With just under five minutes plus stoppage time to go in the first half, Jack Elliott received a yellow card when he made contact with Philadelphia’s Bruno Damiani.
The call may have been weak, but regardless, it meant that the Fire captain would be suspended for the team’s next game against the New England Revolution this Saturday for card accumulation. “It was really hard to see how that was even a foul,” Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said after the game, while
The suspension was put out of mind moments later when Maren Haile-Selassie’s 11th goal of the season put the Fire ahead – but the card would soon come back into focus
Shortly after the restart, Elliott received a second yellow and was sent off after hauling down the Union’s Milan Illoski. This time, Berhalter agreed that the case for the card was clear, saying “I think that given the situation on the second yellow, you have to give it, I don’t think you can overlook that.”
Regardless of how the yellows came, being sent off means that under the terms of the MLS competition guidelines, Elliott will be suspended for a second game, leaving the Fire without a normal starter for the team’s upcoming games against the New England Revolution and Atlanta United.
Technically, the Fire can either of the yellow cards in this situation, but Elliott’s first yellow of the match – which saw him suspended for card accumulation – could only be overturned if the card “is a consequence of clear and obvious simulation or embellishment by an opponent” – a standard that is unlikely to help the Fire here. The second yellow is reviewable on broader grounds, but as Berhalter noted, the case for a card was much clearer in that case.
That leaves the Fire in a precarious position with their center-back corps: Elliott’s place in the XI for the Fire has been nearly set in stone, starting in 59 of the Fire’s 63 regular season games since joining the team ahead of the 2025 season and Sam Rogers has been unavailable in recent games with an injury.
Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Noah Allen as the Fire’s other options at the position. Neither has the height of Elliott or Rogers. Hanche-Olsen was subbed on at half against the Union, taking Bamba’s spot to once again give the Fire two center-backs, and is the likely starter at the position for the Fire on Saturday in Foxborough.
Those were Hanche-Olsen’s first real minutes in MLS after a brief stoppage-time cameo on Saturday.
Despite the brief exposure to the league, the Bundesliga-experienced defender feels ready, saying “I feel very comfortable coming in and helping. It was good to get, for me personally, to get a full half. In that regard, that's good for me and what I need. I feel comfortable helping the team in the next games.”
Asked about the prospect of playing 11-versus-11 after being subbed on twice with the Fire down to 10 men, Hanche-Olsen said simply, "Of course, that would be optimal."
