DC v LA [R]

[Statesman]

After watching SJ v Chicago earlier I had tossed my hat to the ground, kicked up some dirt, and shook my head in preparation for yet another botched season of MLS refereeing.

A few hours later I watched Terry Vaughn, picked up my hat, dusted if off, and gave a big smile with a standing ovation. That was a great performance on his part, and really elevated his standing in my eyes. Earlier this year when he was awarded the FIFA badge I scoffed -- too many inconsistent performances and uncertainty from my eyes. Perhaps he has taken the badge to heart and really stepped up his officiating skills. If so, it is a very good thing.

[brichter]

I agree. I wish he would have been at the other West Coast game :-).
I especially liked his dummy on the ball to Ruiz when Ruiz scored.

[MidwestRef]

I will admit that I'm somewhat biased in my assessment of Terry Vaughn. I'm a referee in Iowa, and Vaughn does a LOT for the officials in this state. I've also had a chance to watch him work games in person and talk to him a little bit after the game.

That being said, Vaughn's performance tonight was outstanding from start to finish. He was on top of the game. He was judicious in his cards. He called the right fouls to keep the game free-flowing while still keeping control of the match.

The biggest plus on Vaughn's side is that he's in such great condition. He's probably one of the four or five fittest men on the pitch, at a minimum. Since he's so darn close to the action, it's pretty tough to dispute his calls. Vaughn will only get better as he gets more international and marquee MLS matches.

[nsa]

...
The biggest plus on Vaughn's side is that he's in such great condition. He's probably one of the four or five fittest men on the pitch, at a minimum. Since he's so darn close to the action, it's pretty tough to dispute his calls. Too close to the action sometimes. He made some good moves to avoid the play drawing comments from the announcer a couple times. Just a comment, not a complaint.

What I liked was that everytime a player got up looking for the number of the truck that hit him, the first thing he saw was Vaughn's boots.

Did anyone think that Adu would get his first card for that silly challenge against Herzog?

[MidwestRef]

Too close to the action sometimes. He made some good moves to avoid the play drawing comments from the announcer a couple times. Just a comment, not a complaint.

What I liked was that everytime a player got up looking for the number of the truck that hit him, the first thing he saw was Vaughn's boots.

Did anyone think that Adu would get his first card for that silly challenge against Herzog?

He did have to make a couple of nifty moves. I guess he still has some "game" from his days on the ODP and as a player in Iowa.

I thought his stern warning to Adu was sufficient. Herzog made a physical, but legal, tackle on Adu. Freddy retaliated, but it really wasn't that bad. It could have been a card in a rougher game, but Vaughn had done a good job keeping things under control. The warning was probably in line with the overall tone of the game. If that occurred in the CHI-SJ game, it was probably a yellow.

[G Enriquez]

Terry Vaughn and Brian Hall are the best ref's in MLS imo.

[Statesman]

Adu comments on his foul:
"The second you lose a ball is the time you can get the ball back the quickest,'' Adu said. "Although I lost the ball, I wasn't going to let him go on a breakaway. I had to do something to disrupt play.

"Obviously, it was a foul. I admit it, but I did it to help my team.''