the players and our club."
He added: "I've never once intended to kick a ball at an official.
"We're getting beat in the game and I've just kicked it out of frustration. I've not even thought about an official being there. I've got a game ban, I ended up getting fined, I've been massively punished for kicking the ball away. It seems to be very harsh what they've done."