The Vancouver Whitecaps came into Saturday's game angry.

Not because their Cascadia Cup clash against the Sounders was the latest in a 38-year rivalry and carried a lot of playoff seeding implications. Vancouver was upset because of what had happened the night before.

That's when the MLS Disciplinary Committee informed the Whitecaps that midfielder Barry Robson, one of the team's three designated players, would be suspended for the game in Seattle.

Robson earned the punishment for kicking a ball in the direction of the referee in the closing minutes of Wednesday's loss to FC Dallas.

"I think he would agree that that was something that wasn't acceptable and deserves one game," said coach Martin Rennie. "The issue is that we didn't know until 9 p.m. last night, and that makes it very hard because we've already put together our training, we've already picked our A-team, we've already picked our starting lineup and we've gone through all of our set plays."

Robson, who said he never meant to kick the ball toward the referee, was also issued a fine of an undisclosed amount for what was deemed "aggressive dissent."

"I probably can't say anything about it either because (the league will) have a problem with that," said the 33-year-old Scot, who had traveled to Seattle. "All I can say is that everyone looking at it knows that it wasn't handled very well."

The Sounders didn't hear the news until Saturday morning. Robson was replaced in the lineup by another designated player, Kenny Miller.

"You're bringing in a Scottish national team player — that's not a bad sub," said coach Sigi Schmid.

Notes

• Sounders FC hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy in an MLS Reserve League game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila. Parking is $5. Steve Zakuani will start and new addition Mario Martinez will play, according to Schmid.

• Sounders FC assistant coach Brian Schmetzer, whose history in the rivalry dates to 1980 in the old North American Soccer League, celebrated his 50th birthday Saturday. The Emerald City Supporters raised a banner of Schmetzer's likeness at halftime to honor the longtime Sounder.

• There was a moment of silence before the game in memory of KOMO news anchor Kathi Goertzen, who died Monday after a long battle with brain tumors.

• The Sounders are an MLS-best 11-0-1 when scoring first this season.

Joshua Mayers: 206-464-3184 or jmayers@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @joshuamayers.