Report: Red Bulls' Marsch Suspended For Open Cup Match Against NYCFC

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Whenever the Red Bulls and NYCFC get together on the pitch, it's a big deal.

That will be the case again Wednesday night at Red Bull Arena when the teams meet in the fourth round of this year's U.S. Open Cup.

However, one of the key figures in the Red Bulls' one-sided history against their heated rivals won't be on the sideline. According to WFAN.com's Glenn Crooks, New York coach Jesse March will miss the match due to a one-game suspension.

The ban does not stem from anything that has happened during the first half of the Major League Soccer season; rather Marsch's behavior during last year's Open Cup led to US Soccer officials instituting his one-game vacation, Crooks reported.

Marsh was ejected from the Red Bulls' 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union in the fifth-round last June. He was seen spiking game balls near the Philadelphia bench following his dismissal and later said of his in-game behavior, "I had to try to induce change in the ref somehow. They were basically calling every foul for the Union."

MORE: Schwartz: Red Bulls Ready To Take Rivalry With NYCFC To Next Level

How this decision will impact the Red Bulls remains to be seen. New York (6-7-2, 20 points) is off to a very slow start by its normally lofty standards in MLS play, sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls are ahead of D.C. United for the final playoff berth thanks to a tiebreaker, and sit nine points behind first-place Toronto FC.

NYCFC (7-5-3, 24 points), on the other hand, is in third place in the East. However, City has struggled mightily against the Red Bulls throughout its short history, losing five of six matches.

Wednesday's meeting will be the sides' first in Open Cup play.