Banning journalists seems to be something of a trend in American politics right now. Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Politico, and the Washington Post have all felt the brunt of Donald Trump’s ire at one point or another over the past year or so, with the Republican presidential nominee serving banning orders like Oprah hands out book prizes. It’s an ethos that has seemingly seeped into American soccer, too.

Last week, Real Salt Lake last week removed the credentials of Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson for Saturday’s league fixture against the New England Revolution. In response, the Tribune decided to remove all its staff from the game, instead covering RSL’s goalless draw against the Revs off the television.

The fact that such a sanction was imposed against Monson, who has been critical of the club’s owner, Dell Loy Hansen, is troubling. “The man with the deep pockets wants to run the club the way he wants to run it, not the way it should be run, not the way it’s best run. His ego is behind the wheel,” Monson wrote in August 2015. RSL maintains that Monson’s relationship with the club’s former owner – Monson co-hosts a sports radio show with Spence Checketts, the son of former RSL owner David Checketts – means he is a less than objective observer.

But this isn’t the way to go about things. That those in charge at Real Salt Lake should feel the sting of such condemnation isn’t surprising, particularly when Monson has more than once criticised Hansen, but serving banning orders helps nobody, least of all the club.

We can only hope that this practice does not spread throughout the league. As something of a crossover between the soccer world and the American sporting sphere, Major League Soccer has always been an anomaly of sorts. It borrows certain aspects of its identity from European soccer while retaining a distinctly North American character. Nowhere is that better demonstrated than in the league’s media approach.

In fact, MLS is held aloft as an example of media relations done right – at least as far as soccer goes. Its sporting reputation might not transcend borders just yet, but the league is renowned in press circles across the globe for its accessibility and openness. That is seen as a manifestation of the American way and is welcomed by those who are not afforded such access in European soccer.

Using personal experience as a gauge, MLS clubs understand the role of the media and how it can be used to their own benefit. When I wrote a story prior to the first ever Hudson River Derby between the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC last year, players were actively offered up by both clubs for interview. Media days were arranged, with individual schedules accommodated for as clubs did their best to present whoever, whenever.

Much of this comes from MLS’s need to compete in a crowded media marketplace, against leagues and sports of longer-established heritage. But nonetheless, this is the image that Real Salt Lake are in danger of damaging. Furthermore, they’re hurting their own fans by blacklisting members of the local media, particularly writers for such locally important publications as the Salt Lake Tribune. If MLS clubs are desperate to ensure their roots touch their local communities, banning a local columnist is at odds with that ethos.

European clubs are learning, but progress is slow. Manchester City hosted a media day to make the most of Pep Guardiola’s unveiling as their new manager, but even then the message still felt strictly controlled. MLS still sets the precedent, at least giving the impression of access and openness. And there is no league anywhere in the world that wouldn’t benefit from such a trait.

It’s therefore not the media Real Salt Lake are hurting with their actions, but fans, and the overall image of North American soccer as well. Journalists might be the target of such flak, but the real damage is felt elsewhere. Fans need the media to hold their teams to account. They also need the media to provide access, as well as an emotional link to those they watch play every week. It might sound like self-righteous hyperbole, but soccer needs the media as much as the media needs soccer.

This is why Real Salt Lake’s decision to ban Monson makes so little sense. Accessibility is one of MLS’s key selling points (the league is aware of Monson’s ban and says it takes access seriously). Players guest on fan podcasts, locker rooms are opened up to the press within minutes of the full-time whistle, with coaches and general managers even hosting Reddit AMA sessions from time to time. Without that selling point, MLS and North American soccer as a whole is a less attractive, less appealing product. It goes against the grain of the game’s media mantra in the United States and Canada. The MLS All-Star game in San Jose later this month will provide the perfect illustration of just how far ahead the league is in terms of its media approach. A week-long series of fan and media events won’t just act as promotion for the game itself, but for the league in general. This is the kind of thing at stake if RSL’s actions were repeated elsewhere.

Of course, MLS’s centralised structure helps with the organisation of such events, but clubs must recognise how important accessibility and positive media relations are to almost every aspect of North American soccer. Monson’s blacklisting is about more than just one journalist having his credentials stripped. This concerns the image and spirit of MLS. The disconnect exposed by Real Salt Lake’s media ban is about more than just one empty seat in the press box.