Red Bulls' Kaku Kicks Ball at a Fan From Point-Blank Range, Red Carded

The Red Bulls star let his frustration get the best of him in stoppage time and was promptly sent off.

Kaku let his frustration get the best of him, and it may be a while before he gets the chance to make up for it on the field.

The New York Red Bulls Designated Player was sent off in stoppage time of Sunday's 2-2 draw vs. Sporting Kansas City after he purposefully booted a ball into the first row of fans at Children's Mercy Park from point-blank range. 

With the Red Bulls looking to clear and potentially embark on a game-winning counter, Kaku appeared to be angry that teammate Vincent Bezecourt couldn't find him down the sideline, with his attempted pass instead getting deflected out for a throw-in. Kaku lashed at the dead ball, kicking it at the first row of supporters and hitting a fan.

Not ideal from Kaku here, firing into the crowd from point-blank range. Earned him a red card #RBNY #SKCvRBNY pic.twitter.com/r7gmnb0MkY

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) April 15, 2019

That heightened an emotional response from Sporting KC players, with them and the Red Bulls locking horns until cooler heads prevailed. Kaku was promptly sent off when things settled down, and he appeared to show contrition and immediate acknowledgement of what he'd done as he walked off the field, though it clearly did not minimalize his response to not being properly played a pass.

Following the game, Red Bulls players went to go check on the fan who was on the receiving end of Kaku's actions, which will likely wind up with a lengthy suspension from the MLS Disciplinary Committee. He'll automatically miss the upcoming match against the New England Revolution for the one-game suspension that comes with a red card, but a longer ban should follow after he endangered a fan's safety.

Checking in with the fan in the stands. 🙏

Thank you for a great game, @SportingKC. pic.twitter.com/wQGGvKWxVL

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 15, 2019

The Red Bulls put out an unspecific statement Monday morning to condemn the behavior:

"The New York Red Bulls organization does not condone the type of behavior displayed near the end of Sunday night's match in Kansas City. We hold everyone in our organization to a high standard of conduct. The matter will continue to be discussed internally and we will have no further comment at this time."