MR - your points are well taken & it shouldn't be a joke. I like Landon, but everyone should play by the same rules, especially when there's such clear and unequivocal video evidence (sorry, oldref). Is there a recommended address for sending questions like this in the front office? (And, yes, I'm a Sounder homer, but I would say the same thing about an unnamed Cuban on our team. Honest.)
Did anyone see this match? I caught the end of the second half and it seemed Stott missed at least two cautionable offenses late in the second half and the game teetered on going over the edge at the tail end. The first was an arm extended backwards by the big Montreal striker to the facial area of a Chicago defender.....and then a single play near the benches where two fouls (by Montreal) were committed with Stott coming back to the first foul and giving a yellow, but not for the second, more egregious foul.
whats up with the assignments this year????? No Vaughan is he injured? Ward gets 3 4th's, is Gantar still in mls doghouse from last years 2nd yellow to fc dallas player for diving?
Friday, March 23 10:00 PM EDT (NBC Sports Network) Seattle vs Houston - Baldomero TOLEDO / Ian ANDERSON / Fabio TOVAR / Jasen ANNO
Updated through all games played as of March 18: Code: [b]Referee Matches Yellow Y/Game Reds R/Game[/b] GEIGER, MARK 2 7 3.50 1 0.50 Gonzalez, Jorge 2 6 3.00 0 0.00 Grajeda, Hilario 2 8 4.00 0 0.00 MARRUFO, JAIR 2 7 3.50 0 0.00 Penso, Chris 1 4 4.00 0 0.00 PETRESCU, SILVIU (CAN) 2 2 1.00 1 0.50 TOLEDO, BALDOMERO 2 3 1.50 0 0.00 SALAZAR, RICARDO 2 6 3.00 0 0.00 Stott, Kevin 2 6 3.00 0 0.00 [b]ALL REFEREES 17 46 2.71 2 0.12[/b]
3-24 @ 1 PM ET Toronto v. San Jose Referee: Silviu Petrescu. SAR (bench): Darren Clark; JAR (opposite): Daniel Belleau; 4th: Geoff Gamble 3-24 @ 4 PM ET Columbus v. Montreal Referee: Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Steven Taylor; 4th: Chris Penso 3-24 @ 4 PM ET New England v. Portland Referee: Hilario Grajeda. SAR (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; JAR (opposite): Bill Dittmar; 4th: Daniel Fitzgerald 3-24 @ 7:30 CT Chicago v. Philadelphia Referee: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Craig Lowry; JAR (opposite): Claudio Badea; 4th: Armando Villarreal
Vaughn was dismissed from his position as a full time USSF referee. I don't know what his new job is, and he may not be as available as he used to be to fly all over the country to referee. He was on the crew on the 18th of March for Mexico vs. Senegal, so he may also be busy with International assignments.
I think we might not see a rookie whistle this season. Too early to tell, but looks like MLS is going with the "safe hands" early in the season.
I was starting to opine that it seemed to me long-term foolish not to have any new blood in the ranks. But maybe billf and you are on to something in that it may make sense to go to a smaller pool so that each R in the pool gets more experinece has some logic to it. (As long as it doesn't go the way of MLB that someone has to die before another ump can make it to the bigs . . . [yes, I know that's an exagerration].) (Or maybe their waiting for the new grand high mucky muck to decide who should get the shot at the big time.)
I think a smaller pool has been needed for a while. The top guys need more matches IMO. I think this will allow new guys a slower more painless introduction. I think development will be important, but there's no sense in putting rookies in bad situations. It doesn't do the referee nor the game any good. I also think the top guys will get even better as they get more work and experience. It will be tougher to break into the league, but like becoming a pro player, there are only so many spaces at the top.
Saturday, March 24 1:00 PM EDT (TSN/Direct Kick/MLS Live) Toronto vs San Jose - Silviu PETRESCU / Darren CLARK / Daniel BELLEAU / Geoff GAMBLE 4:00 PM EDT (Direct Kick/MLS Live) Columbus vs Montreal - Mark GEIGER / C.J. MORGANTE / Steven TAYLOR / Chris PENSO 4:00 PM EDT (Direct Kick/MLS Live) New England vs Portland - Hilario GRAJEDA / Kermit QUISENBERRY / Bill DITTMAR / Daniel FITZGERALD 8:30 PM EDT (Direct Kick/MLS Live) Chicago vs Philadelphia - Ricardo SALAZAR / Craig LOWRY / Claudio BADEA / Armando VILLARREAL 9:00 PM EDT (Direct Kick/MLS Live) Real Salt Lake vs Chivas USA - Mark KADLECIK / Anthony VASOLI / James CONLEE / Michael KENNEDY 10:00 PM EDT (Direct Kick/MLS Live) Vancouver vs DC United - Kevin STOTT / Adam WIENCKOWSKI / Jeff HOSKING / David GANTAR Sunday, March 25 4:00 PM EDT (ESPN) New York vs Colorado - Jorge GONZALEZ / Greg BARKEY / Chris STRICKLAND / Andrew CHAPIN 7:00 PM EDT (Galavision) Kansas City vs Dallas - Abbey OKULAJA / Frank ANDERSON / Peter BALCIUNAS / Yader REYES I'd heard Michael Kennedy and Abbey Okulaja had failed the fitness test. Guess not.
It seems like once you get tenure in MLS you will get to referee games no matter how poor your fitness or your performances become. No way Okulaja and Kennedy should still be refereeing at this level.
Toledo has been known recently as the referee most willing to give red cards. Three weeks in, he seems intent on disabusing us of that notion. First the Donovan tackle, now this: http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-03-23-sea-v-hou/highlights?videoID=179949 You could argue intent all day, but I remember reading a memo from Angelo Bratsis in the 90s about how studs exposed, over-the-ball, with contact made, was a red. Period. And this was before "endangers the safety of an opponent" entered our lexicon. Moffat complained, but I think he can count himself very lucky to not have seen a different color. Each time I watch it, it looks worse and worse.
How about the PK though? Looked like a good enough tackle to me. He was screened at the point of contact by the Montreal player between him and the tackle. he seemed to be judging by the tumble the Columbus player took. Montreal seem to be pretty overzealous tacklers though.
I think it's debatable, but a justified foul call. Also don't think Geiger was screened; his visual explanation to some of the protesting players after-the-fact makes it clear that he saw the first clean tackle and was calling the subsequent contact with the second leg. Is that always going to get called? Probably not. But it is a foul? Almost certainly.
At the 5:25 mark of the clip at the bottom of this page Franck Songo'o nails Kevin Alston in the face with very, very reckless play. 65th minute, 3 cautions already. Grajeda goes with a caution. Why not a send-off for endangering safety of an opponent? http://www.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2012-03-24-ne-v-por/recap
In all likelihood, because its a bicycle kick with the defender completely in his blind spot. Looked like Grajeda touched his back pocket for a moment, maybe thinking about red.
I was going to ask the Ref Board the same question. How can kicking an opponent, who is standing upright, squarely in the face without touching the ball NOT be a red card ? Regardless of intent or circumstances ?
It does look like he considered a red, but then went yellow. I don't that I can carefully craft into into LOTG language or guidance, but yellow seems right to me, too. He doesn't go into the BK in a crowd, but in the open with the player he ended up kicking behind him. I can see how you could put this into the language of a red, but I also don't think this is the kind of play that language is meant for. (Maybe it will make this week's WiR . . .)
I believe they did fail the first test in Florida. They both ran the fitness test in Greensboro, where I also ran. I believe Kennedy failed but Okulaja passed. Not only did he pass but his last interval sprint he killed. Given 30 seconds for the final 150 he finished it in less than 20 seconds.