Let's start with the head-butt.
Rather, let's start with the run of play that led up to the endline tussle between New York City FC forward Thiago and New Jersey Red Bulls defender John Tolkin.
Thiago’s flanking run into the box almost presented a dangerous opportunity for NYCFC: He danced around Tom Edwards on the left, who responded with a two-handed shove and chopped at his heels, but when Thiago went to collect the ball just inside the line defender Sean Nealis gave him a hard body check. Thiago – and the rest of the New York City attack –had been hacked and fouled by the Red Bulls for over 60 minutes, and when defender Tolkin crossed the field to bait Thiago with some standard-issue trash-talking, the 21-year-old Brazilian lost his cool and made a head-butting lunge directly in front of referee Matthew Thompson.