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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Andrew Gastelum

NYCFC Midfielder Hit by Object Thrown By Fan After Goal in MLS Cup Final

NYCFC midfielder Jesús Medina was hit by an object thrown by a fan late in the first half of the MLS Cup final on Saturday against the Timbers in Portland. 

As he ran to celebrate Taty Castellanos's 41st-minute goal near the corner flag, Medina fell to the floor after the object appeared to hit his arm. Another object was thrown onto the field as the NYCFC players pleaded with the Portland crowd to stop.

By the end of halftime, the Timbers announced on Twitter that the fan who threw the object had been ejected from the game and banned from Providence Park. After the match, the Portland Police Bureau said it made two arrests, charging a pair of fans with misdemeanor crimes.

Castellanos, who won the MLS Golden Boot with 19 goals on an assist tiebreaker over D.C. United's Ola Kamara, scored the opening goal when he headed a free kick across goal and off the far post.

NYCFC wound up winning its first MLS Cup title in penalty kicks, withstanding a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer from Portland's Felipe Mora that forced extra time and persevering in a penalty-kick shootout.

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